# Does the Lyft heat map mean anything?



## CelebDriver (Feb 25, 2017)

If I drive into a pink area on the map it usually disappears. When I sit outside a pink zone on the map, I often do not get any rides. I have picked up people in a pink zone but never to my knowledge gotten paid any different.

As far as I'm concerned, they might as well put a rainbow, a leprechaun and a pot of gold on the map. I never catch it.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

Yes. It means PrimeTime. At the top of your screen, you'll see if it's between 25% up to whatever limit they have set. That's not necessarily always the case, though. PrimeTime only applies to where your rider originates the request, not where you are.

The darker the pink, the higher the rate.

Lyft is not transparent in their pricing (apparently to drivers AND riders). And you'll actually have to do math to figure out if you got paid more than your base rate. They won't tell you like Uber does.


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## freddieman (Oct 24, 2016)

i think those pink square zones are way of getting more drivers to that position on the map.


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## CelebDriver (Feb 25, 2017)

I was thinking the same thing. It seems more like a carrot to me.


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## Brundlefly (Nov 30, 2016)

https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/214586017-Prime-Time-for-Drivers



> *What are Heat Maps?*
> Heat Maps allow a driver to see where they're needed most. The app displays the areas of highest demand in real time. *The shaded sections show where Prime Time is in effect.* Heat Maps are viewable while online or offline in the Driver Console.
> 
> Remember, Prime Time is determined by the location where a passenger places their request, so even if you're waiting in a shaded area, not every request will have Prime Time. The best way to know whether a ride was Prime Time is on the post-ride earnings screen or your daily summary.


That's directly from the horses mouth. If that description is deviated from by Lyft then a lawsuit is in order.


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## drivininsac (Jan 20, 2017)

freddieman said:


> i think those pink square zones are way of getting more drivers to that position on the map.


This. All this. I have only gotten a PT ONCE in a pink zone. Don't chase the pink.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Brundlefly said:


> https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/214586017-Prime-Time-for-Drivers
> 
> That's directly from the horses mouth. If that description is deviated from by Lyft then a lawsuit is in order.


Not anymore.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

If Uber is surging and Lyft is primetiming, turn off Lyft. Because with Uber you know what you're getting.


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## rbort (Feb 19, 2017)

Why doesn't Lyft tell us what the prime time for the job is like Uber does?

-=>Raja.


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## autofill (Apr 1, 2016)

rbort said:


> Why doesn't Lyft tell us what the prime time for the job is like Uber does?
> 
> -=>Raja.


That's one of the biggest drawback on Lyft along with how precise the pink primetime cutoffs. If the pax stood on the other side of the street, they are outside of prime time and you are screwed.


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## senorCRV (Jan 3, 2017)

rbort said:


> Why doesn't Lyft tell us what the prime time for the job is like Uber does?
> 
> -=>Raja.


It does. It tells you the prime time rate in one little tiny square even if you are 50 miles away from anywhere that's in prime time

Everything these companies do is to trick new drivers who don't know how it works into thinking they are going to make more money, and bringing in new drivers to replace them once they figure it out.


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## Fred Ex (Feb 21, 2017)

Mostly they're just trying to redistribute drivers around the city to prevent Prime Time being needed.


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## cenTiPede (Dec 5, 2016)

Fred Ex said:


> Mostly they're just trying to redistribute drivers around the city to prevent Prime Time being needed.


This. The pink exists because there are less than 8 drivers within a certain zone and they want more drivers to go there. On occasion, if you're in a pink zone you may get PT. But don't hold your breath. They've also said that the pink zone is not a guarantee to PT.


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## Fred Ex (Feb 21, 2017)

cenTiPede said:


> This. The pink exists because there are less than 8 drivers within a certain zone and they want more drivers to go there. On occasion, if you're in a pink zone you may get PT. But don't hold your breath. They've also said that the pink zone is not a guarantee to PT.


I guess that's the point, the heat map is a plain old fashioned lie. It's supposed to mean a ride started here will pay more than base rate, but they more often use it to pre-emptively sucker drivers into an area so that there won't be a shortage.


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## anteetr (Jan 24, 2017)

In a word, no.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

anteetr said:


> In a word, no.


If it correlates with an uber surge zone, though, then probably yes.

