# Lyft primetime cap raised?



## macchiato

Last night a driving buddy sent me this picture. Lyft has capped primetime rates at 200% from what I remember, but last night LA hit 250%.

Has Lyft capped rates anywhere else in the country?


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## ATL2SD

1st thing I said. Saw 300% here in San Diego last night.


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## soupergloo

I saw 300% in SF this week.


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## scrurbscrud

Was never aware there was a cap myself. Saw 3.5-4x not too far back. Even winced in pax sympathy for a couple Plus rides I did.


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## JJS

Seattle has been capped at 200 as long as I have been driving. Haven't seen it go higher yet...Lyft nee s s to avoid the sh!t Uber does.


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## scrurbscrud

JJS said:


> Seattle has been capped at 200 as long as I have been driving. Haven't seen it go higher yet...Lyft nee s s to avoid the sh!t Uber does.


If it wasn't for those busy days when there is exceptionally high surge/PT, I wouldn't bother doing this crap. I have zero issues with as HIGH as they can push it. Zero. Those are the times when it has to be high. There's a lot more risk driving on St. Patty's day for example. Streets are filled with drunken Irish people. Cars too. Drivers who run these kinds of shifts need to be well compensated for doing it. 10X is FINE with me. Higher is even better.

Lyft might think it's being kinder by not pushing it, but they are not doing drivers any favors in doing so.


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## ClevelandUberRider

soupergloo said:


> I saw 300% in SF this week.


Prime Time is working!


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## andaas

It doesn't happen often, but I have seen 250% on rare occasion here in DFW in 2015. Typically 200% is the highest here.


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## Agent99

JJS said:


> Seattle has been capped at 200 as long as I have been driving. Haven't seen it go higher yet...Lyft nee s s to avoid the sh!t Uber does.


I saw Lyft capping their Seattle surge on New Years Eve (actually New Years Day) at 3x normal rates while Uber capped at 8.9x. The predictable result was that there were often no Lyft drivers available at all between 12:15am and 2:30am. Drivers switched to Uber and made more money. Many Lyft passengers were forced to order an Uber when no Lyft cars were available. Who cares if the rate cap is lower if no driver is available?

Rate caps don't work well when there are extreme supply and demand imbalances. They just cause shortages. It's basic economics, really. Lyft does a poor job enticing drivers with surge (prime time) rates since their P/T zones often are so small and you never know if you got a P/T ride until the ride is over. I like Lyft for various reasons but their P/T "system" needs improvement. It appears Lyft has raised their cap to 4.0x (same as +300% P/T) in some markets. That's a start.


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## ClevelandUberRider

Agent99 said:


> I saw Lyft capping their Seattle surge on New Years Eve (actually New Years Day) at 3x normal rates while Uber capped at 8.9x. The predictable result was that there were often no Lyft drivers available at all between 12:15am and 2:30am. Drivers switched to Uber and made more money. Many Lyft passengers were forced to order an Uber when no Lyft cars were available. Who cares if the rate cap is lower if no driver is available?
> 
> Rate caps don't work well when there are extreme supply and demand imbalances. They just cause shortages. It's basic economics, really. Lyft does a poor job enticing drivers with surge (prime time) rates since their P/T zones often are so small and you never know if you got a P/T ride until the ride is over. I like Lyft for various reasons but their P/T "system" needs improvement. It appears Lyft has raised their cap to 4.0x (same as +300% P/T) in some markets. That's a start.


Good luck driving and drive safe.


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## macchiato

LA got to 300% last night (1/30-31).


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## Agent99

macchiato said:


> LA got to 300% last night (1/30-31).
> View attachment 25936


+3.00 P/T is the same as a 4.0x surge with Uber.


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## sicky

I have not even looked in denver. I always saw 200% max and turned it off since the areas were so small I wouldn't know if I would get a prime time or not. I still do Uber only during peak hours. I will take another look next weekend though. This month surges have been weak anyway.


