Uber and Lyft drivers reveal the hardest parts of their jobs

"The hardest part is when I try to do research into how much of fares we're actually getting paid and see that it's a tiny percentage," Kevin, a driver in Chicago, told Business Insider in an interview.

"For example, I asked a passenger last week how much she was getting charged and she said roughly $12. When the ride was over, I received $6.50. It's almost better to not know what the passenger is paying."

"The hardest part in my opinion is dealing with weather and holidays, when I'd rather be warm at home with my family," Steven, a driver in Kansas City, said in an email.

"But since I know these are good days to work, when there might be a surge or just a lot of people needing rides in general, I like to work."

"I want to make passengers feel good, because when they're feeling good, I get more tips," Ray, a driver in Boston, told Business Insider in an interview.

"But I'm not a young man anymore and cleaning out my car, vacuuming, dusting off the seats, and everything has started to hurt my back recently. I'm considering getting an SUV so it's a little higher up off of the ground."

"Dealing with fraudsters is the hardest, and not just the ones that give a 1 star rating for a one mile ride," Stephen, a driver in Portland, told Business Insider in an email.

"About six weeks ago I was contacted by Uber asking if I was alright, that I had been in an incident. Turns out one of my fares claimed I ran over their foot while picking them up. I was totally exonerated, because they made the whole thing up.

"Mentally, the toughest part for me is seeing all the strung out junkies in San Francisco," a driver named Austin told Business Insider in an interview.

"I grew up here and drug-use has always been bad, but I have never seen it this bad. SF decriminalized drugs and the shit is everywhere. It is so heartbreaking to see young kids on the block with needles in their arms. I know this has nothing to do with Uber, but as a driver, we see more of the streets than anyone."