# Lyft Express Drive Program



## Renna (Sep 8, 2018)

Hi All,
I’m trying to decide to rent a car w/ Lyft through their express drive program which requires a $250 rental deposit up front, then costs $200 per week for the rental. They do lower that weekly price if you hit a certain number of rides per week. Another plus is that they deduct the rental cost from your weekly earnings. 
The cons are that you are that you can’t drive for Uber with your Lyft rental, you’re not eligible for the driver bonus or the receive your pay each day option. 

My other option is to rent through w/ Hyrecar so I can drive w/ both Lyft and Uber. This option is more expensive per week ($250-$350). The pros of doing it this way = you are allowed to drive for both companies, you do not have to pay the $200 deposit if you give them a credit card and it does not have to be in your name (if you pay w/ a debit card they hold $200), you are eligible for driver bonuses. Cons = you have to pay $30 for a background check (by Checker, the exact same background check that Uber & Lyft does, u have to pay the rental car total price up front, the charge you $13 per day for insurance. 

If anyone has any advice on this subject regarding which rental option is better- I’d appreciate the info.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

Don't rent a car, period.

Scrape up $2-4k and buy a beater that will meet the minimum requirements. Take an auto loan if you have to. But whatever you do, don't rent.

It's a trap!!


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## mbd (Aug 27, 2018)

Rent the car for 6 weeks, get mistakes out of the way , then decide if you want to rent or get your own car.


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## Dice Man (May 21, 2018)

Consider working as a waitress, you will make more money with less effort.


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## Lpcrooks (Dec 2, 2017)

Renna said:


> Hi All,
> I'm trying to decide to rent a car w/ Lyft through their express drive program which requires a $250 rental deposit up front, then costs $200 per week for the rental. They do lower that weekly price if you hit a certain number of rides per week. Another plus is that they deduct the rental cost from your weekly earnings.
> The cons are that you are that you can't drive for Uber with your Lyft rental, you're not eligible for the driver bonus or the receive your pay each day option.
> 
> ...


Its 280 per week after taxes and fees, i do it. If i get 75 rides in a week, I get 75 dollars off, ive never gotten more than 45 rides a week in pittsburgh


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## Woohaa (Jan 15, 2017)

Welcome to sharecropping 2018.


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## beezlewaxin (Feb 10, 2015)

Lyft rental is subject to 25.25% taxes above the statee price.

Here in Las Vegas the stated price is $208.98. The price I pay each week is $262.xx.

They dont lower the price no matter how many rides you do.

_*They will give you a bonus for doing a certain number of rides, but don't fool yourself into thinking you are paying less for the rental.*_

If you were using your own car (or HyreCar) you would still be getting a similar bonus (or weekly ride challenge).

The rental is a great way to save up enough money to buy a cheap car for cash, if you are willing to drive 50+ hrs each week.

A full-timer could use the rental to scrape up enough cash to buy a used car with no loan. If you can save $250+ a week into a used car fund, then after 3-4 months you can go out and buy a used car for $3000-4000. If you do this it will be like getting an instant $1000/mo raise! Plus you wont be stuck making car payments for the next 4 years.

Anyone who suggests a loan immediately over renting short-term to save up money to buy a car for cash has a screw loose. If you are incapable of saving money you dont want to take on any debt.

Express Drive will allow you to make money driving without putting you into debt if you can drive a lot of hours. Sure it is expensive and that should be motivation to save up and buy a cheap car. Lyft has removed the PDB vehicle year requirement of 2011 in many markets recently and this should help greatly.

There is no reason you can't have weekly deposits of $800/wk consistently with Express Drive if you work 50+ hours. These deposits will become $1050+/wk after you buy a car and that is pretty good motivation.

The trap is if you are unable or unwilling to work that much. Then it can be a perpetual weekly expense that often can turn an acceptable $650 week (e.g. for working 40 hours) into a paltry $385 week on your weekly deposit. This is where I find myself many weeks.


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## Over/Uber (Jan 2, 2017)

New member: questions about leasing, avatar is a pic of them, they think they may actually hit the ride total target with Lyft.



beezlewaxin said:


> Lyft rental is subject to 25.25% taxes above the statee price.
> 
> Here in Las Vegas the stated price is $208.98. The price I pay each week is $262.xx.
> 
> ...


