# Why I switched to Lyft



## franklin (Apr 21, 2014)

Downtown to DIA - Lyft - $67. My take = $53.60

DIA to Downtown (return from above) - Uber - $35. My take $25.48

Happy to refer you if you want


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## Lidman (Nov 13, 2014)

Excellent decision. Uber can stick it.


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## Backdash (Jan 28, 2015)

If the trips took the same amount of time that means Lyft fares are ~2x Uber fare. 
Was that fact some kind of secret you couldnt know prior to the trips?

Is there enough Lyft business by you?


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## franklin (Apr 21, 2014)

Backdash said:


> If the trips took the same amount of time that means Lyft fares are ~2x Uber fare.
> Was that fact some kind of secret you couldnt know prior to the trips?
> 
> Is there enough Lyft business by you?


Yes there is. I think the ride out was on Lyft's equivalent of a 25- 50% surge - at a time when Uber was not surging


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## Backdash (Jan 28, 2015)

Hmmm. So when Uber is surging and Lyft is not your gonna post "Why I switched to Uber"?


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## duggles (Aug 25, 2014)

franklin said:


> Yes there is. I think the ride out was on Lyft's equivalent of a 25- 50% surge - at a time when Uber was not surging


I was gonna call you out. The average ride on Lyft from downtown-DIA is around $45-50, with a $37-40 take.

But yes, your overall point that Uber rates in Denver are shitty, and Lyft was smart enough to not match them (yet) is the only reason I still have a second job.

Unfortunately, you and many others have figured out what's been true since the fall (that Lyft could be more profitable) and with each passing week it seems there's more competition on the road and, as my numbers bear out, it's the profits have become more variable in the last couple of months.


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## duggles (Aug 25, 2014)

Backdash said:


> If the trips took the same amount of time that means Lyft fares are ~2x Uber fare.
> 
> Is there enough Lyft business by you?


Denver Rates... Uber: $0.95/mi ___ Lyft: $1.41/mi and time is a penny difference between the two.

Is there enough business? Sometimes. If you're making it a part time gig, only working hours where you don't have significant downtime and likely PT rides. Otherwise, no. It isn't consistently busy from week to week or day to day, it depends on what's going on in the city and general demand. If there's not a lot of things going on, it can be slow with a large amount of downtime.


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## franklin (Apr 21, 2014)

No, backdash. I've found that I can earn significantly more with Lyft. Uber would need to surge about 1.5 just to equal Lyft's base rate. I'm also hearing from Lyft pax that many Uber drivers are complaining about Uber, mention that they drive both and handing out Lyft free ride codes. This does not bode well for the future of Uber. 

They made 2 fundamental mistakes - 1. Treating their drivers as a commodity instead of as their business. 2. Thinking their advantage was cost instead of convenience and rider experience. Lyft was smart enough to see both these mistakes and adjust. Uber has lost the ball game.


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## DrJeecheroo (Feb 12, 2015)

duggles said:


> Denver Rates... Uber: $0.95/mi ___ Lyft: $1.41/mi and time is a penny difference between the two.
> 
> Is there enough business? Sometimes. If you're making it a part time gig, only working hours where you don't have significant downtime and likely PT rides. Otherwise, no. It isn't consistently busy from week to week or day to day, it depends on what's going on in the city and general demand. If there's not a lot of things going on, it can be slow with a large amount of downtime.


lyft definitely is looking better and better compared to boober


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## duggles (Aug 25, 2014)

KevRyde said:


> I started driving for Lyft last Halloween and for Uber around three weeks later. To date, I have completed over 600 Lyft rides and over 1,100 Uber rides. Since December, I have maintained a detailed spreadsheet to track my earnings.


My data tracking and record-keeping is _good_. Yours is impeccable.


