You could call David Whiteley a professional tinkerer. With over forty five years in the automotive industry under his belt and another lifetime’s worth of experience tackling odd jobs around the house, David was uniquely qualified to take on the role of a Tasker after retirement. Now, if only he knew what a Tasker was.
“Taskrabbit was something that wasn’t on my radar. I’d never heard of it,” David, who lives with his wife in B.C., told Global News’ Newstalk 730 CKNW in a recent interview.
But when a friend of his wife used Taskrabbit to find a handyman for her mom, she suggested that newly retired (and notoriously handy) David give it a go. And give it a go he did.
“They hired me to do jobs like light switches or light fixtures, or plumbing fixtures, or things like that—just very light plumbing, electrical, mounting a television, putting pictures on the wall, or just general household things,” David says. “I’m quite capable of doing it. I’ve done, you know, dozens of these things in the houses that I’ve owned over the years.”
And at 70 years old, that’s a lot of lived experience to draw on—experience that’s translating into some serious extra income for David and his wife.
In fact, David recently told the Daily Hive that he’s been earning roughly $1,500 and $2,000 every month through Taskrabbit. But David says the extra money isn’t the only upside he’s found while working as a Tasker.
“[I] keep my mind and my body active. You know, it’s very easy to just let everything go to heck when you retire I think. And you know, staying in shape is one thing, but doing all of the twisting and turning and moving and carrying and lifting and planning and thinking and buying products and having the right tools and all of that stuff really keeps you very sharp.”
And while he loves keeping his mind and body busy, he’s also enjoying the easygoing autonomy of the Tasker lifestyle. After nearly 50 years in the automotive service industry, being his own boss with Taskrabbit has been a welcome change of pace.
“I have to say, not doing it for somebody else allows you to do it in a very relaxed environment, on your own time,” David says. “I don’t drive a great distance. It’s quite manageable to work about 35 to 40 hours a month, which is kind of what I used to do in three or four days. And it’s the hours and places that I want to work and the days that I want to work. I don’t work weekends, I don’t work on Thursdays, which is the day I do my personal stuff. I only work from 9:30 to 5 every day, and the customers are very generous with tipping as well.”
David is just one of thousands of handy Taskers standing by, so if your to-do list is getting unwieldy, do your home a favor and visit Taskrabbit to book your next task.
Last updated on November 6, 2026 by Isabel Gottlieb
