Senior RSG Contributor Sergio Avedian (Surge-io) went out and drove for Lyft for two weekends in a row after being idle for almost two years due to the pandemic! Could he apply the same strategies as he did before? He shares what he learned, plus his earnings from driving for two weeks in Los Angeles.
For the past two years, I have taken off from rideshare driving, mainly due to COVID. Although I am fully vaccinated and wear a mask all the time, the risks of having strangers in my car trumped the amount of money I could make.
Furthermore, like Paula’s recent article highlighted what other drivers are doing after rideshare, I went back to trading stocks full time.
Lyft Lured Me Back With Promotions
I had driven for Uber recently for just a weekend and gave 20 rides with a hefty promotion of 20 for $250. On top of that Uber had thrown in generous Consecutive Ride Bonus (CRBs), like 3 for $24 for most of the day. Add all that to the flat rate surge and I made out like a gangster.
In my previous article, I complained that Lyft had left me high and dry. But sure enough, not too long ago, Lyft sent me an identical bonus to Uber: 20 rides for $250. Lyft didn’t stop there; it repeated this offer for the past week as well! I was shocked.
Spoiler: Sadly, after two weeks of generosity, just like Uber, Lyft stopped sending me their version of the Quest.
Why is that? Don’t they want their best drivers out on the road earning a decent living? Proves my point of the less you drive, the more they want you!
Granted, Lyft is not as generous as Uber when it comes to surge, but a mystical pink and purple box would show up a few times a day.
I will not turn down any bonus from Lyft since I already had $12.50 extra per ride. The numbers were on my side, especially if I targeted short rides. Finally, this would mean little wear and tear on the car as well as my body.
Here’s what happened for the two weeks of driving (with bonuses I was offered from Lyft) – how did I do?
Week 1 Results Driving for Lyft With 20 for $250 Bonus
As you see above, I just did the 20 rides necessary to collect the $250. Ride earnings were only $124 ($6 per trip) excluding tips and pink box bonuses.
I tried to target short to medium rides, as my goal was to find out if I could crack $60 an hour online time. I came up short on my target!
Week 2 Results Driving for Lyft With 20 for $250 Bonus
I was rusty – I had not driven for two years! Pre-pandemic, when I was a part time driver, my choice between Uber and Lyft was always Uber.
I drove for Lyft sparingly, taking advantage of bonuses offered and used its Destination Filters (DFs) to position myself. My total rides on Uber outnumber my Lyft rides by 6 to 1.
I am not one to take anything I do lightly. The second week Lyft offered me the $250 bonus, I wanted to strategize and crack the $60 per online hour mark.
Well, as you see below, the result speaks for itself.
Conclusion: Drive While It’s Hot!
SHOW ME THE MONEY! I will drive for Lyft when bonuses are offered – and so should you.
The demand is definitely outstripping the supply from what I observed the past month.
I can’t believe I am saying this, but it is a good time to be a rideshare driver in Los Angeles. Other cities may be different and I will admit that hit and run is the only way I could make this kind of money.
However, part time and full time drivers without a massive bonus are still looking at elevated levels of income, so let the good times roll with Lyft!
The strategies I deployed were successful, I brushed the rust off and made more money per hour than I ever have on the Lyft platform including the good old Prime Time days before the dreaded Personal Power Zones (PPZ) showed up.
As I mentioned above, Lyft was generous for two consecutive weeks and I took advantage of it, but this week I got nothing offered. So be it, GO GET THE MONEY DRIVERS!
What’s it like in your market? Better than ever?
-Sergio @ RSG
