# Rental Car Program



## crazyb (Feb 16, 2015)

Is anyone here using the car rental program in Phoenix? If so, how is it working out? It seems to maintain 70 rides a week would be impossible plus you're not able to take advantage of the power bonus. Would like some honest feedback
Thanks.


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## rleezx (Dec 15, 2015)

Get a real job. rental program just isn't feasible


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## crazyb (Feb 16, 2015)

I was asking for feedback not criticism . I'm elderly and slightly handicapped but not on any assistance you ****ing jerk. Doing this works for me.


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## Danny3xd (Nov 7, 2016)

70 rides a week is not a far out number. But just my opinion, long way to start making a profit.

But as a means to having a car to use and the getting out of the house, thing. I would consider it. But don't think it a great opportunity.

If I may be so bold, might be a way for ya to garner the funds to make a downpayment on a dealership, used car. 

But honestly, delivering pizzas pays better. At best and given your posts. This could best serve as a steppingstone. Me thinks.

Unless aggressively pursued, rideshare work is not lucrative. 

Just my thoughts. Hope some one better versed than I will be of more help to ya, Crazyb


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## crazyb (Feb 16, 2015)

My question was to someone who was actually taking advantage of renting the car. I did not ask for any opinions or assumptions about me personally and what I should think or do.


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## Danny3xd (Nov 7, 2016)

You will do well at this and life in general. People skills are obviously well honed by you.


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## Andre Benjamin 6000 (Nov 11, 2016)

Danny3xd said:


> You will do well at this and life in general. People skills are obviously well honed by you.


Lmao!!


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## Ghwwe72 (Sep 23, 2016)

I would research the market you will be driving in. See if it's worth doing. Some on here say it's easy but in general Lyft is very slow. Also depends on the hours you are willing to drive. I did it in Boston for about a month. I decided for me it wasn't worth it. Also you're not eligible for bonuses.


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## crazyb (Feb 16, 2015)

I've been an UBER/Lyft driver for 2 years and have done quite well so far. UBER in my area is much busier and 70 rides would be easier than 70 rides with Lyft
Driving works for me and my current health situation. I can work alot when I feel well and take breaks when I need to. I also do other things in-between when I'm on the road
I've learned when and where to drive. I was nearly homeless before I drove. I couldn't keep a job because of my health issues and missing work. So luckily I had a decent late model car to drive before I lost that too. I don't drive to get out of the house thing.

I hate bring criticized by people who don't know my story. Sorry if I offended anyone but I'm just tired of explaining myself. I just wanted to know if anyone in the Phoenix area was doing the rental thing - that's all. Instead I was told by someone to get a real job which made me feel like a loser. I have enough to worry about.


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## crazyb (Feb 16, 2015)

Ghwwe72 said:


> I would research the market you will be driving in. See if it's worth doing. Some on here say it's easy but in general Lyft is very slow. Also depends on the hours you are willing to drive. I did it in Boston for about a month. I decided for me it wasn't worth it. Also you're not eligible for bonuses.


Thank you for a straight answer. It's appreciated.


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## 7Miles (Dec 17, 2014)

I rent from Lyft but not in Phoenix.
One thing to be aware of - as soon as you turn off your app, you start paying $0.25 per mile.
Lyft vehicle is free as long as you hit required rides and have the app on ALL the time.
Also, you are responsible for rental tax. Instant pay not available once you start renting. So you get paid once a week only. No deposit needed for existing drivers.

I've also rented from Uber . They do it completely different. They charge a LOT of money - appx. $300 per week because of hidden and not hidden fees. But the car is yours, use it for whatever you want and drive unlimited miles with app on or off. Just don't forget to pay Uber . Oh, you can't forget - they take money from your paycheck and take $250 deposit before you even start driving.


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## sfodriver (Nov 19, 2016)

I do Express Drive in SF. You can only get enough rides in if you do this pretty much full time. On average I do about 16-20 rides per day, working five days 6-8 hours. Sometimes I spill into the weekend just to get the last few rides I need to waive the rental fee. The original program charged you for both rental tax and personal miles, with the latter severely cutting into your profitability (because you often have to reset from a less busy area that you've been taken to, to a more busy area just so you can get your ride count in for the week). Also, when they charge for personal miles it means you won't be using the vehicle for anything else but Lyft...which is kinda crazy considering you are paying a pretty big rental fee.

