Work

Z Trip: Glitchy Ride Share App Fails Freelancers

Z trip
By Kathy Kristof • Published on December 18th, 2022 • Last updated on February 24th, 2025

Basics:

Z Trip, once the taxi-industry’s answer to Uber and Lyft, now requires drivers to lease a car from them to drive

Expected pay: speculative

Husl$core: $

Commissions & fees: $80 + per day

Where: Austin; Baltimore, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Northern Colorado, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburg, San Antonio, Tampa, West Palm Beach.

Requirements: Over the age of 23; a U.S. citizen; never convicted of a felony; be willing to be finger-printed and thoroughly background-checked

What is Z Trip?

Z Trip is a ride share app that requires drivers to lease a car from them to get access to its customers.

How it works

Officially, you work for yourself through this app. While rides are arranged through Z trip, riders can pay in cash if they want. You don’t pay the app for processing payments or doing your marketing. If the rider pays via credit card, Z Trip will process the payment and pay you within a few days of completing the trip.

Z Trip review

When we first reviewed Z Trip, it was the taxi industry’s answer to Uber and Lyft. it simply offered an app that allowed you to book a taxi like you would a ride share driver.

But when we went back to update our review in January of 2023 and again in 2025, the company was a different animal. Now, it essentially requires that you lease a vehicle from the company to drive with Z Trip. The site says it takes care of your maintenance, and gives you the benefit of saving your own car from the heavy wear-and-tear of rideshare driving.

While rideshare driving is tough on your car, this company’s leases are expensive. And drivers still pay for their own gas. This now appears to be one of the least attractive options in an industry that’s not known for great choices.

Leases

Indeed, you’re likely to pay so much to lease a Z Trip vehicle that it can be tough to make a living. Uber and Lyft have also occasionally arranged leases for their drivers. These are almost always terrible deals.

If you have your own car, which gets great mileage, you may be able to make a decent living with ride share — if you’re strategic about when and where you drive. When you don’t own your own car, ride share is a terrible way to make a living. The costs are high; the competition is stiff; and the hours are long.

App problems

And, if those problems weren’t enough, the app is apparently glitchy and makes it tough for customers to book a ride — and for drivers to find them. Ahem.

Recommendations

Notaly, Z Trip is one of the few apps that’s panned by drivers and customers alike. Reviews at both app stores, as well as Indeed and other job-rating sites say this is an “opportunity” you should pass up.

Better-rated driving apps include Lyft, Uber, Wingz and DoorDash.

If you have a truck and are willing to drive it around to help people move, check out GoShare, which offers high hourly pay.

What their drivers say: (From Indeed)

Daily rentals are normally around $115 a day which means you’ll have to make $115 to pay your vehicle lease before you see any money. Then, you still have to pay for your own fuel. Couple that with the fact that no taxes are withheld and you’ll have to pay taxes out of pocket and you’re looking at a total loss.

You pay high dollar for car it’s always broke. We always have to pay in advance for your rental leases, yet you get paid in two or three days out for your work. Seems you’re always in the hole.

Better options

Unless you can’t read or write , there are a million better companies that know what their doing. Street Bums make more than I was able.

You just have to drive 12+ hours everyday, and lease is very expensive. But if you are willing to drive that many hours 7 days a week this is the perfect job for you.

You are paying more to the lease of $80 a day for the vehicle plus you have to pay your own gas! So in reality you’re putting more of your money towards the car than you will ever take home. They promise a lot but you never can count on it. Super unreliable place to work! Please avoid this place like the plague…

From Google Play

App crashes all the time. Wait time can be hours

The app constantly freezes. More importantly, I was billed for two cab rides for a trip where the driver never showed. Never got a receipt. Support options are laughable. Do not waste your time and money with this.

Would give 0 stars if I could. App froze after my last ride, so I tried re-installing it, only for the app to claim my password was incorrect when I tried to log in, which I know for a fact it wasn’t (I had it written down). Not that it would have mattered, because when I tried have a password reset email sent to me, no email was sent.

Tried scheduling a ride, and it asked me for account specific info that I couldn’t remember, so I thought the app would say somewhere on my profile that info. Nope! Then tried calling customer service, they didn’t give me an answer either, if anything they were willfully ignoring me and just trying to schedule a ride. Canceled that thankfully. Then I tried getting it all solved later and now they won’t even send me a password reset email. Can’t even make a new account with my Phone#

Time zone?

App did not see time zone…booked for 3 am trip rather than 3 pm trip so I had to lookup number and call in to fix. Did not provide uodates or confirm just gave the trip number and then froze up. Sorry. Last ride was great and current throughout.

