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Lyft Responds to Uber Pro With Their Own Driver Enhancements

With Uber’s recent announcement of Uber Pro (a driver loyalty rewards program), we expected to see Lyft announce new features designed to help drivers, too. We were not disappointed! Senior RSG contributor Jay Cradeur breaks down all the latest driver enhancements Lyft has rolled out (and continues to roll out) over the next few weeks.

Recently, Uber came out with a driver loyalty rewards program called Uber Pro.  It assigned drivers one of four classifications (Partner, Gold, Platinum and Diamond) and rewarded the drivers based on their earned classification.

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But now its Lyft’s turn!  Lyft is launching several new features for drivers before the end of 2018 and below, I’m going to present the new features and give some feedback on their value and usability.

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What If Companies Like Uber Gave It’s Drivers Stocks?

As rideshare drivers, our job is pretty straightforward: drive, earn money, go home. But what if driving for Uber or Lyft also meant you were improving your own bottom line in the long term – via stocks? By turning drivers into (somewhat) owners of Uber/Lyft, would that incentivize drivers more? Senior RSG contributor Christian Perea explores the possibilities of Uber/Lyft offering drivers stock.

On October 11th, Uber sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission arguing that drivers should be allowed to receive Uber stock the same way its employees do under an exemption to SEC rule 701(e). This letter was obtained by Axios and sparked some intense interest among drivers eager to receive some compensation in the company they helped build to a speculated $120 billion valuation.

Before we get excited as drivers, we should consider how Uber could divvy up a meaningful amount of shares for its 7.5 million drivers without diluting the positions of existing shareholders, all of whom want to protect their gains.

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A New Rideshare Company Bounces Into San Diego

There’s a new rideshare company in town, but can it challenge Uber and Lyft? Senior RSG contributor Will Preston covers Bounce, a rideshare service in San Diego, CA with a very different pay out model than Uber and Lyft. Will it work? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Bounce is a new rideshare company that offers a very different compensation model than what you typically see in the rideshare market. At this time, it’s only available in San Diego, but they have dreams of expansion. Drivers are directly compensated based on how much they drive, how long they’ve been driving for the company, and how much they help promote the company.

In addition, drivers are given stock options in the company with a 25-month vesting schedule. The company also offers some unique features for riders that give Bounce drivers a reason to recommend it to their Uber and Lyft passengers.

Bounce is currently only available in San Diego, but you can learn more about it and see when they are expanding to your area here.

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Are Uber Drivers Employees? Cloud Looms Over Rideshare Industry

As drivers, we are expected to do a lot of things for our “job.” While we can choose the hours we work, pay can be inconsistent and some drivers are incentivized to drive at hours they may not prefer, all for the lure of extra pay. So what does this actually make drivers – true independent contractors, or something else? Senior RSG contributor John Ince tackles this question below.

If you’re interested in signing up to drive for Uber, Uber Eats, Lyft, Postmates, or Doordash, click here to sign up

Should Uber & Lyft Drivers Be Employees or Independent Contractors?

A cloud hangs over the entire ridesharing industry. It’s a legal cloud of ambiguity as to what exactly drivers are.  Are drivers independent contractors as Uber and Lyft would have the world believe? Or are drivers employees – as two important legal bodies have ruled within the last six months?  Further adding to the confusion, Recently, the 9th Circuit of San Francisco ruled that a major lawsuit on this issue could not proceed because driver’s signed away their rights when the signed up to drive for Uber and agreed to arbitration on these issues. So the issue remains in legal limbo and likely will for the foreseeable future.

It’s a legal issue that affects everything in this new space called the gig economy. Labor advocates argue that this gig labor development has set back labor rights fifty years.  Those on the other side argue that it’s brought flexibility and income opportunities to countless people that otherwise would be wanting.

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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.

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!).

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