Everyone’s got a food delivery services app. Target’s got Shipt. Uber has Uber Eats. And Lyft has been out of the meal-chauffeuring game — until now. But Lyft has begun unrolling Lyft Delivery.
This review will give an overview of what the Lyft Delivery program is, how it works, and how to start using it.
We’ll cover some of the participating restaurants and businesses, the pay structure, and what you can expect from Lyft Delivery as a driver or as a customer.
What Is Lyft Delivery?
Lyft Delivery is an extension of the Lyft rideshare service. Just like Lyft customers can make ride requests through the app, they can now request grocery, meal, or package delivery.
All deliveries are made by Lyft rideshare drivers. This delivery program offers them another revenue stream. Beyond offering passenger rides, they can earn money by making deliveries to and from restaurants, pharmacies, retail stores, auto parts stores, and many other businesses.
Drivers get Lyft delivery requests in the same rideshare app used for passenger rides. The requests will show all potential earnings and the pickup and dropoff locations.
How Lyft Delivery Works
It’s straightforward and simple to use Lyft Delivery.
For Drivers
Just log into the Lyft app. You will see delivery requests and passenger ride requests. Right now, the volume of delivery requests is quite low and the service is only offered in select cities. You may not see any delivery opportunities for a while.
For Customers
Log into the Lyft app and then select “Delivery” at the bottom of your screen. Provide your delivery dress, and then browse through the list of featured stores and restaurants.
You will get a delivery pricing estimate after you select what you need to be delivered, with the cost based on distance, item weight, and item value. Expensive items are covered by additional insurance.
Does Lyft Delivery Have a Separate App?
No, there is no separate app for Lyft deliveries. For Lyft rides or deliveries, drivers will need to log into the Lyft driver app.
Within one Lyft platform, you can see and accept ride and delivery requests.
Customers can select the “Delivery” feature within the app. If you do not have Lyft, download the free app in the app store for iTunes or Google Play.
Can You Deliver and Drive for Lyft at the Same Time?
No, you can’t deliver a passenger and a package at the same time. Within each trip, you need to focus on one or the other.
If you are in the middle of a delivery or a passenger ride, you will not receive any notifications for new trips. After you complete the drop-off, the Lyft app will allow you to see both new passenger and delivery item requests.
While drivers cannot double up on trips, Lyft Delivery does enable them to keep busier and increase their earnings. When ride requests are slow, the Lyft Delivery program provides an opportunity to earn money without having to switch to Uber or another non-Lyft gig platform.
Many drivers take whatever trip has the potential to pay more — passenger or package. Other drivers always prefer to pick up a package since you don’t have to worry about changing the radio station, making small talk, or cleaning up after passengers.
How Do Lyft Delivery Drivers Get Paid?
Depending on the trip and items delivered, Lyft delivery drivers can expect to earn anywhere from $15 to $30 per hour and you can cash out up to five (5) times per day with Lyft Express Pay.
And for Lyft deliveries, you can see your total potential earnings upfront. When you receive a delivery request, you’ll see the exact amount you’ll earn for the drop-off, the estimated drive time, and the total distance you will need to drive.
After accepting the trip, the upfront earnings will be locked in. After completing the trip, the earnings will be made available to you.
If you can’t complete the delivery for any reason (i.e., there’s no one at the business to receive the package), you can report the issue to customer support and you will be rerouted back to the original pickup location where you retrieved the package. Your earnings will be increased due to the extra driving to return the item.
Be aware that you can’t earn regular full-time or even part-time income doing Lyft Delivery. The program is still in early growth mode. Most cities don't have Lyft Delivery, and it’s not in Canada yet. Within the select U.S. Cities that do have Lyft Delivery, there isn’t yet enough delivery volume for consistent wages.
Availability
Lyft deliveries aren’t available everywhere yet, but the program is growing. As of the date of this article’s publication, these are cities offering Lyft Delivery.
If your city is not yet featured on the list, sit tight. It’s likely coming if you live in a coverage area that has Lyft passenger rides, but the program will hit the largest markets first.
Cities Currently Offering Lyft Delivery
- San Francisco
- Atlanta
- Indianapolis
- Austin
- New York City
- Houston
- Dallas
- San Antonio
- Seattle
- Orlando
- Phoenix
- San Diego
How to Become a Lyft Delivery Driver
To become a Lyft delivery driver, you’ll need to be an existing Lyft rideshare driver. If you’re not a Lyft driver yet, sign up. It’s a simple, straightforward process and the app offers generous sign-up bonuses.
If you are a current driver, you will need to wait until the program comes to your city. Current Lyft drivers will receive an email or in-app message telling them to sign up.
If Lyft is available in your city, you’ll know it because within the app there’s a Lyft Delivery Overview tutorial that you will be prompted to complete. It’s a quick walk-through and guides you through the program basics. If you don’t see the tutorial, then the program’s not in your metro area yet.
How to Tell If You’ve Opted into Deliveries
You can check your settings to see if you’ve opted into Lyft deliveries. Log into the app and go to “Vehicles and Devices.” Next, select “See details” and then look for “Deliveries” under “Available ride types.”
If you are opted into deliveries, you will see that listed as an available option on the dropdown for “Available ride types.”
Automatically Opted In
In cities where the Lyft Deliveries program is offered, drivers are automatically opted in.
When a driver watches the “Lyft Delivery” tutorial in the in-app Learning Center, it signs them up to make deliveries. You can find the tutorial by navigating to the “Support and Safety” section of the Learning Center’s main menu.
After you’ve opted in for deliveries, there is no way to opt-out. You would need to contact Lyft driver support and ask them to change your status so you are opted out of non-passenger rides.
Alternatives
Lyft Delivery covers a much broader range of goods than many other dispatch and food delivery apps.
- Uber Eats: Uber Eats drivers deliver restaurant and small retail goods, whereas a Lyft delivery covers just about anything that weighs 50 pounds or less. This includes medical supplies, prescription drugs, groceries, meals, and auto parts.
- DoorDash: DoorDash does not offer passenger drop-off. It’s meals and retail items While it’s primarily food, it can also be clothing, pet food, school supplies, and anything else a participating merchant sells.
- Instacart: Instacart offers in-store or full-service shopper gigs. Primarily a grocery delivery service, full-service shoppers fill the customer’s order and then deliver it to the customer’s home address.
- Amazon Flex: Amazon’s fleet of independent contractor drivers delivers just about anything Amazon.com sells for the final-mile drop-off. This means driving further distances and more heavy lifting, however, the pay is transparent and generally higher. You’re paid per block of deliveries you sign up to take in a set area, not per individual delivery.
Tips are much stronger for DoorDash, Instacart, and UberEats deliveries than for Lyft, however, this could be because right now Lyft has more B2B retail delivery partners than B2C food delivery requests.
With Lyft’s rate card for deliveries, hourly wages for Lyft deliveries are comparable to what you would earn for delivery companies and gig apps.
Should You Be a Lyft Delivery Driver?
If you already drive for Lyft or are thinking about driving for Lyft, then yes, Lyft Delivery is an easy way to earn extra money when passenger ride requests are low.
It’s easy to complete the in-app tutorial and you may find it to be a nice break from having to interact with passengers all of the time.
When the opportunity to make Lyft deliveries becomes available, try it out. Make a few trips. If you don’t like it, you can opt out.
When hustling for yourself, it’s always a good idea to give yourself as many ways to earn as possible. Lyft Delivery is another trusted, viable option.