That's a whole lotta variables, many of them unattainable or unreasonable for most, that have to consistently come together over a considerable amount of time.


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## Fozzie (Aug 11, 2018)

You can get a car through Express Drive, but you'll have to work full time to pay for it, and and end up netting less than minimum wage and a car that you'll never own. 

Buy a cheap car that meets the minimum requirements in your area and run it into the ground.


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

Mista T said:


> Don't rent a car, period.
> 
> Scrape up $2-4k and buy a beater that will meet the minimum requirements. Take an auto loan if you have to. But whatever you do, don't rent.
> 
> It's a trap!!


So I'm appreciating that we all get different experiences depending on location. I'm in San Francisco which is arguably the best location to work for Lyft. My own take is that I'm happy to have signed up for the express program. I'm now 1 month into my rental and I am sad that I should have done it sooner. First off I'm one of those "full time" drivers, so my entire income is from rides hare. Prior to last month, I was driving my own car a 2011 Nissan Xterra. The thing is this is a great car and it's paid off. However, since becoming a driver 2 years ago I didn't want to pay the high rental fees for a more fuel efficient vehicle (xterra averages 16mpg). Plus even though SF has terrible roads I thought my car is built for rugged terrain, what could go wrong. Well let's just say the repair bills have been brutal. Also, I could drive for Uber, which can offset Lyft when things are slow. Overall I was averaging $22/hr. Anyway, last month I made the plunge for Lyft express drive. Yeah the down-payment and weekly rental fees are high but so far I think it's worth it for me. My weekly gas cost used to be $320, but now it's down to $170. Now I'm somehow making $25/hr instead of the Uber/Lyft average of 22. However, because I am a full time driver Lyft definitely uses me like a slave. I used to make 90-110 trips a week, which was roughly a 45 hour week. But in order to get a free rental I need 140 trips per week (not to mention the required 55 prime time rides with 90% acceptance rate). Naturally I have adjusted into the slave mode and I'm reaching that 140, and my week is now a 60 hour week. Overall I've gone from the weekly take home of 22x45-320=670 with my Xterra to 25x60-170=1330 with the rental. In other words I am a better paid slave by making the switch.

Disclaimer: I have to admit that having both Uber and Lyft combined in SF can be amazing sometimes. There are weeks when I managed to get $1700 (total, not net) when I worked like the slave, similar to what I'm doing now. But that level of income wasn't consistent, and at times it seemed I worked just as hard for less. The rental has been much more consistent .

PS. All this math ignores toll and cost of food while on the road, which is another pain when driving in the bay area. So actual take home money is less than stated.


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## hulksmash (Apr 26, 2016)

Any Rental program that restricts you to driving for only one company is a bad deal. In LA prime time is a lot less frequent than Uber surge partially because of this. I suspect this may be the case elsewhere as well. Power zones aren’t much better. By accepting being a Lyft only driver, you are resigning yourself to accepting mostly base fare rides even in areas where Uber is paying substantially more. Lyfts only selling point is getting a free rental for X amount of rides. If you get a $250 rental for 140 rides, that’s $1.78 per ride. If that’s not bad enough you have to take nearly every crappy far away pickup and shared ride to get it. 


For me, Lyft offers me a $1.20 per ride bonus (14 for $17) which include XL rides where Uber doesn’t count XL towards bonuses. However, Uber surges in more areas where Lyft doesn’t. So i will choose Uber over Lyft in this situation everytime, bonus be damned. The surge payment on this one ride alone can easily be worth as much or more than the Lyft bonus. If I’m a Lyft rental driver, Im stuck with the lower paying Lyft ride and have to work harder for the same money. Now if I get a Lyft PT ride that is equal or higher than what Uber pays, or if neither platform is surging, then I will favor Lyft, as long as the pickup is not too far. 

In short, you can make the same money in less time and fewer rides picking and choosing which company to drive for depending on real time market conditions.


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

hulksmash said:


> . By accepting being a Lyft only driver, you are resigning yourself to accepting mostly base fare rides even in areas where Uber is paying substantially more. Lyfts only selling point is getting a free rental for X amount of rides. If you get a $250 rental for 140 rides, that's $1.78 per ride. If that's not bad enough you have to take nearly every crappy far away pickup and shared ride to get it.


