# express drive BLOWS!



## harry smith (Apr 30, 2017)

They are destroying everything I worked for, in the matter of a few weeks, I went from 800 a week, to being ripped off of an extra 400..it's beyond different!! How can they be so ruthless!!


----------



## Trump Economics (Jul 29, 2015)

harry smith said:


> They are destroying everything I worked for, in the matter of a few weeks, I went from 800 a week, to being ripped off of an extra 400..it's beyond different!! How can they be so ruthless!!


The con is up -- Lyft's finally showing their true colors. Welcome to the sh** show.


----------



## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Lyft always had a SOMEWHAT scammy PDB-blocking algorithm, but it used to be tolerable....

It soured a year ago when they took away destinations and insttucted CSRs to lie about it

Then they started to mess with guarantees, turning it into a game of "scam the scammers" ---- playing fair got you NOWHERE

Then they started acting real scammy late October 2016 (app trying to deliberately miscount time online for promotions)

But they got TRULY nasty in 2017, tricks fare cuts hidden fare cuts deceptive texts threatening emails etc

Oh and RIDES SWAPS / "bailouts", who can forget that. Forcing people somebody else kicked out or cancelled on onto you, overriding EVERYTHING - dfs, higher surges, etc...

And then they poisoned the PDB system (and apparently express drive too?)


----------



## 7Miles (Dec 17, 2014)

I prefer Uber now. If you are NOT STUPID and have some sign in your car asking customers to tip, you'll get cash tips. But make sure to have change on you !!!

Surprisingly I made it this week in terms of qualifying for $120 rental bonus however . But the week I don't qualify for a bonus- it will be my last week with express drive.


----------



## Old Smokey (Sep 13, 2015)

harry smith said:


> They are destroying everything I worked for, in the matter of a few weeks, I went from 800 a week, to being ripped off of an extra 400..it's beyond different!! How can they be so ruthless!!


How have you been ripped off of $400?


----------



## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Adieu said:


> Lyft always had a SOMEWHAT scammy PDB-blocking algorithm, but it used to be tolerable....
> 
> It soured a year ago when they took away destinations and insttucted CSRs to lie about it
> 
> ...


People are finally seeing Lyft for what it is. I've known they are scum since I started in 2014. They still owe me around $400 in unpaid earnings from that time. Their scam then was to round down the driver's pay on every ride, so if the fare should have been, for example, $6.75, they would round the fare down to $6 even and then take their 20%. On base rate fares, the cents portion of the fare can obviously be anywhere between 0 and 99; on average they were rounding down drivers' gross earnings 49.5 cents per ride. If you did 100 rides per week, that'd be $50 per week off your gross, for no reason other than Lyft's greed. It was even worst on PT rides. If the fare was, for example, a +200% and the base fare was $6.99, they would shave the cents off _before _applying the multiplier, so they would reduce the pay from $6.00 x 3 = $18.00 gross instead of $6.99 x 3 = $20.97. In this case, Lyft would bilk nearly 3 bucks gross from the driver.

Eventually they stopped pocketing the change, but for a long time they justified this to me time after time. They tried to say this was due to "pricing considerations", but this was bullshit; they still charged the pax the fare at the dollars + cents amounts. Total bastards; no better than Uber in any way.


----------



## harry smith (Apr 30, 2017)

People are mad! There cancelling rides left n right now!


----------



## Lyftguru (Apr 29, 2017)

It was an ugly day! I didn't make my bonus, and I feel betrayed.


----------



## Cynergie (Apr 10, 2017)

harry smith said:


> They are destroying everything I worked for, in the matter of a few weeks, I went from 800 a week, to being ripped off of an extra 400..it's beyond different!! How can they be so ruthless!!


They're basically doing it to deliver the millions in cost reduction they promised their investors. To balance any budget means trimming the fat. Lyft drivers with at least 1 yr experience have been spoiled rotten with new driver bonuses/PDB etc. that Lyft marketing has thrown at them. Especially when it comes to that former $5k new driver bonus promotions that was going in Christmas of last year.

IMO all these excess costs just added to balance sheet debt. So Lyft needs to re-couperate their losses somehow. Which in Lyft terms, means skillfully denying drivers PDB and AGH on daily basis....