The good news is that they just announced yesterday that starting Dec 19, at least in SF, miles will be free and unlimited once you hit the required ride count (for me, it's 75). Unfortunately, it does means that they also increased the rental fee (I'm going from $149/wk to $199/wk)...but as long as you get the rides in the rental, maintenance, and all insurance is free.

The personal miles issue has been a huge gripe of mine so I'm happy they have addressed it. You also need to understand that there aren't the same bonuses available to ED drivers. I did get hourly guarantees this week, but the only other bonus available is $175 for completing 125 rides in a week...that's a big number.

As others have mentioned, the program only makes sense if you can hit the ride numbers, otherwise it is a very expensive short term lease.


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## crazyb (Feb 16, 2015)

sfodriver said:


> I do Express Drive in SF. You can only get enough rides in if you do this pretty much full time. On average I do about 16-20 rides per day, working five days 6-8 hours. Sometimes I spill into the weekend just to get the last few rides I need to waive the rental fee. The original program charged you for both rental tax and personal miles, with the latter severely cutting into your profitability (because you often have to reset from a less busy area that you've been taken to, to a more busy area just so you can get your ride count in for the week). Also, when they charge for personal miles it means you won't be using the vehicle for anything else but Lyft...which is kinda crazy considering you are paying a pretty big rental fee.
> 
> The good news is that they just announced yesterday that starting Dec 19, at least in SF, miles will be free and unlimited once you hit the required ride count (for me, it's 75). Unfortunately, it does means that they also increased the rental fee (I'm going from $149/wk to $199/wk)...but as long as you get the rides in the rental, maintenance, and all insurance is free.
> 
> ...


Thank you!


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## BbKtKeanu (Dec 7, 2016)

I am in Orange County and have to get 65 rides a week to cover the rental. I had to put in 55+ hours to hit this number. This is definitely only going to be something I do short term until I have made enough for a good downpayment. Long term the rental program is awful. Ride count makes. I sense. I can have a day with 5 long rides that pay better or a day with 10 short 5$ rides. I'm sure we will continue to see changes to this program. They already are talking about upping the amounts of rides needed soon.


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## KMANDERSON (Jul 19, 2015)

Shimere Alexander said:


> Phoenix driver here... so far many of us have done great getting 70 rides in around 40-45 hrs. Mostly, this is because of Tempe. You get back to back short rides when in a crunch to hit your numbers. Of course there are some long rides in there, airport drop offs etc. We are lucky that we don't have to pay for personal miles here as we are the test market. That means you can drive for personal use without paying extra. After you hit the 70 rides the car only costs the tax which is around $20. Not a great program for part time but full time do-able. Yes you miss out on pdb but for some like me it's a trade off on saving wear and tear on my personal car. Insurance, and maintained is included on the rental. That means less money I have to put into oil changes etc on my vehicle not to mention miles. Someone throws up in your car you take it back and they take care of it. There are good trade offs and bad. Especially if you can't put in the hours to get those 70, like maybe a slow week. Overall, it's up to you on if you think it's worth it.


It seems like Lyft hertz deal might be a better option.Lyft pays for the rental if you hit 75 rides,Again no power driver bonus,no express pay.but unlimited miles.


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## Bernice Jenkins (Dec 4, 2016)

KMANDERSON said:


> It seems like Lyft hertz deal might be a better option.Lyft pays for the rental if you hit 75 rides,Again no power driver bonus,no express pay.but unlimited miles.


The hertz deal is not avail in Phoenix. Only the express drive rental prog is.


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## Bernice Jenkins (Dec 4, 2016)

Shimere Alexander said:


> Phoenix driver here... so far many of us have done great getting 70 rides in around 40-45 hrs. Mostly, this is because of Tempe. You get back to back short rides when in a crunch to hit your numbers. Of course there are some long rides in there, airport drop offs etc. We are lucky that we don't have to pay for personal miles here as we are the test market. That means you can drive for personal use without paying extra. After you hit the 70 rides the car only costs the tax which is around $20. Not a great program for part time but full time do-able. Yes you miss out on pdb but for some like me it's a trade off on saving wear and tear on my personal car. Insurance, and maintained is included on the rental. That means less money I have to put into oil changes etc on my vehicle not to mention miles. Someone throws up in your car you take it back and they take care of it. There are good trade offs and bad. Especially if you can't put in the hours to get those 70, like maybe a slow week. Overall, it's up to you on if you think it's worth it.


