I have a yard customer–I’ll call her Audra–who lives in the mobile-home park I live in. She is about my parents’ age, in her 70s. She told me she wants me to take a bus trip with her to Las Vegas, where a car of hers happens to be; and she wants me to drive the car back here–from Las Vegas to Gardena, CA, about 280 miles.
She is a very nice person; she paid me well to do her yard work, and has had me notarize some documents.
What, approximately, would be a proper amount to charge her for the driving? I never attempted to do anything like that, though I am an experienced driver…
After extensive and increasingly frustrated googling trying to find a single auto delivery service that was willing to give the slightest bit of information on its rates online, I’m gonna go with…$20/hr of driving time and she pays for the gas and a meal.
How do I arrive at this number? It originated somewhere in the general vicinity of my ass.
Assuming, at 70 mph, that this trip will take you about four hours TO DRIVE BACK, not to mention your considerable bus-time to get there…bus trips always take about three times as long as they should, which means you’re going to burn one very very long day, or two “normal” days…
I’d say, if you want to do her a favor, charge her $100. That’s a very long day you’re burning; with stops to pee, eat, etc., you’re talking around 12-16 hours.
If you have to take time off work or you just don’t feel like it, charge her $150-$200.
That way either you feel good about yourself for helping out an old lady, or you make more money than you really think you should and you walk away happy. Only you can make that call; personally I hate road-trips and would charge more than I think it’s worth, just to avoid it. If she takes that offer, that’s what it’s worth to her and it’s her call and you should be guilt-free.
Regardless of what you agree on, all gas and food/supplies are OF COURSE on her tab.
Thanks to you, and Otto. 
I would not pass up a chance to do this, since I am not regularly employed and nice customers like Audra are hard to find. Besides, the more people I can give as potential references the better.
I’ll be discussing this with her later obn; I may try to substitute a train trip for the bus ride (I came back here from Las Vegas on a bus 14 years ago) to ascertain the lowest cost; I may also get some suggestions from taxi drivers and people in shipping departments, or such…
I did ride the bus with Audra to Las Vegas; the trip took six hours, mostly on I-15.
And the drive back took about 5 1/2 hours, also on I-15 (and I-91). and she did pay me $100, plus expenses.
Now another neighbor is planning to have some furniture moved from Gardena to his place in Pueblo, Colorado–about 1300 miles–this time next year. However, I guess I’ll have to learn how to drive a U-Haul truck between now and then if I’m to do that.