Does Uber Really Put People in Time Out?

Every month, Harry goes live on YouTube to share all the latest rideshare news and answer questions from current or interested drivers like you.

This month Harry was joined by special guest Jay Cradeur who is a RSG contributor and host of the new podcast Rideshare Dojo.

Jay is also a rideshare driver who’s completed 25,000 Uber and Lyft trips in the San Francisco area so he had some great advice and feedback for everyone’s questions during the YouTube Live video.

Feel free to view the original YouTube live below, but here’s a quick rundown of everything to keep you up-to-date on the latest rideshare news and happenings.

Does Lyft Still Offer Bonuses?

This has been a common question among drivers and the answer really varies. Jay has been getting the same Lyft bonus for at least the past 6 months, but knows other people who started driving for Lyft and don’t get offered any bonuses.

The new driver bonuses are not as good as they used to be – 165 for $300 for example – but you can try contacting Lyft to see if you can be added to the list of drivers who receive bonuses. They may say it’s random, but you may get some success just by inquiring about getting offered a bonus.

You can also try other strategies like taking a few days off from driving to see if Lyft will try to lure you back with a bonus. Mix things up and be open to testing.

Fair Rental Program Increase

Uber’s Fair car rental program increased their threshold to 90 trips in order to get the $185 bonus (up from 70). This bonus probably won’t be around forever and they’re already increasing the trip amount after just a few months.

Still, this is something drivers should take advantage of while it lasts if they’re looking to start driving for Uber with Fair.

If you’d like to sign up with Fair, please use our affiliate links below

Rideshare Dojo

If you haven’t yet be sure to check out our new podcast, Rideshare Dojo. The tagline is ‘by a driver for drivers’ and it’s hosted Jay Cradeur.

Jay interviews drivers and passengers on the podcast who provide helpful information and tips to help you become a better driver. This is also a great podcast to look to if you’re a driver who is also working toward another career or thinking about your Plan B.

Guests include experts that share their insights and personal stories on the different areas of work you can go into and how to figure out what you really want to be doing.

Listen to an episode of The Rideshare Dojo here.

When Do You Think Uber and Lyft Will Adapt the Dispatch Software For 100% Electric Cars?

We don’t really have a solid answer to this question, but Jay recently interviewed a driver named Gabe who does rideshare with an electric car. Gabe shared his experience first-hand and they discussed the cost analysis to determine whether it makes sense for you to rideshare with an electric car or not.

You can probably make it work in bigger cities where you can get all your trips in before having to recharge. Or, it could work when you’re in moderate-sized towns and may not do a full day of driving.

Will Mystro Work With Lyft?

Lyft actually banned Mystro from working with their app. There’s not really a lot they can do at this time, but we’re hoping for a positive outcome and resolution in the future.

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I Constantly Get Requests For Lyft Being Over 15 Minutes Away Because of Where I Live. Why Do I Get a Long Distance Fee With Uber and Not With Lyft?

If this is happening to you, you’re likely in a smaller market so trips are more spaced out. This reminds Harry of the new program that Lyft is testing call Period 2 Pay.

We’ve covered this on the RSG before and it’s basically a new payment model rolled out by Lyft where they are going to start paying you as soon as you accept the trip. They’re testing it in some markets but it may not really make up for not getting a long distance pay since Lyft is essentially lowering the rate overall.

Learn more about the new pay structure below:

 

Lyft Personal Power Zones

Lyft Personal Power zones are a way to help drivers earn more money by driving in high demand areas and earning a bonus on rides. Once a bonus starts accruing during a Lyft Personal Power Zone, you’re guaranteed to earn that amount after your next ride so long as you complete it before leaving driver mode.

To be honest, we haven’t really heard any positive feedback from drivers but we’re interested to hear how things work out and if this ends up being helpful for drivers or not.

Is Rideshare Insurance Worth Buying?

