The Rideshare Guy is starting a new series: Driver Feature Friday! We’ll highlight a driver who has reached out to us to share their driving strategies, earnings (good and bad!), and advice for other drivers. In this article, we have Robert from Denver, who shares what driving in Denver is like, his earnings, strategies and more.
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Like many drivers, Robert from Denver drove for Lyft a bit before the pandemic started, but then took a 9-month hiatus. Once things started opening up in the Denver area, he started driving again and he realized it could be quite lucrative.
Quick summary:
- Robert banks on promotions and bonuses to boost his earnings
- Weekends, Friday and Saturday nights and driving in busy downtown Denver are key to keeping earnings high
- Even if you don’t live in a big, busy city, you can always chat with your passengers (this boosts Robert’s earnings via tips)
Driving Strategies to Earn More: Driving in Denver
Robert banks on the promotions and bonuses available to him. Whenever possible, he’d take the $15-$18 for three ride streaks. On good nights, he’d get those offers every two hours or so, giving him great averages for earnings.
Plus, if he was able to rope in enough short trips, he could double up on the streaks. If a streak started at 7, he’d be online right away trying to get as many rides as possible. When he was lucky, he’d be able to start his second streak before that hour was up.
Robert finds that for him, the best times to drive are on Fridays and Saturdays because that’s when people are going out.
When he first started driving, he just took whatever trips came along and went by the motto “whatever happens, happens”. This would usually land him in the suburbs, which is not where the action is on a Friday or Saturday night. This leads us to the next trick up his sleeve.
Destination Mode
“I’ve been trying to be a lot more creative with the destination filter,” said Robert. “I use it almost as a lasso.”
If Robert has the destination mode set for downtown Denver, he’s sure of never getting a long ride. He’ll set the filter for 20 minutes to ensure he won’t get long rides since his app shows he needs to be downtown in 20 minutes.
“You can keep extending the time,” explains Robert. “What happens a lot of times like on a Friday or Saturday night, is I’ll just get a ride or two and then I’ll extend the time after those. And then I’ll just keep doing that so you can use one filter all night.”
Surges
Another key to Robert’s success is getting surges, or what Lyft calls “ride bonuses”, which are based on supply and demand. He tends to get good surges or ride bonuses because he works the overnight shift.
Robert says in his market it doesn’t really start “heating up” until about 9 or 10 at night. And at bar close, he’ll get decent surges between 1 and 2 in the morning.
A lot of drivers avoid the late nights because of the possibility of driving drunk passengers who might be unruly or who might get sick in their vehicles.
In Robert’s experience, he says that these late-night passengers are by and large not unruly. Maybe a bit boisterous, but it seems to keep things interesting. He’s never had anyone get sick in his vehicle, but he has had more than one fall asleep.
“They’re not bad,” said Robert. “I don’t mind that stuff.”
One thing that helps him with keeping his cool during these late nights is that he’s also a high school teacher, so he knows how to deal with people who act inappropriately.
A key ingredient for Robert is that he’s willing to talk to all of his passengers. “If you talk to people, the tips can be pretty significant,” said Robert. “Half of them tip.”
Not a great conversationalist? It’s a skill you can develop! Check out our article on improving your driver conversation skills: 9 Tips for Being a Great Rideshare Conversationalist
Despite the bonuses and streaks and surges, Robert does advise that drivers just get out and do the job. You have to be willing to go out and just do it.
His one caveat? Be careful of pedestrians, bicyclists and people on scooters at night! Robert says this is probably his biggest challenge, as these groups of people can be hard to see at night.
What do you think of Robert’s strategy to drive at night on busy weekends? Is this possible in your city?
-Paula @ RSG