----------



## harry smith (Apr 30, 2017)

Well it makes no sence, why don't they budget. Im sure after his cut, then thiers like 100,000 left over.he wants all the money! Lower prices means lower commissions, but I need gas money, no gas, no driving. Its so Bad now.


----------



## Cynergie (Apr 10, 2017)

What city are you driving in?


----------



## Andre Benjamin 6000 (Nov 11, 2016)

Lmfao!!! Some of you guys are getting trolled to death. Lol! Lyft does indeed suck but so do trolls...


----------



## MARY ANDERSON (May 3, 2017)

It's so much harder driving now. I feel tricked, as soon as I signed up, Lyft. Had to change everything to be powerdrive. I have a child and now my hours are required at certain times. My moms been helping. But now her hours have changed too. Just to get this stikin rental taken off!... Its not fair...


----------



## SurgeSurferSD (Nov 15, 2016)

Is it just me, or are MARY ANDERSON, harry smith, Lyftguru, uberchimp, and Hunter420 (and probably more) all the same troll?


----------



## MARY ANDERSON (May 3, 2017)

Why would you say i'm a troll, I just joined the forum.

I don't know what you're problem is--- maybe you don't drive for express drive. The changes they made, have affected my family dramatically!!!


----------



## Lag Monkey (Feb 6, 2015)

Lyft requires 45 peak hours and 100 non peak to qualify for the bonus but offers little peak hours so you basically have to drive the schedule lyft sets to qualify for a discounted rental. Otherwise it's 235+ per week. I'm sure the majority aren't making the bonus. This program is longer a good program. Lyft should pull it if they are pro driver or make it more flexible.


----------



## Bernice Jenkins (Dec 4, 2016)

Lag Monkey said:


> Lyft requires 45 peak hours and 100 non peak to qualify for the bonus but offers little peak hours so you basically have to drive the schedule lyft sets to qualify for a discounted rental. Otherwise it's 235+ per week. I'm sure the majority aren't making the bonus. This program is longer a good program. Lyft should pull it if they are pro driver or make it more flexible.


Just the fact that Lyft even has a rental program for you to use since you don't have your own car or want to use your own car should be good enough and something you should be thankful for. They don't even have to do that at all. Its not an entitlement or some employee benefit you should be given. You are an independent contractor...esentially your own company. Companies provide their own supplies in order to fulfill the contracts they agree to with other companies. If you hate the program so much then stop using it. Plenty of people are on the waiting list and would gladly take over the rental y ou have since you say its such a bad program.

And no you don't have to drive the schedule lyft sets. You have to meet the qualifications if you want the rental to be free but no one is forcing you. if you don't like the hours they set now then pay for the damn car and stop crying cuz you don't get something free anymore. You should be happy they even gave it free for as long as they did and are still doing.


----------



## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Cynergie said:


> IMO all these excess costs just added to balance sheet debt.


No, Lyft funds itself by equity, not debt.


----------



## Bernice Jenkins (Dec 4, 2016)

elelegido said:


> No, Lyft funds itself by equity, not debt.


And equity doesn't last forever and then turns into debt.


----------



## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Bernice Jenkins said:


> And equity doesn't last forever and then turns into debt.


No, equity and debt are separate financing sources which are structured completely differently. Equity doesn't transform into debt.


----------



## Cynergie (Apr 10, 2017)

elelegido said:


> No, equity and debt are separate financing sources which are structured completely differently. Equity doesn't transform into debt.


OK so doing accounting 101:

Assets - Liabilities = Equity

Lyft had a 600M loss by 4Q 2016. Let's hope they can raise more capital and/or buyback a good number of shares. Either that or they pull an Enron and go big on leverage aka find a way to creatively finance some more long term debt....


----------



## run26912 (Sep 23, 2015)

lyft and uber are both funded by equity. debt holders would have too much power especially if they default on the note. plenty of numbnuts still buying into the hype.

bong!!!


----------



## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

Cynergie said:


> Lyft had a 600M loss by 4Q 2016. Let's hope they can raise more capital and/or buyback a good number of shares.


They're not in a position to buy back anything at the moment. In fact, they're moving in the opposite direction. They closed a new $500m financing round a few days ago.


> Either that or they pull an Enron and go big on leverage aka find a way to creatively finance some more long term debt....


