# Lyft admits to driver saturation



## Driver2448 (Mar 8, 2017)

After a few months of taking a break from Lyft I decided to try it out again to see what the market was like in my area. I sat around where I used to have a hot spot for rides and signed on at 7am during the peak hours. After 30 minutes of not getting a request, I figured someone must be wrong with the app and messaged Lyft. 

Back when I regularly drove for them I usually got a ping within 5 to ten minutes of signing online. Whenever thirty minutes passed by without a ride, there was usually a problem and Lyft would tell me what is was. I decided to email them asking if everything was okay with my account since I just updated my driver's license. Even though I could sign in online I thought that perhaps maybe something had glitched and was preventing me from getting ride requests. 

Here's the message I got back from Lyft. 

"Thank you for reaching us, I hope you're having a wonderful day!

I'm happy to assist you with this. I've reviewed your account and I can see that you were online for 29 minutes so that's why you didn't receive requests because you need to be online for more time and drive in another area to receive requests. So I suggest you go online for more time and drive in other areas not only in the same.

It's been a pleasure assisting you if you have any other question let me know, I'm happy to help!" 

There it is! Lyft basically admits to driver saturation in the market. Why should I have to wait over thirty minutes during peak hours to get a ride? 

I've decided to throw away the stickers for good.


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

"There are too many drivers(sniff), pings take too long(sniff), it's not fair(sniff)" 

Sometimes, you actually have to work.

Smh...


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## DevilShoez (May 5, 2018)

Download and open the Lyft pax app. Then you'll see how many cars are congesting your territory.


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## fairsailing (May 16, 2016)

Same in this market too. Offering $1,000 plus signup bonus in the summer, never seen that before. Then getting newbies to take everything with worthless $10 per ride guarantees that pay next to nothing but keep PT surpressed. Then if PT should actually get going despite their surpression attempts, they start dumping a bunch of 4 rides for $12 streaks that require drivers to take everything.

PT is a fraction of what it used to be. They have leveled the field at a much lower hourly rate.


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

Driver2448 said:


> After a few months of taking a break from Lyft I decided to try it out again to see what the market was like in my area. I sat around where I used to have a hot spot for rides and signed on at 7am during the peak hours. After 30 minutes of not getting a request, I figured someone must be wrong with the app and messaged Lyft.
> 
> Back when I regularly drove for them I usually got a ping within 5 to ten minutes of signing online. Whenever thirty minutes passed by without a ride, there was usually a problem and Lyft would tell me what is was. I decided to email them asking if everything was okay with my account since I just updated my driver's license. Even though I could sign in online I thought that perhaps maybe something had glitched and was preventing me from getting ride requests.
> 
> ...


Summertime is not the time to start driving again with either company, in my opinion. Yes, it is slow. But the response that you got is one customer service person stating their opinion. I hope that was not one of the canned responses that they normally send out. That response is a joke.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Driver2448 said:


> After a few months of taking a break from Lyft I decided to try it out again to see what the market was like in my area. I sat around where I used to have a hot spot for rides and signed on at 7am during the peak hours. After 30 minutes of not getting a request, I figured someone must be wrong with the app and messaged Lyft.
> 
> Back when I regularly drove for them I usually got a ping within 5 to ten minutes of signing online. Whenever thirty minutes passed by without a ride, there was usually a problem and Lyft would tell me what is was. I decided to email them asking if everything was okay with my account since I just updated my driver's license. Even though I could sign in online I thought that perhaps maybe something had glitched and was preventing me from getting ride requests.
> 
> ...


Not an EMPLOYER !

" Drive in Another Area" . . .


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

If we're gonna do images, I think this is more appropriate.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

fairsailing said:


> PT is a fraction of what it used to be.


Standard MO: hire as many as possible, then cut the pay.

In my market they have replaced surge with flat dollar bonuses already. There is no more PT, and no more Power Zones.

It will get worse before it gets better.


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## Bus Bozo (May 25, 2018)

While I find the response from Lyft laughable, WTF? You are the one who needs to put yourself in a position to work if that's what you want. Sheesh, I never thought of contacting Lyft in that situation.....is there $$ in that?


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

I'm speaking truths that you can't handle. Why are you even responding? I thought you threw your stickers away.

How much did you expect to make for that vast amount of time that you were signed on?