I believe that each market is different. Like I said before I used to drive for both platforms and would make $1700 putting in 60+ plus. But more often it was closer to $1300. So how did the switch to only Lyft leave me worse off? The truth is that it didn't. The $1.78 bonus you mention is now common place. Both Lyft and Uber offer paltry bonuses. For me the real questions are how much money do I take home, what's my hourly wage, and is it CONSISTENT . I'm currently making $25/hr and taking home $1300, and it's rather consistent, which is more than many other jobs here in the bay area.


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

hulksmash said:


> For me, Lyft offers me a $1.20 per ride bonus (14 for $17) which include XL rides where Uber doesn't count XL towards bonuses. However, Uber surges in more areas where Lyft doesn't. So i will choose Uber over Lyft in this situation everytime, bonus be damned. The surge payment on this one ride alone can easily be worth as much or more than the Lyft bonus. If I'm a Lyft rental driver, Im stuck with the lower paying Lyft ride and have to work harder for the same money. Now if I get a Lyft PT ride that is equal or higher than what Uber pays, or if neither platform is surging, then I will favor Lyft, as long as the pickup is not too far.
> 
> .


I have never driven as XL so I can't comment on that .But in the 2 years I've been a driver, surge pricing was only great the first 2 months. After that I quickly realized the fallacy of concept. Here it surges mostly for 2 reasons: people are leaving /going to work, and there's an event. Both of these situations are the bane of my existence. The traffic jam is insane. I can't imagine how anyone makes money sitting in traffic even with 300% surge. It can take 45 minutes to pick up one passenger from a concert. Or 20 minutes to pick up someone 3 blocks away during rush hour. No thanks. My motto is to drive away from the surge. I think every driver should think about their hourly wage based on their take home at the end of the week rather than short term surge prices. Also don't believe the hours listed in the app. I consider my hours from the moment I leave my door to the moment I return home. Anything else is a fantasy unless you take significant breaks doing other things


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

Mista T said:


> Don't rent a car, period.
> 
> Scrape up $2-4k and buy a beater that will meet the minimum requirements. Take an auto loan if you have to. But whatever you do, don't rent.
> 
> It's a trap!!


this is correct. renting is nothing but a predatory leasing scam. do NOT do it.


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## beezlewaxin (Feb 10, 2015)

Is there a better way to scrape up $2-$4k to buy a cheap car when you don't already have a car?


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## dryverjohn (Jun 3, 2018)

I think owning the cars and renting them out is a far better proposition than driving the cars and trying to make the payments. I currently drive a Prius and am considering buying a used minivan for XL fares and also to place on Hyrecar or something similar. When I do the math, it seems that I have a pretty good return if the car can last 2 years. Anyone have any good or bad experience putting their car out for others to abuse?


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

Hyrecar is a horrible deal.


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## hulksmash (Apr 26, 2016)

Destaks said:


> I have never driven as XL so I can't comment on that .But in the 2 years I've been a driver, surge pricing was only great the first 2 months. After that I quickly realized the fallacy of concept. Here it surges mostly for 2 reasons: people are leaving /going to work, and there's an event. Both of these situations are the bane of my existence. The traffic jam is insane. I can't imagine how anyone makes money sitting in traffic even with 300% surge. It can take 45 minutes to pick up one passenger from a concert. Or 20 minutes to pick up someone 3 blocks away during rush hour. No thanks. My motto is to drive away from the surge. I think every driver should think about their hourly wage based on their take home at the end of the week rather than short term surge prices. Also don't believe the hours listed in the app. I consider my hours from the moment I leave my door to the moment I return home. Anything else is a fantasy unless you take significant breaks doing other things


The XL example can apply to X as well. When I drive my X car I will choose whoever is offering the better deal at the moment. For example one time I was working on finishing Uber quest but I then got a 400% Lyft PT ride while Uber was only at 3x in the same place. Needless to say I took Lyft and made more with that ride than what finishing quest would've got me.