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## sidewazzz

I believe Lyft and Uber have changed the Surge and Primetime algorithms to pop up with much less demand than prior to rate cuts. I'd imagine this is to kinda keep the upset drivers somewhat happy.


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## DudeCity

If LYFT show the P/T rate wt the ping for certain they will have more 

drivers available most of the drivers OFF LYFT after 1230am not worth 

playing their stupid guessing game.


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## sicky

sidewazzz said:


> I believe Lyft and Uber have changed the Surge and Primetime algorithms to pop up with much less demand than prior to rate cuts. I'd imagine this is to kinda keep the upset drivers somewhat happy.


Not seeing more surges here in Denver, but we have WAY too many drivers right now, and January is always a slow month.


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## Agent99

sicky said:


> Not seeing more surges here in Denver, but we have WAY too many drivers right now, and January is always a slow month.


Not even in the middle of snow storms and difficult driving conditions?


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## sicky

Agent99 said:


> Not even in the middle of snow storms and difficult driving conditions?


It was a little higher last night (saturday), but it's been snowing all day today and no surges.


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## ClevelandUberRider

macchiato said:


> LA got to 300% last night (1/30-31).
> View attachment 25936


Not bad.


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## osii

at local rates it takes almost 200% to get us to cab rates. No one should be complaining.


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## ADX

Who cares how high they go, unless they show PT before accepting, I'm driving Uber. I've been screwed way too many times by Lyft


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## sicky

ADX said:


> Who cares how high they go, unless they show PT before accepting, I'm driving Uber. I've been screwed way too many times by Lyft


I agree with this 100%.

Until Lyft shows me what rate I will be receiving during peak hours, I will be driving Uber. I have been cheated too many times picking up in the middle of a PT zone.


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## cin90

I saw Prime Time all day Saturday (while waiting for my vehicle to get serviced and getting antsy to drive). 

It didn't show up on the driver app when I was driving that evening nor all day Sunday. WTH.

I did see some Prime Time payouts on my summary. As everyone else, wish Lyft would change that.


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## macchiato

350%!

Think it was a glitch though.


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## cin90

Then entire county of Los Angeles.....


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## Agent99

macchiato said:


> View attachment 26077
> 350%!
> 
> Think it was a glitch though.


+350% Lyft is the same as 4.5x Uber

It is clear to me that Lyft has finished with having caps or maximums, at least in some markets.


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## ClevelandUberRider

macchiato said:


> View attachment 26077
> 350%!
> 
> Think it was a glitch though.


Sea of pink. In LyftWorld, that's good.


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## SMOTY

macchiato said:


> View attachment 26077
> 350%!
> 
> Think it was a glitch though.


I doubt it man!!! I knew I wasn't crazy it was night of 1/23 or 1/24 going from la to OC I saw 350% I was driving so when I looked I couldn't get to it fast enough and caught 300% screenshot instead of the 350% bought I knew I saw it lol. I always thought LYFT capped it at 200% good for LYFT I know they are really looking out for the drivers after rate cuts. Every Friday and Saturday after 10-3 am it's minimum 25% primetime !


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## cin90

SMOTY said:


> View attachment 26102
> 
> I doubt it man!!! I knew I wasn't crazy it was night of 1/23 or 1/24 going from la to OC I saw 350% I was driving so when I looked I couldn't get to it fast enough and caught 300% screenshot instead of the 350% bought I knew I saw it lol. I always thought LYFT capped it at 200% good for LYFT I know they are really looking out for the drivers after rate cuts. Every Friday and Saturday after 10-3 am it's minimum 25% primetime !


Question is, did you get that Prime Time!? Hope so!


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## cin90

Also, standard blanket pinks on those OC areas. When they're lit up, it's the same but often they are not...


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## DeeFree

macchiato said:


> LA got to 300% last night (1/30-31).
> View attachment 25936


Whoa!! I've never seen that high. I really think a lot of Lyft drivers are sitting out the $.95 rate.