I can't see anyone lending them any money. My bank manager would ask:

- What was your profit last year?
- Huge loss!
- When did you last make a profit?
- Never!
- When will you break even?
- Dunno!
- We'd be happy to lend to you. How much would you like? [_unlikely outcome_]


----------



## Lag Monkey (Feb 6, 2015)

Bernice Jenkins said:


> Just the fact that Lyft even has a rental program for you to use since you don't have your own car or want to use your own car should be good enough and something you should be thankful for. They don't even have to do that at all. Its not an entitlement or some employee benefit you should be given. You are an independent contractor...esentially your own company. Companies provide their own supplies in order to fulfill the contracts they agree to with other companies. If you hate the program so much then stop using it. Plenty of people are on the waiting list and would gladly take over the rental y ou have since you say its such a bad program.
> 
> And no you don't have to drive the schedule lyft sets. You have to meet the qualifications if you want the rental to be free but no one is forcing you. if you don't like the hours they set now then pay for the damn car and stop crying cuz you don't get something free anymore. You should be happy they even gave it free for as long as they did and are still doing.


I hear what your saying but when offering a program that is costing most drivers large sums of money while advertising as affordable rental. That isn't ethical or woke as lyft likes to see itself


----------



## beezlewaxin (Feb 10, 2015)

Back when you were clearing $800, how many trips were you doing each day throughout the week? 

If you can, upload a screenshot of that weeks driving history. Then compare that to your driving history since they changed their bonus requirements.. 

Are you working the same hours you have been doing all these weeks, but not getting as many rides? Or are you typically getting the same number of rides, but not enough peak hours due to conflicts with preexisting daily commitments?

Give us some stats and screenshots to back up what you saying, otherwise it just seems like you throwing in the towel without even giving it the same effort as before the new bonus requirements. 

But I feel your pain, I completely miss the satisfaction of successfully squeezing in enough rides with often only minutes to spare before the 5am cutoff.


----------



## harry smith (Apr 30, 2017)

When I first started driving, I was working fr, sat, sun and making 600-650 on average take home. About 40 hours
Then it went too 400 because the car rental,and cost. then the 35 peak rides made it 150 take home working about the same hours. That really put me behind. Its been a huge deduction, with schedule and gas, and now im having to work longer, about 25-30 hours because they cut surges and rides are way less. Now I have 34 hours this week so far, and have 435 dollars- the rental is about 100 with taxes.. And 135 in gas so far..and another 100 this weekend easy.. roughly 6.00 an hour...I'm broke from these new policies Until I work more hours, but 3 days too 6 days is double the work time. And double the gas....im exausted, I feel tricked and trapped., I noticed traffic takes so much time and pax take forever ..its not that I don't wanna post screen shots...Their is no reason to make things up, ...the forum is here to discuss issues with the lyft. Platform.,and its just been a huge deduction in pay, causing financial problems, now i'm working longer for less. when I sit and wait for a surge and I get. 10 % 25% 50 %- all rides under 5 -7dollars on about. 71 rides this week. Maybe 2...10 dollar rides.in Pasadena and ...from Hollywood to LAX...12 dollars for 1 hour and 21 minutes.... And a month ago, I was making 600 on average in 3 days....doesn't anyone else see a difference? I can't even buy water anymore or gum, and have to wash the car by hand. Staff must just be playing a cat n mouse game. My life has been utterly upside down since all these changes. All my bonus went to extra gas, to make a bonus... It's not really working anymore.. Im just trying to catch up.


----------



## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

beezlewaxin said:


> But I feel your pain, I completely miss the satisfaction of successfully squeezing in enough rides with often only minutes to spare before the 5am cutoff.


I miss the structure an attainable-in-3-hardcore-nights PDB 20% model gave me.

No motivation to drive without it.

NOT gonna do weekday mornings, much less split shifts. Dream on lyft


----------



## denverxdriver (Sep 26, 2015)

I have obtained the bonus numerous times with rides to spare, but it requires long 14 hr Friday's and 12 hour saturdays to get. During the week I do the mornings and a few late evenings after rush hour. The car takes all the burden, gas is cheaper in the rental then my own and I make better tips in this car, probably because it is newer. If you are not willing to do this schedule, it won't pay off for you. I have started working three grueling weeks and taking one full week off. I find that as long as you stick to a budget, take it for what it's worth, remember your flexibility and ability to work and quit whenever you want and stay positive it can work. Yes, there's millions of drivers out there- go find your piece of the pie. I look at it like im grabbing the breadcrumbs from these people. It's easy if you think about it. No boss, no worrry about your car, ability to work more then your budgeted amount for extra cash when it rains for instance. I always take a full day and a half off per week. I know there's better but for me this works right now. Im content. If I want more I'll go get more.