I will agree that surge usually involves some sort of inconvenience, either traffic, chaos, odd hours, or some combination of it. And yes base rate rides usually mean less hassle but lower pay. What drives me crazy is the drivers that pick up base fares on one platform when the other is surging. LAX is a good example of this. It surges often there on Uber but not Lyft, and it usually means traffic. I understand you being happy with lower rates to avoid traffic but I don't understand those that deal with the traffic for the same low rates you can get anywhere else in the city. It lowers demand and surge for those willing to bear the conditions for the chance at a long surge ride.

Also, sometimes even when you're trying to avoid the congested areas you may get drawn to one anyway. You won't always have a choice unless you just avoid driving altogether. If you're the type that accepts any ride that comes your way you may not realize it's a ride going to or coming from an area with traffic getting in or out. When events come to town I know at certain times there's a good chance any ride I get is going there. During these windows I avoid accepting any ride that is too close to the festival or does not have a surge to avoid dealing with crappy conditions for little pay. If I'm going to get drawn to such an area I want to be compensated well for it. Same thing picking up. You may get a ride 15 minutes away to pick up from an event at base fare, because everyone that's closer is signed off waiting for surge. Now you're stuck where you don't wanna be and not getting paid well for it.


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

heynow321 said:


> this is correct. renting is nothing but a predatory leasing scam. do NOT do it.


For those who say renting is horrible, please tell us why. What market are you in? What car do you drive? What's your estimate of maintenance per month (you can divide from your yearly cost)? How much are you taking home per week? How much do you drive per week?
The rental program is ideal for those who don't own a car, and in fact city of San Francisco has such ridiculous parking fees and fines that most people don't want to own a car. Now for $250 down you can essentially get a car as long as you want, and if you're willing to drive 140 rides per week it's free (down payment is refundable) . All you have to worry about is gas and tolls. Honestly the one huge disadvantage of renting is the insurance. It's got a $2500 deductible, which is truly astronomical. If you're a lucky driver and never get into an accident then this insurance will not be a big deal. But as we know any time you're on the road anything can happen...


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## Raven087 (Jul 10, 2017)

Destaks said:


> For those who say renting is horrible, please tell us why. What market are you in? What car do you drive? What's your estimate of maintenance per month (you can divide from your yearly cost)? How much are you taking home per week? How much do you drive per week?
> The rental program is ideal for those who don't own a car, and in fact city of San Francisco has such ridiculous parking fees and fines that most people don't want to own a car. Now for $250 down you can essentially get a car as long as you want, and if you're willing to drive 140 rides per week it's free (down payment is refundable) . All you have to worry about is gas and tolls. Honestly the one huge disadvantage of renting is the insurance. It's got a $2500 deductible, which is truly astronomical. If you're a lucky driver and never get into an accident then this insurance will not be a big deal. But as we know any time you're on the road anything can happen...


whats 20 rides, 7 days a week, right? No big deal. As a last resort, OK. But its never a good deal, doesn't matter where you live. If you are following your plan and not trying to put aside money to get a used car, its just poor planning.


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

hulksmash said:


> The XL example can apply to X as well. When I drive my X car I will choose whoever is offering the better deal at the moment. For example one time I was working on finishing Uber quest but I then got a 400% Lyft PT ride while Uber was only at 3x in the same place. Needless to say I took Lyft and made more with that ride than what finishing quest would've got me.
> 
> I will agree that surge usually involves some sort of inconvenience, either traffic, chaos, odd hours, or some combination of it. And yes base rate rides usually mean less hassle but lower pay. What drives me crazy is the drivers that pick up base fares on one platform when the other is surging. LAX is a good example of this. It surges often there on Uber but not Lyft, and it usually means traffic. I understand you being happy with lower rates to avoid traffic but I don't understand those that deal with the traffic for the same low rates you can get anywhere else in the city. It lowers demand and surge for those willing to bear the conditions for the chance at a long surge ride.
> 
> Also, sometimes even when you're trying to avoid the congested areas you may get drawn to one anyway. You won't always have a choice unless you just avoid driving altogether. If you're the type that accepts any ride that comes your way you may not realize it's a ride going to or coming from an area with traffic getting in or out. When events come to town I know at certain times there's a good chance any ride I get is going there. During these windows I avoid accepting any ride that is too close to the festival or does not have a surge to avoid dealing with crappy conditions for little pay. If I'm going to get drawn to such an area I want to be compensated well for it. Same thing picking up. You may get a ride 15 minutes away to pick up from an event at base fare, because everyone that's closer is signed off waiting for surge. Now you're stuck where you don't wanna be and not getting paid well for it.