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## Agent99

DeeFree said:


> I really think a lot of Lyft drivers are sitting out the $.95 rate.


As they should...as much as they can.


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## AllenChicago

I see the "Prime Time" wording appear on my Lyft App often, but never see any colors on the map. Maybe the Chicago area hasn't received all the map enhancement stuff yet. Actually, I don't recall seeing any of the rides I've given, colored in pink on the pay statement. 

The legend says that dollar amounts shown in the color Pink were "Prime Time" rides. I've only given 29 rides. Maybe you have to EARN Prime Time pay by reaching Gold, Platinum or Pink status?


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## Amsoil Uber Connect

AllenChicago said:


> I see the "Prime Time" wording appear on my Lyft App often, but never see any colors on the map?


Yeah same here.

Although I did get a request @ 75%, but true to form they canceled.


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## AllenChicago

Amsoil Uber Connect said:


> Yeah same here.
> 
> Although I did get a request @ 75%, but true to form they canceled.


I'm starting to get the feeling that these appearing/disappearing "Prime Time" windows are just teasing us, like the arcade game where you throw a ball to knock over something, but it's hard to do because the ball is weighted funny, or the buckets you're trying to hit have weights in the bottom. It's smoke and mirrors...which is why (AFAIK), Lyft's website doesn't have a driver's FAQ to describe exactly how Prime Time works.

AUC, I doubt you would have seen a 75% mark-up because by the time you got the passenger, because 1.) he would have either been outside of the Prime-Time area you were in, when his PING arrived, or 2.) the Prime Time would suddenly go away just when you pulled up to get him in the car.

This would be a good situation for having 2 phones. One Navigating you to pick up John Smith, and the other remaining in Driver Mode to show if "Prime Time" is still active when you press the "Arrive For John Smith" button. I think some of the full-time Lyft drivers have 2 phones. Also, there's an entire thread somewhere in this forum regarding Lyft Prime Time, and how it's not what it appears to be.


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## MiddleClassedOut

Yes, exactly. You don't need two phones, you need to tether another device to your phone. I use an iPad for texting and checking the PAX side. The driver view lags what's happening on the passenger side. I have even gotten a few rides that were higher Prime Times than what the driver side indicated. 

Frontload your acceptance rate. Then at high demand times cancel on rides not in Prime Time zones.


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## galileo5

Agent99 said:


> +3.00 P/T is the same as a 4.0x surge with Uber.


300% = 6.0x
not 4.0x


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## galileo5

Agent99 said:


> +350% Lyft is the same as 4.5x Uber
> 
> It is clear to me that Lyft has finished with having caps or maximums, at least in some markets.


350% = 7.0x
not 4.5x


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## MiddleClassedOut

Jesus, you people can't do math. No wonder you're all broke. You add the percentage to the original amount to get the total in Lyft's system. It says that right in the app "A Prime Time percentage will be ADDED to the total."

100% = 2x regular fare. 1+100% of 1 = 2.
200% = 3x regular fare.
300% = 4x.

Examples:

75% prime time on $5 fare = $7.50 ($5 + 5*.75).
300% prime time on a $5 fare = $20. ($5 + 5*3). $20/5 = 4x.


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## ClevelandUberRider

MiddleClassedOut said:


> Jesus, you people can't do math. No wonder you're all broke. You add the percentage to the original amount to get the total in Lyft's system. It says that right in the app "A Prime Time percentage will be ADDED to the total."
> 
> 100% = 2x regular fare. 1+100% of 1 = 2.
> 200% = 3x regular fare.
> 300% = 4x.
> 
> Examples:
> 
> 75% prime time on $5 fare = $7.50 ($5 + 5*.75).
> 300% prime time on a $5 fare = $20. ($5 + 5*3). $20/5 = 4x.


You said "people can't do math."
Many posters also say "people are stupid."
Duh.
Tell me when that has changed.


