The best hours to drive: when one hour is worth two

No. Strong slots depend on your city, your starting area, local events and how many drivers are out at that moment. Generic advice describes an average that is nobody's actual day. The right question is not “what are the best hours” but “what are mine” — and two weeks of records are enough to answer it.

For every slot you work, note two figures: what you took in and the real hours of the slot. Divide. After two weeks, rank your slots by euros per hour: the gap between your best and worst hours appears, and it is usually far bigger than expected. That ranking is your ideal schedule.

Because your budget of hours is capped — by regulation, fatigue and life outside the car. A slow hour consumes the same budget as a strong one, for half the takings. Moving one working hour from a weak slot to a strong one therefore raises your income without adding a single minute of work.

Only if the hour at least covers its variable costs and returns something above them. An hour that does not is worth less than zero: it wears the vehicle, consumes your budget of hours and tires you for nothing. Taking it out of the schedule is a gain, not a retreat. Off-peak, the alternative is adjusting your minimum fare — never below your costs.