Your points are well received but people keep talking about base rate rides, low rate ,etc with the implication that you are getting more money per ride with whatever tactics you are using. Yet no one has given an indication of what they take home per week or what their hourly rate is. I don't chase any surge yet I'm getting $25/hr. So does this mean those that chase surge are doing better than me? By how much?


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

Raven087 said:


> whats 20 rides, 7 days a week, right? No big deal. As a last resort, OK. But its never a good deal, doesn't matter where you live. If you are following your plan and not trying to put aside money to get a used car, its just poor planning.


If you live in San Francisco and you feel this way, then good for you. Used cars in my experience are trouble. The hills alone beat up your car to a pulp. Maintenance costs are high Even an oil change can set you back $60. So unless you're a do it yourself type or you know a friendly mechanic, there's no denying that the rental program removes a lot of headaches for those of us in the bay area.


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## heynow321 (Sep 3, 2015)

Destaks said:


> All you have to worry about is gas and tolls.


...and you have to worry about hitting 140 rides a week...on gryft. that's almost impossibru.


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## Gtown Driver (Aug 26, 2018)

I agree with not bothering with the rent/lease stuff. I did that before buying the car I have now and well that sucked really bad. It's bad enough when you have a slow day with Uber/Lyft when you're doing a 2 to 300 dollar monthly payment on a car you own. When you have a slow day/week on rideshare and you know 200 dollars is coming out on that week before you get paid its annoying. It forces you into a situation where you can't feel comfortable making the money you want until your car payment comes through at the end of the month (or if you're smarter fully pay for cheap car). For me it was really annoying knowing that I couldn't take a week or even a few days off work without worrying about how 140 bucks was going to come out of my paycheck regardless of how busy or slow my week was.

You basically can't take vacation because that'll eat into the 200 dollars a week you need to pay off and you'll just feel awful taking days off knowing those days off are making the 200 they will take out that week more of a pain than it already is. Getting into a rental forces you to have to work your butt off for pay that isn't worth it. Not to mention the insurance I had forced me to have to pay for tows up front for flat tires or breakdowns and get paid days later.

I would only suggest a rental/uber lease to basically haul A$$ and make as much money as you can in a month (dont even take a day off unless it is dead dead out there) and give that thing back right after. Other than that not worth it IMHO.



Destaks said:


> It's got a $2500 deductible, which is truly astronomical. If you're a lucky driver and never get into an accident then this insurance will not be a big deal. But as we know any time you're on the road anything can happen...


2500 deductible in a busy traffic area? Hell nah I'm out won't get me to sign for that. I'd be scared of driving in North Dakota with 2500 deductible.


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

heynow321 said:


> ...and you have to worry about hitting 140 rides a week...on gryft. that's almost impossibru.


I guess living in the most expensive city in the world has its perks. Hitting 140 rides per week is totally doable here lol



Gtown Driver said:


> .
> 
> 2500 deductible in a busy traffic area? Hell nah I'm out won't get me to sign for that. I'd be scared of driving in North Dakota with 2500 deductible.


I agree. Sucks especially for those who don't own cars. But if you have personal insurance doesn't it normally cover a rental? I actually forgot to ask this when I rented my Lyft car


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

Gtown Driver said:


> You basically can't take vacation because that'll eat into the 200 dollars a week you need to pay off and you'll just feel awful taking days off knowing those days off are making the 200 they will take out that week more of a pain than it already is. Getting into a rental forces you to have to work your butt off for pay that isn't worth it. Not to mention the insurance I had forced me to have to pay for tows up front for flat tires or breakdowns and get paid days later.
> 
> .