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## jiwagon (Feb 19, 2015)

KevRyde said:


> I started driving for Lyft last Halloween and for Uber around three weeks later. To date, I have completed over 600 Lyft rides and over 1,100 Uber rides. Since December, I have maintained a detailed spreadsheet to track my earnings. I use a time clock app on my phone to track my total hours "at work" and a GPS app to track my total (tax) miles driven. I use the MultiWindow function on my (rooted - I'm a geek) Android so it's very easy to monitor requests while I'm logged on to both platforms. I drive for Uber "eyes wide open" and accept the fact that Uber has baked into its marketing message that "tipping isn't necessary", so I have zero expectations that an Uber rider is going to leave me a tip. When I do receive a tip from an Uber rider - which is rare - I simply respond, "thank you...that was very thoughtful". I leave my house with no more than six bottles of water that I keep in front of my seat under my legs that I offer only to Lyft riders and then only if the ride is for several miles (e.g., airport rides). My rating on both platforms - which now hardly fluctuates - is 4.9(ish).
> 
> Obviously I make more money when I have a Lyft rider in my car, but I get more ride requests from Uber. The reality is that I make nothing when I have no rider in my car, and since Lyft has flooded the Denver market with drivers, my earnings would suffer if I drove only for Lyft. I figured out fairly early in January that it wasn't worth it for me to only log on to Uber unless the fare guarantee was at least $35/hour. Now that the fare guarantees are gone, I'm very quick to cancel an Uber request if I have to drive more than 5 minutes to the pickup. Finally, I do scheduled rides to and from DIA for a handful of business travelers who hire me on Lyft and who all add a 20% tip. To date my highest single day earnings occurred on Sunday, March 8 which included eight airport rides (two scheduled and six random).
> 
> ...


Why not just use TripLog?


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

Lyft insurance deductible -$2,500. Uber-$1,000.


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## duggles (Aug 25, 2014)

Sacto Burbs said:


> Lyft insurance deductible -$2,500. Uber-$1,000.


Real Insurance Deductible for both: the actual cost of any damages to your car and your body in any at-fault accident, or in any not at-fault accident involving an uninsured driver.

That's not a legitimate point since, in reality, you and your car are covered by neither, and is only covered by your personal insurance if you fraudulently represent how you utilize your car, or if you pay for the hybrid policy currently available only from USAA.


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## TeleSki (Dec 4, 2014)

I'm in Orange County, CA. I have trouble getting enough Lyft rides to be profitable. On Friday & Saturday, I've been running both apps, and take whatever comes first. If I'm in an Uber surge, I'll close out my Lyft and only do Uber. If I'm getting close to the hour guarantee for Uber, I'll also shut my Lyft off. 
I generally start driving after I go home from work and shower. If I start at a time that I will miss the guarantee for Uber, I'll just run Lyft until the top of the next hour. If I get an Uber ride that will put me over the guarantee, I'll work more to just get Lyft rides. So far, all of my Lyft rides have been under $12, and I have been getting more tips on Uber.


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## JMlyftuber (Feb 24, 2018)

franklin said:


> Downtown to DIA - Lyft - $67. My take = $53.60
> 
> DIA to Downtown (return from above) - Uber - $35. My take $25.48
> 
> Happy to refer you if you want


Shhhhhh! It's our secret! Lyft is terrible! Please don't jump into the briar patch, Uber drivers!


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## paulmsr (Jul 12, 2016)

Here in the Philly market the rates are the same, so really it comes down to which one is surging at the time


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

We are talking about Denver, correct?

See screenshots.

Apparently Lyft charges LESS than Uber with the exception of the service fee. Your info about getting paid more on Lyft is flawed. Sure you weren't on some surge?


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## JMlyftuber (Feb 24, 2018)

I usually get a bit more from Lyft on a similar ride. *Oops I'm not in Denver. My bad.*


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

Ha!! And I just notice that this thread originated in 2015, man, can't believe I fell for that....


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## JMlyftuber (Feb 24, 2018)

Why do people get so flustered over old threads anyway? The info is usually still fairly accurate so it can help new people and reduce the same questions being asked over and over. Plus when you see the thread in related posts the date doesn't really stand out much, at least for me.


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