Anybody can make money with Uber/Lyft if they're willing to work for it. You, as exhibited by your post, obviously are not.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

Not from my experience, everything seems fine at Thursday 6pm lol


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## Dice Man (May 21, 2018)

I do both U and L, LA and OC.
Lyft in my area has NO cars.
I get Lyft Pings 20 min away.
I get the same Pings, that I ignore, again and again.
That means, no one to accept the Pings around me.
May be your market is saturated.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

tohunt4me said:


> Not an EMPLOYER !
> 
> " Drive in Another Area" . . .


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

You think? Saturated? Its frigging solid rock


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## kingcorey321 (May 20, 2018)

Driver2448 said:


> After a few months of taking a break from Lyft I decided to try it out again to see what the market was like in my area. I sat around where I used to have a hot spot for rides and signed on at 7am during the peak hours. After 30 minutes of not getting a request, I figured someone must be wrong with the app and messaged Lyft.
> 
> Back when I regularly drove for them I usually got a ping within 5 to ten minutes of signing online. Whenever thirty minutes passed by without a ride, there was usually a problem and Lyft would tell me what is was. I decided to email them asking if everything was okay with my account since I just updated my driver's license. Even though I could sign in online I thought that perhaps maybe something had glitched and was preventing me from getting ride requests.
> 
> ...


lmao do you think you will catch the lyft power zone bonus. just 25 of them per week! LMAO. try driving at night i guarantee you will get pings off your ass.


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## Ray Ting (Dec 7, 2015)

Driver2448 said:


> After a few months of taking a break from Lyft I decided to try it out again to see what the market was like in my area. I sat around where I used to have a hot spot for rides and signed on at 7am during the peak hours. After 30 minutes of not getting a request, I figured someone must be wrong with the app and messaged Lyft.
> 
> Back when I regularly drove for them I usually got a ping within 5 to ten minutes of signing online. Whenever thirty minutes passed by without a ride, there was usually a problem and Lyft would tell me what is was. I decided to email them asking if everything was okay with my account since I just updated my driver's license. Even though I could sign in online I thought that perhaps maybe something had glitched and was preventing me from getting ride requests.
> 
> ...


This is exactly correct. Both companies are guilty. It trashes the earnings. There is no fleet mansgement. They are so stupid. They spend money to recruit and thrn the more thats out there the faster they look for other work. If they did the math and allowed for so many cars 
Then it would be busier for the driver and they would never have to recruit. Uber is doing better on some fronts. Lyft is a joke. Its made for the rider.


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

If you know what you're doing, you make money. If you don't, you won't last. Fleet management is a stupid Idea. It would take away from those who are killing it and unjustly reward the undeserving. When it comes to driving, I'm a capitalist, not a communist. In other words, make your own damn money instead of griping about others making more than you. Sorry, everybody doesn't get a trophy. Deal with it


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

corniilius said:


> If you know what you're doing, you make money. If you don't, you won't last. Fleet management is a stupid Idea. It would take away from those who are killing it and unjustly reward the undeserving. When it comes to driving, I'm a capitalist, not a communist. In other words, make your own damn money instead of griping about others making more than you. Sorry, everybody doesn't get a trophy. Deal with it


Fleet management = stoppage of driver sign-ups when the number of drivers on the platform hits a set maximum amount so as not to over saturate the market and reduce current/active drivers' earnings.

Anyone already in the fleet stays in the fleet.

Once drivers become permanently deactivated or when they haven't driven in 2+ months (for example), an equal number of drivers can sign up to fill these open slots.

This would allow those already on the platform to reach a semi-predetermined salary on which they can depend and support themselves.

How is that a poor plan of action?


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

Julescase said:


> Fleet management = stoppage of driver sign-ups when the number of drivers on the platform hits a set maximum amount so as not to over saturate the market and reduce current/active drivers' earnings.
> 
> Anyone already in the fleet stays in the fleet.
> 
> ...


Because there are too many moving parts for it to be viable. Looking at the drivers alone, you have full timers, part timers, and those that only drive a few days a month. How are you going to justify who gets paid what? There is no way in hell that I'd be okay with a bare minimum boy getting paid the same is me or you. Uber would never freeze driver sign ups, not when we can sign on and off at our own discretion. More drivers for them means more money. At the end of the day, Ubers most concerned with their bottom line than anything else. Fleet management is a nice idea in theory, but not actually feasible.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

corniilius said:


> Because there are too many moving parts for it to be viable. Looking at the drivers alone, you have full timers, part timers, and those that only drive a few days a month. How are you going to justify who gets paid what? There is no way in hell that I'd be okay with a bare minimum boy getting paid the same is me or you. Uber would never freeze driver sign ups, not when we can sign on and off at our own discretion. More drivers for them means more money. At the end of the day, Ubers most concerned with their bottom line than anything else. Fleet management is a nice idea in theory, but not actually feasible.


