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Lyft’s New Weekly Ride Challenge Bonus is Live

With the end of Lyft’s Power Driver Bonus comes something new: the Weekly Ride Challenge. What is the WRC and how could it impact drivers? Senior RSG contributor Jay Cradeur covers what the WRC is, how it’s different from Lyft’s old PDB and how these new changes may impact drivers.

Recently Lyft announced the end of the Power Driver Bonus.  However, we did not know what would take its place.  We knew there would be no car requirements for this new bonus, which means even if you have a car older than 2011, you could still qualify for the bonus.

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We knew that the concept of Peak Hours and requiring drivers to drive at specific times of the day would no longer apply.  We also knew that the bonus would change on a weekly basis, according to Lyft, based on “driving behavior, and current market conditions.”  On August 27th, Lyft let us know what they had to offer.

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NYC Tells Uber And Lyft To Take A Hike

Big news in NYC – the New York City Council enacted major changes in drivers’ favor and against Uber/Lyft. What impact will these regulations have on drivers? Senior RSG contributor Christian Perea covers the latest below.

Yesterday, the New York City Council enacted some of the strictest regulations on Uber and Lyft in the nation when they passed a sweeping package aimed squarely at ride-hail companies and their drivers. The regulations in New York City will include a 1-year cap on allowing new Uber and Lyft cars in the city while also creating an earnings floor similar to a minimum wage for drivers, as well as several other new rules.

Big news in NYC - the New York City Council enacted major changes in drivers favor and against Uber/Lyft. What impact will this have on drivers? Senior RSG contributor Christian Perea covers the latest below.

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How does the Uber Rider Preferred Program Work?

After 180 Days of Change, drivers have been asking for more from Uber and now it looks like Uber is finding innovative ways to reward these highly-rated drivers. Senior RSG contributor Christian Perea explains Uber’s new Rider Preferred program and how drivers can use it to increase earnings.

Recently, Uber drivers started to receive mysterious black boxes in the mail from Uber Headquarters. They weren’t expecting it.

Upon opening it, they were treated with a Thank You from Uber for being a top 2% driver and were given access to a new special promotion that rewarded them for having high ratings. Drivers who received this status will receive an additional $1 anytime someone tips them through the month of August! On top of the tip from the rider.

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Recap of My Live Q&A With Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi

As part of Uber’s new driver app announcement that took place via Live Stream on Tuesday, I was invited to attend the event and sit with Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, afterward to ask a few questions.  Yes, I was as surprised as you are that Uber wanted me, a lowly blogger, to hop up on stage and chat with the CEO, but I was flattered at the opportunity and happy to participate.

There were no restrictions on the questions that I could ask, but unfortunately the Q&A was not live streamed. I have included a summary below though of the questions that I, along with other drivers, asked Dara and a paraphrase of each of his responses.

Before we get into the questions though, obviously there was a ton of hype and excitement around this event. Uber sent messages to drivers about a big ‘global announcement’ via the driver app, and since no Uber CEO has ever participated in any type of driver-focused event like this before, expectations were high.

Many drivers bookmarked this event on their calendar and some even pulled over and took a break from driving just so they could watch. But based on the hundreds of e-mails, comments and messages that came flooding in from drivers afterwards, most were extremely disappointed and upset that the announcement was ‘just a new driver app’.

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Uber Driver App 2018: The Redesign We’ve Been Waiting For

I actually got an invite to sit down one on one with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at an event in Los Angeles today for a moderated Q&A panel with over 200 drivers in the audience.  The session wasn’t recorded but stay tuned for my blog post on Friday to learn about what I asked him!

If you haven’t started driving for Uber or Lyft yet, click here to sign up!

Uber Driver App

Over the past week, Uber has been peppering drivers with cryptic messages about a global announcement that Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi would be making on Tuesday morning.  Since it was a ‘global announcement’, I wasn’t sure exactly what would be revealed, but now we know that Uber is releasing a brand new driver app for 2018.  It will take a few months to roll out the app to everyone, but Android users in Los Angeles and Atlanta will get to try it out first.

I was a little surprised that there was so much hoopla over this announcement and, while I didn’t expect a huge rate increase, or an axing of UberPOOL :), I suspect some drivers will be disappointed.  As you’ll see below, the new uber driver app looks great and will make driving and absorbing lots of information while driving easier, but I haven’t heard too many complaints about the old Uber driver app relative to big pain points like low pay and upfront pricing.

I think the new driver app may have a bigger impact outside of the US, where many drivers are using older Android phones and experiencing poor reception, but I don’t see it improving a driver’s bottom line here in the US anytime soon. To Uber’s credit, they worked with 470 drivers worldwide to beta test the new app and solicit feedback through in-person group lunches, ride-alongs and one-on-one text message exchanges. And overall, all of that driver input shows.

I like the look of the new app and think it does a good job of sharing the most pertinent information but not overwhelming you like the old app sometimes would do. Uber built some strong momentum with drivers in 2017 with the ‘180 Days of Change’ and is continuing in the right direction with a new driver app, but I think the big question drivers will be asking is, could their resources have been better spent somewhere else, like increasing rates?

👉Related article: Essential gear for rideshare drivers

Uber is releasing a new driver app for 2018! I cover what drivers can look forward to, improvements Uber has made and more here -

New Uber Driver App

 

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