I'm definitely not a mouthpiece for the rental program so I'll try not to monopolize this thread. But before I sign off let me just say that this argument is not fair to levy against the program. The argument is definitely important because WE HAVE NO JOB BENEFITS. Time off means no income. So even if you own a car you can still have anxiety about taking a vacation. Just because you are expected to pay weekly does not mean the rental program is more stress inducing. We all have monthly bills that get automatic withdrawals, so imagine if you add them all up and divide by 4. That's your weekly pay rate. If you look at that number closer you might realize that you have no time for a vacation. But that's not by accident, it's just that this job has no benefits


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## hulksmash (Apr 26, 2016)

Destaks said:


> Your points are well received but people keep talking about base rate rides, low rate ,etc with the implication that you are getting more money per ride with whatever tactics you are using. Yet no one has given an indication of what they take home per week or what their hourly rate is. I don't chase any surge yet I'm getting $25/hr. So does this mean those that chase surge are doing better than me? By how much?


Have you ever been taken to a suburban dead area 40 miles away for $35 at a time when there is little chance of getting a return fare, meaning you eat the cost of getting back to your home area or you waste a lot of time trying to get money to go back with no success. Then you later see that the area you just vacated started surging right after you left. Then realize you could've doubled your earnings for a similar length trip, or gotten the same money for half the distance with enough time to go back for seconds/thirds, etc. My point is that with a little forethought, knowledge of events, timing you can position yourself for good rides. However I admit that there is some merit to doing rentals and taking what rides are given for the sake of consistency especially if this is your sole income, and there is some high risk/high reward with working surges, but I will stand on the idea that you can increase your earnings by strategizing your ride selection, timing, and positioning.


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

hulksmash said:


> Have you ever been taken to a suburban dead area 40 miles away for $35 at a time when there is little chance of getting a return fare, meaning you eat the cost of getting back to your home area or you waste a lot of time trying to get money to go back with no success. Then you later see that the area you just vacated started surging right after you left. Then realize you could've doubled your earnings for a similar length trip, or gotten the same money for half the distance with enough time to go back for seconds/thirds, etc. My point is that with a little forethought, knowledge of events, timing you can position yourself for good rides. However I admit that there is some merit to doing rentals and taking what rides are given for the sake of consistency especially if this is your sole income, and there is some high risk/high reward with working surges, but I will stand on the idea that you can increase your earnings by strategizing your ride selection, timing, and positioning.


I'll admit that I do have a strategy. I don't accept anything more than 7 minutes away (unless it's really slow day), I don't accept rides more than 45 minutes travel time if I'm an area that I know has great demand. But I am lucky to be in the bay area where at the moment I could pretty much accept any request and end up finding riders wherever I go. Maybe I'm riding a lucky wave and Lyft keeps throwing requests my way, but I'm loving not being so apprehensive about where I end up. (Luckily 90% of my pings are within 5 minutes).

Let's not forget that Lyft requires 90% acceptance for the bonuses and rewards. So for 140 rides per week I have up to 15 rides that I can decline and still be within acceptable range. There's no reason to assume that I accept every ping coming my way


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## hulksmash (Apr 26, 2016)

Destaks said:


> I'll admit that I do have a strategy. I don't accept anything more than 7 minutes away (unless it's really slow day), I don't accept rides more than 45 minutes travel time if I'm an area that I know has great demand. But I am lucky to be in the bay area where at the moment I could pretty much accept any request and end up finding riders wherever I go. Maybe I'm riding a lucky wave and Lyft keeps throwing requests my way, but I'm loving not being so apprehensive about where I end up. (Luckily 90% of my pings are within 5 minutes).
> 
> Let's not forget that Lyft requires 90% acceptance for the bonuses and rewards. So for 140 rides per week I have up to 15 rides that I can decline and still be within acceptable range. There's no reason to assume that I accept every ping coming my way


Are you still subject to peak hour requirements? Do you get any other bonus like power zones or streak bonuses? For that matter is there any prime time anymore during the hours you drive? Curious if you target any specific areas or if you take whoever comes your way, or if there are any areas you will absolutely refuse to drive and deadmile out of? Sounds like Bay Area is one of the few remaining markets where you can actually make decent money without relying on airport runs or special events. Otherwise it's a lot of short traffic infested minimum fare or pool.


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## Destaks (Sep 10, 2018)

hulksmash said:


> Are you still subject to peak hour requirements? Do you get any other bonus like power zones or streak bonuses? For that matter is there any prime time anymore during the hours you drive? Curious if you target any specific areas or if you take whoever comes your way, or if there are any areas you will absolutely refuse to drive and deadmile out of? Sounds like Bay Area is one of the few remaining markets where you can actually make decent money without relying on airport runs or special events. Otherwise it's a lot of short traffic infested minimum fare or pool.