It will never happen.

But, how many times do we see threads here stating "I haven't driven for X months, can I still drive?"

Why not suspend people who don't do a single ride for 2 months? They could be reactivated quite easily, in fact that could be promoted by Uber as a training opportunity, forcing drivers to view a 2 minute refresher video.

In NYC, if the minimum pay rules go thru, it would be a great way to trim the fat! Do less than X rides per month and get waitlisted. This would let more active drivers get the rides they need, without raising driver pay or prices.

Crazy ideas, to be sure.


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## touberornottouber (Aug 12, 2016)

One thing which would be helpful is to show us the drivers around us. Also maybe a count of the drivers online within 1 sq mile, 5 sq miles, and 10 square miles. Like: 3/12/45 If the count is too high we might just opt to stay offline and watch TV instead or maybe we will drive elsewhere.


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## Ray Ting (Dec 7, 2015)

corniilius said:


> If you know what you're doing, you make money. If you don't, you won't last. Fleet management is a stupid Idea. It would take away from those who are killing it and unjustly reward the undeserving. When it comes to driving, I'm a capitalist, not a communist. In other words, make your own damn money instead of griping about others making more than you. Sorry, everybody doesn't get a trophy. Deal with it


You have no control on amount of rides you get. Fleet management is not communist and if you believe saturation is capitalistic congratulations. Your the fool they are looking for. Don't forget your little amp light thats your trophy.


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

Ray Ting said:


> You have no control on amount of rides you get. Fleet management is not communist and if you believe saturation is capitalistic congratulations. Your the fool they are looking for. Don't forget your little amp light thats your trophy.


If you want to keep on holding out hope for something that is not going to happen, then go right ahead. I'll keep making money in the meantime. If you're too foolish to realize that all other drivers are your competition, then congratulations on being just another ant. I don't care how many rides you give, in fact, I don't care if you break down on the side of the road and your vehicle ends up in the shop for a week. Ultimately, that means more rides for me. Have a nice day!


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## himynameis (Feb 9, 2016)

Uber and lyft are a joke. They love drivers that can't do simple math.


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## Bob Reynolds (Dec 20, 2014)

Back in the olden days when Lyft started, they required us to sign up for the hours we wanted to drive. When enough drivers signed up for certain hours then those hours would close for new sign ups. We could go on standby if we wanted to drive but there was no guarantee that we would be allowed on the platform during those hours.

At some point Lyft threw this system out the window. Maybe it's time to bring it back?


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## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

corniilius said:


> If you know what you're doing, you make money. If you don't, you won't last. Fleet management is a stupid Idea. It would take away from those who are killing it and unjustly reward the undeserving. When it comes to driving, I'm a capitalist, not a communist. In other words, make your own damn money instead of griping about others making more than you. Sorry, everybody doesn't get a trophy. Deal with it


If there are too many drivers in an area, no matter how much you "know what you're doing" there's no way you will be "killing it". Congratulations to you on driving in a market that isn't oversaturated.


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

It has less to do with saturation and more to do with location. There are a whole lot of drivers where I'm at, but if you're in the right spot you can get pings from everywhere.


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## Andre Benjamin 6000 (Nov 11, 2016)

LMFAO @ some of these comments.


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## Andre Benjamin 6000 (Nov 11, 2016)

himynameis said:


> Uber and lyft are a joke. They love drivers that can't do simple math.


I couldn't agree more! Best comment in here!!!


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## Driver2448 (Mar 8, 2017)

I went back out today and had a bit more luck. Stupidly declined a hotel ping because the name sounded fake and then got four more rides that I took. I was able to get three peak rides and a 4th before heading home at ten.


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## Loralie (Sep 22, 2016)

Totally what city do you drive in? Same here in sf the prime times are getting less and less. Way too many drivers oversaturation.


fairsailing said:


> Same in this market too. Offering $1,000 plus signup bonus in the summer, never seen that before. Then getting newbies to take everything with worthless $10 per ride guarantees that pay next to nothing but keep PT surpressed. Then if PT should actually get going despite their surpression attempts, they start dumping a bunch of 4 rides for $12 streaks that require drivers to take everything.
> 
> PT is a fraction of what it used to be. They have leveled the field at a much lower hourly rate.


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## dimwit_driver (Jan 26, 2017)

Well, duh. Uber and Lyft care that their riders get rides. They don't care whether their drivers get rides. Once you understand this you will realize that oversaturation of drivers is a feature, not a bug.


