I have several friends and aquaintances who drive for uber (and lyft, etc), who are barely scraping by, and are doing it out of desperation, not because they prefer it to other available jobs that are more "normal".

They are driving for Uber because they can't find/get/keep such a job. Of course everyone driving for uber is doing so because it's the best thing they can find, they wouldn't prefer a job that pays them even less. But the people I know doing it don't love it or prefer it to a "normal" job, they just do it cause it's available and they need to pay the rent.