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## ldriva

They just sent a message out saying they lifted the cap since they dropped rates to keep up with the big bad Uber. At least they pretend to care about us, Uber is just like eff y'all. This race to the bottom is bad. Price is never a good competitive strategy.


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## Diyor Khamrakulov

I read a Lyft newsletter it said that the cap is gone


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## MiddleClassedOut

It's not gone in Philly. 2am, no cars around during the bar close - the cap is clearly still 200%.

Lyft lies.


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## andaas

MiddleClassedOut said:


> It's not gone in Philly. 2am, no cars around during the bar close - the cap is clearly still 200%.
> 
> Lyft lies.


I have not seen anything official from Lyft that prime time caps were removed in all markets.


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## ADX

I saw 400% (5x) after Super Bowl but couldn't get a screenshot because I got a ride request.

What does this mean?
Lyft has been ****ing their drivers by capping the surge at 150%(2.5x).

Lyft was/is just as bad as Uber:
-Cap on surge/primetime (no longer true in some/all markets)
-Can't cancel lyft lines
-Can't see surge before accepting
-No airport queue system, therefore you have to wait on/at the airport for a ride, can't wait at parking lot


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## DexNex

macchiato said:


> View attachment 26077
> 350%!
> 
> Think it was a glitch though.


that is so pretty.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect

cin90 said:


> I did see some Prime Time payouts on my summary.


So it shows on the Weekly but not the daily ?


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## ATL2SD

300% is the highest I've seen in San Diego.


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## KMANDERSON

macchiato said:


> View attachment 25095
> Last night a driving buddy sent me this picture. Lyft has capped primetime rates at 200% from what I remember, but last night LA hit 250%.
> 
> Has Lyft capped rates anywhere else in the country?


I don't like the fact that you have to wait after the fare to find out if was primetime


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## Agent99

MiddleClassedOut said:


> It's not gone in Philly. 2am, no cars around during the bar close - the cap is clearly still 200%.
> 
> Lyft lies.


Beware of excessively rigid thinking. Lyft isn't lying about removing the cap if they make the changes slowly at different times in different markets.


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## cin90

Amsoil Uber Connect said:


> So it shows on the Weekly but not the daily ?


Both


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## USArmy31B30

Here in Las Vegas they sent me an email just LAST WEEK about removing the cap, but I haven't seen it past 150% and I haven't seen it last for more than 20 minutes. I am also a victim of the "Surge Zone" but "Non Surge Rates" after drop off... Unlike Uber where you can see the current surge rate for the request you accepted...


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## MiddleClassedOut

The only way to be sure is to have another device running the passenger app with another account.

I accept, then type in the address in the passenger app to check. If not showing Prime Time, cancel. If it's close to surge in that area (probably will be if in a block just outside the actual Prime Time zones) then when they re-request they will cause it to surge. I have heard this from a couple of passengers that has happened when drivers cancel on them - when they made a new request it showed a Prime Time fare.

Lyft PT changes really fast though...In some cases they may actually be paying a Prime Time but as soon as you look on the PAX app it's gone. This is really rare though.


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## Adieu

You, too... 1.75 x 5 =/= 7.5.

+50% = 1.5x makes 5 into 7.5



MiddleClassedOut said:


> Jesus, you people can't do math. No wonder you're all broke. You add the percentage to the original amount to get the total in Lyft's system. It says that right in the app "A Prime Time percentage will be ADDED to the total."
> 
> 100% = 2x regular fare. 1+100% of 1 = 2.
> 200% = 3x regular fare.
> 300% = 4x.
> 
> Examples:
> 
> 75% prime time on $5 fare = $7.50 ($5 + 5*.75).
> 300% prime time on a $5 fare = $20. ($5 + 5*3). $20/5 = 4x.


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## MiddleClassedOut

Oops you're right.


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## Showa50

Still waiting for PT notification to return, before I provide my car to Lyft.


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