RUNGig driver playbook · TX
Driving in Houston
Houston is geographically huge — distance is your enemy. Pick a quadrant (Inner Loop, Energy Corridor, NW, SE) and stay there. Drivers who hop quadrants burn 20%+ of their gross on gas.
Population
2.3M city · 7.3M metro
Uber avg/hr
$22–27/hr
DoorDash avg/hr
$18–23/hr
Best hours to drive in Houston
Thu–Sat 8pm–2am, Sun lunch 11am–2pm
Worst window: Mon–Wed midday
Houston surge hotspots
- Midtown bars (Bagby St corridor)
- Washington Ave nightlife
- Rice Village
- Galleria area shopping + dinner
- Downtown (Discovery Green events)
Airport strategy
IAH (Bush) for long trips, HOU (Hobby) for fast turnaround
Recurring surge events
Astros home gamesRockets gamesTexans gamesHouston Rodeo (Feb–Mar)Pride weekend
Taxes for TX drivers
Texas has NO state income tax. Federal $0.67/mile is your entire write-off engine — track every mile.
Run the TX tax calculator →Weather watch
Flash floods in summer. Don't drive into water. A $25 weather radar app pays for itself once.
Drive in Houston? Get on the MyRunner waitlist.
MyRunner launches city by city. Drop your email and we'll text you the moment Houston goes live — plus send your first gear drop free.