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Goodbye To Lyft Power Driver Bonus – I’ll Miss You

Last week, several drivers reached out to share emails they received from Lyft about upcoming changes to Lyft’s Power Driver Bonus. Senior RSG contributor Jay Cradeur also found out about these changes in person, so we had Jay investigate what’s happening and how Lyft and Uber bonuses have changed over the years.

Every week, for the past 6 months, I have been earning hundreds of dollars extra per week thanks to Lyft’s Power Driver Bonus.  But last week, when I was in the Lyft Hub to discuss car options, my Lyft representative told me the Lyft Power Driver Bonus was going away.

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The Lyft rep said there would be no car restrictions, nor peak hours, nor acceptance rate requirements.  Hmmm, I thought to myself, “But can I still earn an extra $500 per week?”

Over the years, Uber and Lyft have both tried various iterations of bonuses, all in an attempt to buy drivers’ loyalty.  Let’s look over the recent history of the Power Driver bonus as we prepare for the unveiling of Lyft’s latest offering.  At the end of the article, I’ll share with you the information Lyft has provided us so far (including new bonus names!).

Burnt Out Talking To Passengers? Deliver Food With Caviar!

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How To Get Your Fare Adjusted By Uber

Have you ever been frustrated by the amount of money Uber takes from your ride? It turns out, some drivers are doing something about it! Senior RSG contributor Christian Perea shares the tactic other drivers are using to get their fares adjusted – and keep more of their money.

Special thanks to Rich T in Charlotte for showing me that you can get your unfair fares adjusted by being persistent enough to ask Uber.

Between upfront pricing and Uber’s new surge, we’ve seen some pretty nasty fares over the past few months where Uber ends up taking anywhere between 50 to 80% of the whatever the passenger pays.

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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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Why Rideshare Companies Won’t Raise Prices

Did John’s last post give you hope you may see an increase to driver fares? Well, this is Part II of John’s series on Uber/Lyft fares, and this one is a bit more pessimistic. If you missed part one, click here. Senior RSG contributor John Ince provides five arguments for why drivers should not expect to see any increases in driver pay. 

When former CEO Travis Kalanick got into an argument with one of his Uber drivers, and a video of that argument went viral, the issue in dispute was fares – and whether or not Uber had dropped them. The driver said that Uber’s price cuts had bankrupted him. TK explained that raising fares would risk losing riders.

So it goes, almost two years later. The same issue and same arguments still underpin all the other issues facing rideshare companies. It’s the central question facing the industry. How Uber answers the question will likely determine whether new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi succeeds or fails.


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Will Uber and Lyft Ever Raise Rates?

In Part I of II, senior contributor John Ince covers the thorny subject of if Uber and Lyft will ever raise rates. It almost seems inevitable: to keep drivers, investors, and regulators happy, Uber and Lyft will have to raise rates, right? John covers the six reasons why he believes Uber and Lyft will have to raise rates eventually, and stay tuned for Part II on Wednesday, when he covers why they may not end up raising rates.

It all seems so simple – with one bold stroke Uber and/or Lyft could solve two of their most vexing problems.  They could radically improve their profitability picture AND curry favor with drivers.  All they need to do is raise fares.

I have to catch myself when I use a phrase like “raise fares” because it’s not really about raising prices – it’s simply restoring prices to where they where a few years ago. When I started driving for Lyft four years ago, the per mile pay for drivers was well over $2/mile. Today, drivers are lucky if they’re getting over $1/mile.
Will Uber and Lyft ever raise rates? John Ince covers six reasons why it could happen -