Drivers now have one fewer service for which to drive. Juno has shut down today.
Uber and Lyft haven’t been accepting new drivers in NYC since April 2019 due to TLC regulations.
Penny Surge Tried to Defeat Me – But Here’s How I’m Fighting Back!
Earlier this year, we covered new changes to Uber’s surge program. Called ‘flat rate surge’, we shared strategies for those affected by the change. In this updated article, RSG contributor Sergio Avedian shares additional strategies for maximizing your earnings while driving under flat rate surge for all drivers now affected by flat rate surge.
As many RSG readers know, I am a surge only driver and have been since the first day I started driving for Uber. In past articles, I have explained in detail what some of my strategies were, and I recently shared one of my coaching student’s stories here.
However, Uber unleashed the flat rate surge (what I refer to as ‘penny surge’) in Los Angeles. I was hoping it would never show up, but it was inevitable. I thought all the skills and strategies I had developed over the years were trashed, and that this was Uber’s ultimate goal – equalizing the playing field between the veterans and newbies.
HYRECAR vs. TURO vs. FAIR vs. LYFT EXPRESS (Comparison)
HyreCar Alternatives & Competitors
There are a lot of services out there that pair with or complement the rideshare services jobs out there. Four of them are HyreCar, Turo, Fair and Lyft Express. I’m going to break them all down, describe their services and then do a compare and contrast of the four services.
One of our top recommendations for alternatives to HyreCar is Fair:
- Fair’s New Program (available in some states) – click here to download the Fair app and get your first week free!
- Fair’s legacy program – has a $500 start-up fee – click here to download the Fair App and get $100 off your Fair car rental (or enter code “RSG100” at checkout)
Quick links:
- Click here to sign up for Hyrecar
- Click here to compare all the different ways you can rent a car to drive for Uber, Lyft, etc.
HyreCar
HyreCar is a website that allows people who have cars to make them available to rent by rideshare drivers. It’s available in most large cities across the U.S. It’s free to sign up on both ends of the spectrum (as car owners and as drivers) but as a driver you do need to take a background check before you’re able to rent a car, and you pay for that background check.
The car owners decide how much they want people to pay to rent their car out per week. There’s also a transaction fee and an insurance fee, so that you are covered by HyreCar’s insurance while driving the rented vehicle. The prices in Minneapolis/St. Paul where I drive, varies from about $30 to $50 per day. HyreCar specifically boasts the cars are all approved and ready to drive for Uber and/or Lyft.
Click here to sign up for Hyrecar
Hyrecar vs Turo
On Turo’s website, the first thing you see is the message “Way better than a rental car. Book unforgettable cars from local hosts around the world.” This brings to mind that Turo is a worldwide company, allowing you to rent cars abroad as well. Turo seems to have a wide array of cars available as well. They range from the Volkswagen Jetta to a Porsche or Tesla and the price per day costs for those vehicles range from $30 to $128 per day accordingly.
Turo’s website doesn’t seem to push the idea that these are for rental for the purposes of rideshare driving. On their timeline showing how the operation works, they state “Go explore! In the city or the woods, for a few days or a few weeks, rain or shine, grab your shades and go create something to write home about,” which makes it sound like they are using their service as a way to replace the average, everyday car rental business and putting a twist on it.
Click here to sign up for Turo
Hyrecar vs Fair
Fair is available for U.S. drivers only to lease cars. It developed to take place of the Xchange Leasing program that Uber used to offer to drivers, and Fair is an official partner of Uber. However, they do have an option to rent cars in general, and not just for the purposes of rideshare driving.
They are available in many large cities across the United States, just not yet in my location (Minneapolis/St. Paul). It appears to be for more long-term use without a long-term contract if using for the purposes of driving for Uber. Fair cars are available through car dealerships near you and it is organized to have the car dropped off to you or you can pick it up at the location indicated.
Each car has an upfront fee to help keep monthly payments lower. It is based on the value of the vehicle you’re interested in leasing. On their app, you see estimated monthly payments for each available vehicle so you can compare and see which one will work best for your situation. The monthly payments also include basic maintenance and you can add insurance for an extra fee.
Click here to sign up for Fair
Hyrecar vs Lyft Express Drive
Renting through Lyft Express Drive is obviously linked directly with Lyft. You are required to give a minimum of 20 rides every seven days. With that though, you are given unlimited miles and they specify you’re allowed to use this vehicle for personal use as well. Instead of being charged separately, Lyft takes the cost of the car out of your earnings.
It appears that these are open contracts where you can return the vehicle anytime you want after seven days. It is currently available in several large cities across the United States. The vehicles available to choose from are with Avis Budget Group, Flexdrive and Hertz. They too require a starter fee which is non-refundable as well as a refundable security deposit. The payments include maintenance and insurance.
Click here to sign up to drive for Lyft and then get a car using Lyft Express Drive
How Do They Compare?
Clearly some of these companies are geared more toward long-term leasing versus a rental option for when your car is in the shop and you need something in the meantime. If you want the car to be “yours” where you take car of the vehicle’s maintenance and care, then you’ll want to lean more toward Fair or Lyft Express.
If you want to just test the waters of Uber and/or Lyft, a short-term option like HyreCar or Turo might be beneficial to you. Just keep in mind, you would be renting someone else’s vehicle if you’re doing HyreCar, so in away that’s added pressure to take care of the vehicle and there might be more chance of the owner claiming you damaged their vehicle in some way even if you didn’t.
HyreCar and Turo allow you to choose more easily the price range you want to stick to on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. As Jay Cradeur points out in his RSG article about Fair, Uber lets you work off your payments on a weekly basis, so you might not owe anything on weeks that you drive 70 trips or more, saving you more money in the long run. In some service areas, this may be a lofty goal, but in others, that number is easily reached, making it a great option.
The best thing to do, in my opinion is compare your options available in your area. I am limited to only a few options here in Minneapolis/St. Paul and already own my vehicle. So, if I have to put my car in the shop for a week, it is easy for me to rent a car with HyreCar or Turo to make sure I still earn money during that time period. If Fair and Lyft Express where available in my area, I would greatly consider them when I get to the point of getting rid of my current vehicle.
Read next:
- Click here to sign up for Hyrecar
- Click here to compare all the different ways you can rent a car to drive for Uber, Lyft, etc.
How 1 Amazing Conference Changed This Rideshare Driver’s Life
For some drivers, rideshare driving is a way for them to pursue other goals, like starting their own business or funding a passion project. For guest contributor Tyler Philbrook, rideshare driving enabled him to attend one amazing conference and completely transform his life.
“You Win”
That was the subject of an email I received in 2016. At first, I thought it was another scam, but I noticed who it was from and thought better. When I opened it I couldn’t believe I had just won a free ticket to FinCon16, a conference I had wanted to go to for years.
There was just one problem.
I live around 2,500 miles away and I had no money to get there.
But I was determined to get there, and when I did, it changed my life forever.
What Uber and Lyft’s Earnings Reports Say About the Future
In this week’s roundup, senior RSG contributor John Ince primarily covers the story of Uber and Lyft’s Q3 earnings reports. What did they say, and what do those reports mean for drivers? In addition, we cover some breaking Uber and Lyft news regarding Uber’s large fine in New Jersey and bad news for Lyft scooters.