I have to admit that the bay area is great for Uber and Lyft driving. There are a lot of drivers out there. Some of my passengers joke that there must be one at every corner coz they never have to wait more than 2 minutes. Overall this market is probably the last one where you can afford to be exclusive to one platform. I know a lot of drivers who are exclusive to either Lyft or Uber.

In terms of the rental agreement Lyft apparently changed everyone else's weekly bonuses except for the express drive. So while I hear that there's no more prime time rides or acceptance rates, if you're on express drive you're bound to them. The free rental (aka $275 bonus) requires 90% acceptance rate, 55 prime time rides, and 140 total rides. Below that is the $155 bonus (90%, 40 prime, 105 total), and the lowest is $100 (90%, 35 prime, 85 total). Mind you the rental is actually $232 total, so if you hit the lowest tier you pay $132 per week, and if you hit the high tier you get $43 extra per week on top in your earnings.

In my experience and driving the normal way (I drive Mon to Sat, Sun is my day off with my kids), I generally get to Friday with 90 rides (including 20 prime rides). But prime time in San Francisco is from 3pm to 4am both Friday and Saturday, so essentially I get the rest of my prime rides in 2 days. I can easily get 30 rides each day between Friday and Saturday. Though I make it a point to not exceed the required 140 otherwise Lyft might change my targets lol


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## luvgurl22 (Jul 5, 2016)

Renna said:


> Hi All,
> I'm trying to decide to rent a car w/ Lyft through their express drive program which requires a $250 rental deposit up front, then costs $200 per week for the rental. They do lower that weekly price if you hit a certain number of rides per week. Another plus is that they deduct the rental cost from your weekly earnings.
> The cons are that you are that you can't drive for Uber with your Lyft rental, you're not eligible for the driver bonus or the receive your pay each day option.
> 
> ...


I think you have some of your info wrong.They do not lower the weekly rental cost due to number of rides given.They also have a power driver bonus for the rental program, & other bonus incentives like the streak from time to time.You just have to do at least the minimum required rides each week to stay on the program.I've been in the program for a year & 2 months, since I decided not to use my personal car for it anymore. I just go for the bonus weekly to cover my rental cost


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## luvgurl22 (Jul 5, 2016)

hulksmash said:


> Are you still subject to peak hour requirements? Do you get any other bonus like power zones or streak bonuses? For that matter is there any prime time anymore during the hours you drive? Curious if you target any specific areas or if you take whoever comes your way, or if there are any areas you will absolutely refuse to drive and deadmile out of? Sounds like Bay Area is one of the few remaining markets where you can actually make decent money without relying on airport runs or special events. Otherwise it's a lot of short traffic infested minimum fare or pool.


1.) Yes
2.)Both
3.)Yes
4.)I take all my rides, except long distance w/ no prime time ones


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## Atavar (Aug 11, 2018)

No prime time bonuses or other incentives available here.


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## beezlewaxin (Feb 10, 2015)

In Vegas Lyft is weak. I can still make a deposit of $850-$950 after rental fees if I get 115 rides (35 peak) which takes 50-60hrs. I average about 2 rides per hour for the entire week and usually each shift too. My Avg ride $ at end of week usually calculates to between $8.00-8.50.

Lately I only been hitting the lower bonus tiers and working 40-45 hours. Deposits have been between $380-550. Those extra 15 hours and 30 rides to get to the highest bonus tier usually make a big difference in your weekly deposit. They can pretty much double your earnings for 33% more work.

Taking a vacation is too stressful? If that's one of the reasons the rental program isn't worth doing then it must not be that bad!



Spoiler: In my market



In my market if I skip a ping it might be 30mins til I get another one. If I am at home and go online I might wait 30sec but usually 15-30mins between pings. I usually head out empty and drive 20mins via the highway to the Strip and I know there is 95% I wont get a ping the entire way including after I have gotten to Las Vegas BLVD after using the passenger app on highway to decide where to exit based on trying not to drive into an ant farm. And hopefully I will get a ping. Each ping requires me to go fishing for it though.


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