I chauffeur execs as a side hustle. I rely on their tips more than base pay to make money.

A chauffeur who works for a black car service says tips are essential to his earnings. Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images Gig workers, from Uber drivers to delivery workers, say that tips are a big part of their earnings. One chauffeur in Florida said it's also true for his side hustle at a black car service. The job involves driving executives and pilots to and from airports, the driver said. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Marcus Thompson, a chauffeur in Tampa, Florida. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified the earnings information. I've been in the Tampa area for about eight years now. I moved down here to work in film. But when jobs in that industry slowed to a crawl here around 2023, I turned back to a gig I was familiar with: chauffeur.