At the end of each workday, ride-share drivers check their statements to see the amount collected from trips. However, this amount rarely reflects the net profit, since costs such as fuel, maintenance, taxes, and other expenses reduce what is actually left in the pocket. Without adequate control of these expenses, many professionals have difficulty understanding their real earnings from the activity.
A survey conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), released in September 2026, indicated that drivers working for digital platforms undertake longer shifts and receive an hourly rate lower than drivers who do not use apps.
According to this report, in 2025, professionals linked to platforms worked an average of 45.9 hours per week, earning R$14.40 per hour. In comparison, other car drivers recorded 40.4 hours per week and earned R$16 per hour.
This panorama underscores the relevance of monitoring the costs inherent to the profession. This need motivated Luís Carlos Colucci, a driver and developer residing in São Paulo, to create Visione Motorista, an application designed to record both revenues and expenses, thus allowing the calculation of the financial result of the work.
A study published in June by the Superior Labor Court (TST), conducted by the Center for Judicial Research, Statistics, and Data Science, points out that the monthly expenses of a ride-share driver can exceed R$5 thousand. The research detailed costs of R$5,566 for those using their own vehicle and R$5,706 for those operating with rented cars. This estimate was based on an eight-hour daily shift, for 22 days a month, at an average speed of 25 km/h.
The items considered in this calculation include fuel, maintenance, vehicle depreciation, insurance, taxes, mobile internet, fines, and food. These are expenses directly attributable to the workers and which often do not appear in the daily calculation of the money received from rides.
However, the Brazilian Association of Mobility and Technology (Amobitec), which represents companies in the sector, contested these figures. In a technical note, the entity questioned the methodology used in the survey and argued that the presented costs were not accompanied by the calculation of the revenues of the same profile of driver.
To support its position, the association cited a study commissioned to the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning (Cebrap), conducted between May 2023 and April 2024. This study combined administrative records from the companies with interviews conducted with three thousand workers. Under the scenario of a 40-hour weekly shift, the projection of monthly net income for drivers was between R$3,083 and R$4,400.
The results obtained are not directly comparable, as they employ different methods and criteria. However, this disparity demonstrates the complexity of defining a single value for the costs and earnings of those who work with ride-sharing transport.
According to IBGE data, about two million individuals worked through digital service platforms in the country in 2025. Of this total, approximately 1.2 million were involved in passenger transport. Specifically, there were about 905 thousand people working as car drivers using platforms as their main activity.
The average monthly income of these drivers reached R$2,873, slightly higher than the R$2,805 registered among drivers who did not rely on apps. This difference changes when considering the time dedicated to the activity: platform professionals worked, on average, 5.5 hours more per week and earned less per hour.
Another relevant piece of data is that only 25.5% of ride-share drivers had social security coverage in 2025. This implies that a considerable portion of professionals lacked this protection, which is essential in cases of retirement, disability leave, or death benefits for dependents.
IBGE classified these findings as experimental statistics, still subject to adjustments and methodological improvements. Despite this caveat, the numbers highlight why the analysis of the activity cannot be restricted solely to the money received from rides.
Although Colucci had over twenty years of experience with technology, he himself faced difficulties tracking the financial outcome of his shifts. He reported: 'I drove all day picking up passengers, but I arrived home without knowing how much I had actually earned, after deducting gas. And there's also car maintenance and that break to eat something at the snack bar that most people forget to include in the bill.'
As a Computer Science student, the developer decided to create a tool to record financial movements without requiring prolonged interruptions from work. He explained: 'I thought of an intuitive, simple-to-use app that I could quickly open between one ride and another to record earnings and expenses. That way, I see the real profit, without complication.'
The application does not automatically import data from platforms like Uber and 99; the driver must manually enter the amounts received and the expenses incurred. With these records, the system calculates the daily result and allows for the tracking of financial goals.
Features include fuel control, calculation of average fuel consumption, and maintenance logging. There is also a calendar to organize private passengers and recurring services, such as school transport. An additional feature uses artificial intelligence to assist in analyzing financial information, and reports can be exported in PDF or CSV formats.
It is crucial to note that the result depends on the correct data entry by the user. If an expense is not recorded or the received amounts are entered incorrectly, the calculation will not reflect the real profit. Additionally, the application does not automatically calculate vehicle depreciation based on usage.
Visione Motorista is the first product of Visione Soluções Tecnológicas, a company co-founded by Colucci and his wife, Michele Barros Colucci, who is a journalist and marketing professional. While he focuses on development and technology, she handles communication and market strategy.
Available on Google Play for Android, the application offers a free version with ads and two paid options. The Basic plan costs R$9.90 monthly or R$99 annually. The Complete plan, for R$24.90 monthly or R$249 annually, includes passenger schedule management and financial analysis features, plus seven days of free trial.
Colucci's initiative highlights a fundamental issue: generating revenue is not the same as making a profit. Ultimately, what truly matters is not the volume of rides or the statement amount, but whether the remaining amount justifies the effort and hours spent behind the wheel.