Also theres likely PT ~around~ there, but peak PT% may well be a few blocks away and FAR higher


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## ChortlingCrison (Mar 30, 2016)

Adieu said:


> If it correlates with an uber surge zone, though, then probably yes.
> 
> Also theres likely PT ~around~ there, but peak PT% may well be a few blocks away and FAR higher


Interesting!!!


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## Trump Economics (Jul 29, 2015)

CelebDriver said:


> If I drive into a pink area on the map it usually disappears. When I sit outside a pink zone on the map, I often do not get any rides. I have picked up people in a pink zone but never to my knowledge gotten paid any different.
> 
> As far as I'm concerned, they might as well put a rainbow, a leprechaun and a pot of gold on the map. I never catch it.


It means we're a slave to less than minimum wage earnings.


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## CelebDriver (Feb 25, 2017)

Trump Economics said:


> It means we're a slave to less than minimum wage earnings.


The sad part is that I often get passengers that think that drivers can get rich if they work hard enough. I think this misperception has a lot to do with low tipping.


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## Trump Economics (Jul 29, 2015)

Tips, tips, tips.

I love how people still talk about tips like they'll buy you anything more than 7-Eleven pizza on a daily basis. And Lyft uses your tips against you, anyway, so they're actually worse than Uber.

#pyramidscheme

https://uberpeople.net/threads/how-lyft-uses-your-tips.140748/


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## CelebDriver (Feb 25, 2017)

I sincerely doubt they are giving more pings to drivers who don't get tips. After 3 weeks my tip ratio is about 7%. If other drivers are getting the same then it doesn't even matter. It becomes a non-factor.

“Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained away by incompetence.” – Unknown


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## Spinn (Feb 21, 2017)

I've had very few prime time rides - all from non-pink areas.
I have never received prime time pay when accepting a request in a pink area.
For this reason, I only turn on Lyft when there is no surge with Uber.
#LyftSucks


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## Trump Economics (Jul 29, 2015)

CelebDriver said:


> I sincerely doubt they are giving more pings to drivers who don't get tips. After 3 weeks my tip ratio is about 7%. If other drivers are getting the same then it doesn't even matter. It becomes a non-factor.
> 
> "Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained away by incompetence." - Unknown


You and exactly the kind of driver Lyft needs


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## Sharkb8 (Jun 30, 2016)

Trump Economics said:


> You and exactly the kind of driver Lyft needs


I pay Lyft 4-6% commission on average because of the tipping option.


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## Unkar's Muffins (Mar 9, 2017)

I think the pink zones are a scam. Unless you are very close, they usually go away by the time you get there. at least once I know I did not get a primetime increase, even though I and my request was both in the pink zone.

It is useful to tell you where busy areas are, though. That's about it.


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## Unkar's Muffins (Mar 9, 2017)

Trump Economics said:


> Tips, tips, tips.
> 
> I love how people still talk about tips like they'll buy you anything more than 7-Eleven pizza on a daily basis. And Lyft uses your tips against you, anyway, so they're actually worse than Uber.
> 
> ...


Agreed. PEOPLE ARE SO CHEAP! I even decorated my car inside and had all kinds of compliments on the music, but it made no difference in my tips at all. People simply do not tip drivers very much. If you get 10% in a week, you are very lucky.


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## CelebDriver (Feb 25, 2017)

I was told by experienced drivers that they totally ignore them. They say you have to be there before they go pink and not when they are pink.

All this is conjecture and anecdotal but it's all we got.


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## Spennydsd (Feb 17, 2017)

Has anyone noticed that areas will go PT without showing it on the heat map? There is an area by me that hit PT for 30min at a time and it never shows on the driver app but it does on the passenger one. Is there an old version of the app that works better?


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## macchiato (Sep 29, 2015)

It's Lyft dangling their pink carrot from the sky. It works wonders.


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## Spennydsd (Feb 17, 2017)

That doesn't make sense.... it shows no PT but there really is one..


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## macchiato (Sep 29, 2015)

Spennydsd said:


> That doesn't make sense.... it shows no PT but there really is one..


The driver app updates slower than the pax app. Often I notice that in thenpax app it's PT when on the driver mode, PT is off. The reverse is also true.


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## Spennydsd (Feb 17, 2017)

Is there an older version of the app that's more reliable?


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