----------



## MARY ANDERSON (May 3, 2017)

Its all so tangled like a web. All drivers have different algorythms, I been reading it online. after you get your power drive bonus, you only get all the tiny short rides, and its true!!!! Even single ride, was a tiny .06 .04 .09 1.2 1.6 .05 2.1 1.3 all of them. So people trying to get there. Bonus get long rides far away...


----------



## Rudyhawaii (Apr 24, 2018)

harry smith said:


> When I first started driving, I was working fr, sat, sun and making 600-650 on average take home. About 40 hours
> Then it went too 400 because the car rental,and cost. then the 35 peak rides made it 150 take home working about the same hours. That really put me behind. Its been a huge deduction, with schedule and gas, and now im having to work longer, about 25-30 hours because they cut surges and rides are way less. Now I have 34 hours this week so far, and have 435 dollars- the rental is about 100 with taxes.. And 135 in gas so far..and another 100 this weekend easy.. roughly 6.00 an hour...I'm broke from these new policies Until I work more hours, but 3 days too 6 days is double the work time. And double the gas....im exausted, I feel tricked and trapped., I noticed traffic takes so much time and pax take forever ..its not that I don't wanna post screen shots...Their is no reason to make things up, ...the forum is here to discuss issues with the lyft. Platform.,and its just been a huge deduction in pay, causing financial problems, now i'm working longer for less. when I sit and wait for a surge and I get. 10 % 25% 50 %- all rides under 5 -7dollars on about. 71 rides this week. Maybe 2...10 dollar rides.in Pasadena and ...from Hollywood to LAX...12 dollars for 1 hour and 21 minutes.... And a month ago, I was making 600 on average in 3 days....doesn't anyone else see a difference? I can't even buy water anymore or gum, and have to wash the car by hand. Staff must just be playing a cat n mouse game. My life has been utterly upside down since all these changes. All my bonus went to extra gas, to make a bonus... It's not really working anymore.. Im just trying to catch up.


Dude all the money in LA is at LAX.. never go after thier ride requirements just chase the money at LAX it surges everyday..


----------



## Ski Free (Jul 16, 2017)

Rudyhawaii said:


> Dude all the money in LA is at LAX.. never go after thier ride requirements just chase the money at LAX it surges everyday..


I'm sure he appreciates the wonderful insight you have provided, a year later.


----------



## Rudyhawaii (Apr 24, 2018)

Ski Free said:


> I'm sure he appreciates the wonderful insight you have provided, a year later.


It's not for him.. it's for newbie LA driver.. if he is still around he knows it by now atleast..


----------



## New2This (Dec 27, 2015)

Rudyhawaii said:


> It's not for him.. it's for newbie LA driver.. if he is still around he knows it by now atleast..


If you mean Hunter420, harry smith and a gaggle of other accounts are him. Same whining, same drivel, different names.


----------



## d0nTehrideshareg0d (May 20, 2018)

My people know how to bypass their algo, took me like 15 minutes to figure out how they did it.


----------



## kingcorey321 (May 20, 2018)

bonus . lmao. its impossible here . i dont not even try for them . i will have to do 3 rides every hour during prime time . that is not going to happen ever , its impossible . odds of me even getting a 70 dollar bonus i would guess is 1 in 10k . and i would have to accept almost every ride . they send me ride requests that have a 35 minute eta !!! it could be 3 dollars . there new bonus is . if i answer 5 20 minute of longer eta in a single week . they will give me 10 bucks each totaling 50 bucks . but again lets say 2 of the 5 are 3 dollar fares the others a re 10 and mabe 7 bucks . so lets guess profit before fuel is 73 bucks . that is 100 minutes of driving . so lets say in my car i would make 60 bucks . but if i get zero rides on the way home on 2 of these calls . profit is about 50 bucks . not worth it .


----------