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## clayinaustin (Jul 11, 2018)

I have been driving for both Lyft and Uber (week nights and weekends) for a whole two months. I keep both apps online until a ride requests comes in. Then I accept the request and quickly go offline on the other app. So far I average 50 rides a week on Uber and only 20 rides a week on Lyft. This is because Uber "pops" first more often that Lyft. It may be because there are more Lyft drivers, but it may also be because there are less Lyft riders.


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## gohobatto (Jul 26, 2015)

I just signed up for lyft and waiting for a reply. What are my odds of getting accepted? I have zero dings with the police and dmv.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

gohobatto said:


> I just signed up for lyft and waiting for a reply. What are my odds of getting accepted? I have zero dings with the police and dmv.


100%, unless theres something your not telling us


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## gohobatto (Jul 26, 2015)

Me and Uber did not get along. But as far as my record and my car is concerned, clean as a whistle.


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## gaealien (Oct 25, 2016)

corniilius said:


> It has less to do with saturation and more to do with location. There are a whole lot of drivers where I'm at, but if you're in the right spot you can get pings from everywhere.


The day you start going to these locations and stop getting pings, come back here and tell us how much of a hulk strong man hurrah you are with no rides to take cause instead of 50,000 cars in your city there are 90,000 and some of them have over stepped their bounds and are in these areas you seem to think you have claimed as your own. This is simple math. More cars means less rides. Perhaps your city hasn't reached the point of breaking its driver's morale, but when the demand starts going down because there's too much supply and your income gets cut in half OR MORE (a thing that has happened to most drivers who started this job 5 years ago) you might rewrite your "I'm in control" comedy sketch into a "I'm not in control" eulogy for these better times you can't see ever ending, but absolutely will end. Count on it and save your money now.


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

gaealien said:


> The day you start going to these locations and stop getting pings, come back here and tell us how much of a hulk strong man hurrah you are with no rides to take cause instead of 50,000 cars in your city there are 90,000 and some of them have over stepped their bounds and are in these areas you seem to think you have claimed as your own. This is simple math. More cars means less rides. Perhaps your city hasn't reached the point of breaking its driver's morale, but when the demand starts going down because there's too much supply and your income gets cut in half OR MORE (a thing that has happened to most drivers who started this job 5 years ago) you might rewrite your "I'm in control" comedy sketch into a "I'm not in control" eulogy for these better times you can't see ever ending, but absolutely will end. Count on it and save your money now.


I don't do Rideshare to survive in the first place. I do it simply for play money. The day it becomes more trouble than it's worth is the day that I stop doing it.

Go ahead and continue lamenting though. I'll go pop some corn.


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## gaealien (Oct 25, 2016)

corniilius said:


> I don't do Rideshare to survive in the first place. I do it simply for play money.


Gotta love it when people want to improve their fulltime jobs and then someone who clocks in occasionally for condom and meth money chimes in with "but guys, it's so much fun tho, why are you mad?"


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## corniilius (Jan 27, 2017)

gaealien said:


> Gotta love it when people want to improve their fulltime jobs and then someone who clocks in occasionally for condom and meth money chimes in with "but guys, it's so much fun tho, why are you mad?"


ROFLMMFAO!!!

If Uber is the best you can do, then you really need to reevaluate your life decisions. I love it when people who are obviously beneath me think they have a right to say anything at all.

Keep puttin' along ant man. I haven't driven in over a week. Enjoying a well deserved paid vacation from my government job that gives me full benefits and a pension.


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## Trump Economics (Jul 29, 2015)

Driver2448 said:


> After a few months of taking a break from Lyft I decided to try it out again to see what the market was like in my area. I sat around where I used to have a hot spot for rides and signed on at 7am during the peak hours. After 30 minutes of not getting a request, I figured someone must be wrong with the app and messaged Lyft.
> 
> Back when I regularly drove for them I usually got a ping within 5 to ten minutes of signing online. Whenever thirty minutes passed by without a ride, there was usually a problem and Lyft would tell me what is was. I decided to email them asking if everything was okay with my account since I just updated my driver's license. Even though I could sign in online I thought that perhaps maybe something had glitched and was preventing me from getting ride requests.
> 
> ...


Seems pretty black and white but this person's sentence structure suggests copy + paste. Acknowledging you were online and telling you to be online for more time doesn't address anything directly, and does not point to a solution. They could also tell you to keep breathing oxygen in order to go on living, and you'd come to a similar conclusion in life.


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