The app crashes constantly, and there’s no way to contact the driver after they’ve accepted a ride. Often had to wait 30 minutes before they even start moving to my location. Terrible service and even worse app

Updated 2/24/2025

You May Also Like…

Follow Us

33 responses to “Z Trip: Glitchy Ride Share App Fails Freelancers”

  1. JOSEPH SANFILIPPO

    The omaha market i applied at is still putting drivers in wrecked old beat up chevy impala with happy taxi logos nothing about z trip seems scetchy to me i tried it but decided ti just keep using my personal car for uber i have no desire to drive a bright yellow taxi i only applied at z trip because i like the image of the nice cars z trip bought but at this moment they still use taxi cars my experience wasnt what i expected at all my car didnt even take gas it took cng which have nothing but issues so i returned the car they lost a ghid hustling driver in my opinion i drive 14-16 hr days with my uber app on 7 days a week

    Reply
    1. Leslie

      Z trip in mobile needs to bring taxi cab driver Beth back!!!!
      Not only can she drive but she goes out her way to help….

      Reply
  2. Anthony

    You pay $95 a day for the lease, which seems like a lot, but it’s really not considering how much you make per day. The daily lease is what pushes a lot of people away, but if you put in the hours and work you can easily pull in $300 a day. $300 – $95 is still $205 per day. If you can work even 5 days a week that’s making a little over 1g a week, 4g a month. Work 7 days a week and you’re making almost 6g. If you own a car and use it as your cab, the daily lease gets knocked down to $50 a day. The potential to make really good money is 100% up to you. You can work up to 16hrs a day or 80hrs a week. Not to mention, ever person you refer to the job, you make $5 every day they work. Just another way to lower your lease and make even more money. You create an LLC when you join, so network your business. Advertise your business and get people to work under you. The freedom you get by making your own hours and dictating your pay is amazing. I highly recommend zTrip for anyone who loves driving and making money.

    Reply
    1. David Johnson

      is it worth ? avg 200.– a day?

      Reply
      1. Asnath Colson

        Yes. $200 a day is good money. Unless you are a lawyer, doctor, or other professionals that make $100 per hour.

        Reply
    2. Larry Scott

      This is a very positive review. I have an interview with them on Thursday. Bless you, champ.

      What do you mean when you say have drivers work under you?

      Reply
      1. Latisha Floyd

        Were u my driver for the taxi at 701 Charles Street ? I had the baby and it was around 1038pm. U really helped me out. If it’s you text me 4438147339. Maybe we could have coffee or something

        Reply
    3. Jathina Calais

      Thanks for that that explanation! It was much needed!

      Reply
    4. Crazyangel

      How many hours are you working to make $300 a day ?

      Reply
  3. Joseph Sanfilippo

    Taxi co suck uber is the future z trip will slave you to a grind of paying 500 a week leaee run away run away

    Reply
    1. michael mcmillin

      I did Uber and Lyft for 5 years and now I make 2500 a week doing Ztrip and I don’t kill my car.

      Reply
      1. Mike C

        Really? That sounds really good. R u bullshittin? I’ve been driving for uber and Lyft for 3 1/2 yrs and I’m willing to switch.

        Reply
      2. Kimberly

        Michael,

        If you see this, it is now Feb 2021 and I am curious…are you still driving for Ztrip and with the same financail success as you mention in this review? Would you still give the same positive review? Thanks for your time.

        Reply
      3. A Roupe

        In Colorado time restriction to 12 hour days. Lucky to get 240 a day minus the 90 a day plus if u work 10 plus hours.a day that’s about 50 bucks minus as well at 3.50 a gallon

        Reply
    2. Bennett Sproul

      I worked for ztrip last year and i slaved 14 to 18 hour days and the rides are so inconsistent and the fact that your still in a beat up taxi cab And you still have to pay $500 a week regardless if you made $500 a week the 1st week you work there you make and they credit you and you only pay 365 but you only have 3 days to make that amount this is not a job many people could do and especially if you have small children as life will get in the way so much that you don’t end up making any money at all

      Reply
      1. brett

        maybe if yall would actually show up yall would have more business

        Reply
    3. Newyork

      I have an interview with ztrip and there is two things I want to know first let me say someone I know worked for ztrip and told me that passengers would run out without paying is this true and if that happens what do a ztrip driver suppose to do? second do we have to pay up front a few to use they vehicle? Need to know before I waste my time

      Reply
  4. Jeff

    They work you to death for far less than minimum wage. Beware.

    Reply
  5. Tom Mathies

    I’m just a customer that tried to make an early morning reservation to go for hospital surgery via the app (wait time to talk to rep was hours haha). Was Told my request for a reservation was received. But it was not a real reservation ha ha and they would let me know. So at that point I knew this was not a “taxi” of days gone by. Have hour before my 4:30 AM pickup time received text to “hold on” and that we were looking for driver ha ha. You guessed it, no driver showed and I drove myself to hospital. The out was formally Yellow Cab but I guess Ztrip was a needed upgrade.

    Reply
    1. Joshua Grosel

      Unfortunately it’s still like hailing a taxi. You still have to wait for a driver to accept your trip.

      Reply
  6. GMoney

    I work for a local Colorado Springs Hotel near the airport. I have guests constantly book reservations to rides to the airport and no one shows up. I call and the automated system tells me they are looking for a driver. They have stranded many, many customers. Worst Cab Service Ever!

    Reply
  7. Troy Turner

    I have an interview with Z-Trip and am curious about the whole thing and I want the truth. I have time and want to make money. I am new to this driving business anyway. Now I do know back when “Yellow Cab” was around, you paid a lease and you needed a Shofars or CDL license. How much is the leasing and how is it paid? Who pays for gas? I am feeling like I am in a pond without a lifeguard.