If you don’t have rideshare insurance by now, you’re playing with fire. If you don’t have rideshare insurance and get into an accident during the periods that Uber and Lyft don’t cover, your insurance company will likely deny your claim because you weren’t honest with them initially about what you were doing. Covering these costs out of pocket can break you financially.

Some people think that rideshare insurance is way more expensive than other types of insurance but in reality it isn’t. It’s often about 10% to 15% more and it’s worth it.

If you’re interested in learning more about which rideshare driver insurance options are available in your state, this guide to rideshare insurance will help.

Lyft Geico Bonus

Geico offers an all-in-one rideshare insurance policy that comes with a $250 deductible for physical car damage and drivers earn $0.25 for each ride they give. Some of our readers have taken advantage of this. Learn more about the Lyft + Geico program here.

One of the things we like with Geico and State Farm rideshare insurance is that they actually cover you in Period 1 – 3. State Farm is easier to work with than Uber if you need to file a claim. The Geico bonus can also help offset the cost.

Related article: Tips for increasing your income while driving for Uber and Lyft

Thoughts On People Vomiting in Your Car and You Have to Submit a Receipt Before Getting Paid

We don’t have all the facts on this yet and would be surprised if this was the case. They may be doing this to prevent fraud. Given these situations often occur at night when car detail places aren’t open, you may just have to clean your car on your own the best you can then get it professionally cleaned the next day.

Hold onto your receipts and take plenty of clear pictures so you can submit it to Uber. According to the new Uber Cleanup policy, drivers get a maximum of $40 but must submit a receipt to acquire more.

Is Uber Comfort Where the Good Tips Are?

Uber rolled this out in more cities last week. This gives riders another option in between a Uber X and an XL – drivers may be able to earn more with this newer rideshare experience. You can find more information on what driver’s can expect with Uber Comfort below:

 

Can You Request to Drive in Another State If You Live Near the State Border For Uber?

Doing rideshare driving in another state is not a problem for Lyft. With Uber, you typically can’t drive in other states but there are some exceptions in the smaller states along the East Coast like the Baltimore area for example.

Also, keep in mind that Lyft will let you do a cross-state ride but won’t pay you the full amount. If you go to the Lyft cities page, you can check out the minimum trip payment amount in your area.

Can I Do This Full Time in a Smaller City?

If you’ve been considering doing this full time, the only way you can know for sure is to give it a try. Take a week off work and drive full time. See how you like it, figure out your expenses, and see how well it works for you.

Does Uber Really Put People in Time Out?

We don’t know that Uber officially puts drivers in time out for a set time frame, but Harry has experienced Uber not showing ride requests for 10-15 minutes after ignoring or rejecting 3 trip requests in a row. To find out if you’re put into ‘Uber timeout’ just pay attention to whether you’re getting ride requests as you normally do. You can also log into the Uber passenger app to see if your car is showing up as a nearby ride option.

How Do You Get More Rides? I Only Got 11 Rides in 8 Hours.

If you’re not getting too many rides to account for the time you spend online, it’s likely that you may be in a smaller city without as much rideshare activity.

In this case, you don’t have much flexibility to drive whenever you want. Instead, you’ll need to plan your driving around certain times and areas where you know it will be busy. For example, if you drive in a college down, you’ll need to plan your driving monthly or even yearly so you can adjust your activity during the busy times and the slow season when students head back home.

How Long Should I Wait Parked and Ready For the Next Ride?

In the YouTube Live, Harry mentioned that it’s best not to drive around aimlessly looking for a ride once you drop a passenger off. You don’t want to sit right in front of their house after the ride either because that can be creepy.

Instead, drive up a block or two and wait a few minutes to see if another request comes in. You should only be moving your wheels if you’re getting paid or if you’re moving to an area with a better chance of getting a ride.

Consider using the Fair Pilot app to learn more about each area you visit and help you identify where the hot spots are so you can increase your chances of getting more trips.

 

Don’t forget to join us on the next live Q and A and let us know what you think about Lyft’s new payment structures in the comments.

Readers, do you have any comments on July’s Q&A?

-Chonce @ RSG