I agree with you 90% except for the Tempe part. Maybe you drive at diff times than I do but its really saturated there and I don't get many rides there even on weekends. For me, downtown Phx and central Phx is much busier. What days and times do you find are the best?

And to answer the OP, getting those rides per week is possible as long as you figure out the best times. And you will need to do it 40ish hrs a week as stated by someone else above. But it is possible. If you find it difficult, you may want to consider switching over to Uber and usuing their rental program through enterprise. Uber is much busier here in Phx so its much easier to get your required amount of rides. The only downside though is Enterprise requires a $250 deposit for everyone no matter what.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

crazyb said:


> I've been an UBER/Lyft driver for 2 years and have done quite well so far. UBER in my area is much busier and 70 rides would be easier than 70 rides with Lyft
> Driving works for me and my current health situation. I can work alot when I feel well and take breaks when I need to. I also do other things in-between when I'm on the road
> I've learned when and where to drive. I was nearly homeless before I drove. I couldn't keep a job because of my health issues and missing work. So luckily I had a decent late model car to drive before I lost that too. I don't drive to get out of the house thing.
> 
> I hate bring criticized by people who don't know my story. Sorry if I offended anyone but I'm just tired of explaining myself. I just wanted to know if anyone in the Phoenix area was doing the rental thing - that's all. Instead I was told by someone to get a real job which made me feel like a loser. I have enough to worry about.


You don't need any opinions on the Lyft rental program if you are a two year Lyft veteran. You already know how many hours it will take to get 70 Lyft rides. There is nothing special about a Lyft rental car; if it takes 40 hours to do 70 rides, then it takes 40 hours, end of. And you'll earn the same rate in a Lyft rental as you do in your own car.

So all you need to do is look at your past earnings and deduct the weekly rental fee and any power bonuses from them if less than 70 rides and ask yourself if it would have been worth it. If you generally gave more than 70 rides, deduct any power bonuses and do the same.

You already have your answer.


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## LyftBoston87 (Jan 3, 2017)

crazyb said:


> I've been an UBER/Lyft driver for 2 years and have done quite well so far. UBER in my area is much busier and 70 rides would be easier than 70 rides with Lyft
> Driving works for me and my current health situation. I can work alot when I feel well and take breaks when I need to. I also do other things in-between when I'm on the road
> I've learned when and where to drive. I was nearly homeless before I drove. I couldn't keep a job because of my health issues and missing work. So luckily I had a decent late model car to drive before I lost that too. I don't drive to get out of the house thing.
> 
> I hate bring criticized by people who don't know my story. Sorry if I offended anyone but I'm just tired of explaining myself. I just wanted to know if anyone in the Phoenix area was doing the rental thing - that's all. Instead I was told by someone to get a real job which made me feel like a loser. I have enough to worry about.


 I am disabled and driving for lyft as well, in the boston area. it is hard to get the full 75 pax requried every week but I still make a profit even if I end up paying the rental fee. let me know if you have any questions.....


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## Trump Economics (Jul 29, 2015)

I read the title to this and nothing of the story because all I have to say is: SUBPRIME AUTO LENDING IS BAD, LEASING FROM FUBER OR LET-DOWN-LYFT IS BAD, STOP RIPPING YOURSELF OFF, AND HAVE A NICE DAY.


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## LyftBoston87 (Jan 3, 2017)

William Marshall said:


> I read the title to this and nothing of the story because all I have to say is: SUBPRIME AUTO LENDING IS BAD, LEASING FROM UBER OR LYFT IS BAD, STOP RIPPING YOURSELF OFF, AND HAVE A NICE DAY


Want to add a qualifier to that comment so we credit you as not being a troll? I see you all over the threads and I have mixed feelings about your contributions here


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