    Reply
  8. Patrick Billette

    Dear Z trip,
    I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF THIS!!!! Every time we make a subscription and give a time for the cab to pick me up, they do not listen. They are never on time, always late, and never give reasons on why. Today, I was really late to,work because the DAM CAB DID NOT SHOW UP UNTIL 10:10 AM! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE??????????????????? This is ridiculous. Every week my mom has a subscription to come at 845 AM every week. We thought that would work and they continued being late. When yellow cab used to do it, they were usually on time and sometimes early. I think Z trip should do the same. If you are going to put a subscription for a time every week, they need to remember to come at this time every week. TREAT THIS LIKE UBER!!!!!!! It is that simple, all you do is download an app, call a ride, it tells you exactly how far the driver is and it tells you their name as well. It also tells you how good the driver is, what comments people said, so you know ahead of time if you like the driver or not. This should not happen anymore. That was 1 hour and 25 minutes late. I called a few times asking where the cab is and every time I call, the answer is always the same. We are still looking for nearby drivers and we do not have an available driver at the moment. My mom called and put the subscription for 8:30 AM and I hope it works. My program director at Summerhouse Angie also called and talked to them about it being late all the time and they are working to see if they can find a driver and work it out in a way that it is the same driver every week that is always on time consistently. This is the reason I have been late to work almost every week. If this is the same every week, the driver should put it on their calendar so they remember. I hope the service improves from now on. I am not pleased at all. I hope lessons are learned from this. We need better drivers that are as good as Uber, polite, and they are always on time. I hope it improves and gets better fast.
    Patrick

    Reply
    1. Davin

      Drivers are independent contractors. They choose when they work and which dispatched runs they want to pick up. They are not hourly employees so they have the option to make those decisions. If you find a driver you like it’s best to discuss with them the possibility of making arrangements directly with them rather than going through zTrip dispatch. Many drivers don’t care about their reputation and provide terrible customer service. Other drivers, including myself, take pride in providing excellent customer service. My name is my brand and it is flattering when customers request me specifically because they enjoyed allowing me to drive for them.

      Reply
    2. SKDA

      I would say this if you have to be at work at 8am i advise you to call at 6:30am be before time not close to time it takes a while for any Ztrip driver to pick it up and it may not be a lot available at that time so be before time so you won’t be late, alot of time it’s not on the driver

      Reply
  9. jan

    NEVER EVER use this service! Monday, June 6 ….The driver ended up charging me $68 for a quoted and verified 3 times price of $32-$35 with their phone reservation lady to get to the Pittsburgh airport. Needing to catch a flight, I couldn’t argue. What is even worse was I asked the driver to confirm the $32-$35 price BEFORE I got in the car & he said “It could even be less”. Yet in conversation during the ride, he’d already taken others to the PIT airport so he really did KNOW! With this more than double charge, I certainly wasn’t going to trust his offer to pay by credit card so I paid cash and got NO receipt.

    I have tried to call their customer service number 412-323-4722, left three voice mails over the past few days … and of course, no one returned my call nor email. Sadly I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.

    SCAM ALERT

    Reply
  10. Davin

    I’m sorry to hear that driver took advantage of you. In Louisville, the city regulates taxi services. As a taxi driver I have to obtain a permit from the city. If something like that happened here and got reported to the city, the driver could face repercussions. Just something to consider.

    Reply
  11. GEORGIA

    THANKS TO ALL WHO POSTED INFO ON PRICING AND BREAKING DOWN LEASE DETAILS- THE ZTRIP WEBSITE PROVIDES NO INFO ON LEASING, HOW/WHEN IT’S EXPECTED TO BE PAID,HOW MANY HOURS YOU NEED TO WORK PER DAY/PER WEEK TO COVER YOUR LEASE- THIS MAKES ME WEARY THAT THEY ARE NOT UPFRONT NOR PROVIDE ANY DETAILS ABOUT COSTS PAID OUT OR MONEY TAKIN IN PER WEEK.

    IF I UNDERSTOOD CORRECTLY-

    TO BECOMEA DRIVER AND LEASE ONE THEIR CARS IT COSTS 95/DAY?

    HOWEVER, YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY THIS FEE UPFRONT,OR ON DAY ONE,
    ALSO, IT IS WEEKLY LEASE, NOT PER DAY, TOTAL WEEKLY LEASE COSTS=665? [95X7=665]
    IF IT IS NOT PAID UPFRONT, DOES THAT MEAN IT IS DUE ON DAY 7?

    HOW MUCH IS AVERAGE ZTRIP PAY OUT PER CUSTOMER? 20/EACH TRIP YOU MAKE CORRECT?

    THANKS FOR YOUR HELP EVERYONE

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Need a Bit of Guidance?

Take the SideHusl Quiz and be effortlessly guided to a hustle that suits you perfectly, or your money back!

Enjoy the Quiz

450 Ways to Make Money on the Side

Subscribe to see news and new reviews every week.

Copy link
CopyCopied