If you’ve turned on CNBC lately, you may have seen Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi talking up driving for Uber. The message is simple: Uber needs drivers.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone. The driving gig hasn’t been great (duh), and a lot of drivers have walked away to do other things. But ride demand has come back, and Uber needs those drivers, and more, behind the wheel again.
The press is noticing. CNBC reported on November 4 that Uber is “investing significantly” to add drivers. Business Insider says Uber is shifting spending from rider discounts to incentives for drivers to work more. And Entrepreneur reports that some drivers are seeing big bonus offers, a perk many haven’t seen in years.
In plain English: a company that has spent years squeezing drivers is now paying more for our time. When that happens, pay attention. It doesn’t happen often, and it doesn’t last.
Remember Who You Work For
Let’s not kid ourselves. Uber and Lyft don’t care about you and me. Ten years and 32,400 rides have taught me that I’m a cog in a big wheel. There was no love for drivers back then, and today there’s still no love.
But they need us. And there is one thing Uber does care about: revenue. Revenue depends on passengers getting rides fast, faster than the competition. If you’re a passenger and you wait 10 minutes for an Uber but only 5 minutes for a Lyft, you’re going to lean toward Lyft. That is where the two companies really compete, and that is where drivers finally have some leverage. Here’s how to use it.
Think about it from Uber’s side. Every minute a passenger stares at a map waiting for a car is a minute they might open the other app. Fewer drivers means longer waits, and longer waits mean lost rides and lost revenue. Bonuses are the cheapest way for Uber to put more cars on the road, so that is what it is doing.
Here is what you can do about it to maximize your profit for the next two months.
1. Sign Up for Both Uber and Lyft
If you haven’t signed up for both, do it. Whichever one you join second will often offer you a good bonus to get started. Running both apps also lets you be far more selective with your rides, because you’re no longer depending on one company to feed you.
2. Don’t Accept Crap Rides
Make Uber and Lyft give you a good ride, and then take it. Even if you only drive for one company, you’ll get a $17 an hour ride. Reject it. A little later you’ll get a $32 an hour ride. Accept that one. Last month I was driving only for Lyft, and I rejected one third of my rides. Saying no is how you get to the good ones.
Here’s the math. If you accept every ride that pings, you’ll average somewhere between the good ones and the bad ones. If you only accept the good ones, your average moves toward the good ones. You will wait a little longer between trips, but the dollars per hour you keep will be higher, and you’ll put fewer miles on your car doing it. With bonuses flying around, the good rides also count toward your trip totals.
3. If You Hung Up Your Driving Gloves, Put Them Back On
November and December should be good. The holidays, earlier darkness and more inclement weather all lead to more ride demand, and more demand means better rides to choose from. If you stepped away from driving, this is the time to come back.
4. Remember That Lyft Needs Drivers Too
Even though Uber is the one on TV saying it needs drivers, Lyft needs them just as badly. The money Uber is offering will pull drivers away from Lyft, so Lyft has to fight back, and the only way it can do that is with money. Expect better offers from Lyft. Keep both apps on your phone and watch for them.
5. Don’t Chase Teaser Offers
The offer I got from Uber is a banger. It pays $525 for 45 trips, in three $175 milestones. That works out to more than $10 per ride on top of my regular earnings, which is clearly worth taking.
But sometimes you’ll get what I call teaser offers. They look good, but the math doesn’t math out. Always break the bonus down to a per-ride or per-hour number. That is what matters. Divide the bonus by the number of trips, think about how many hours it will take you, and ask whether you’d drive that way anyway. If the answer is no, skip it.
Here’s an example. A bonus of $100 for 60 trips is under $2 a ride. That is a teaser, and it isn’t worth bending your whole week around it. My $525 for 45 trips comes to about $11.67 a ride. That one is worth planning your week around. Run the numbers every time, and run them again if the offer changes.
6. Work Your Tail Off
When times like this come along, drive, drive, drive. Soon enough, Uber and Lyft won’t need drivers, and the bonuses will disappear. Make hay while the sun is shining.
Plan your hours around the busy times, take the good rides, and chase the bonus milestones while the offers are out there. Track your trips so you know where you stand on each milestone, and don’t leave bonus money on the table by stopping a few trips short. Then take your breaks when demand is slow, not when it’s busy.
Key Takeaways
- Uber and Lyft need drivers right now, and they are paying for them.
- Sign up for both apps and be selective with the rides you accept.
- Judge every bonus by its per-ride or per-hour value, and skip the teasers.
- Expect Lyft to respond with better offers of its own.
This is great news for drivers. We are seeing some great bonuses, and we’ll remember the fall and winter of 2026 as a good time to drive. Seize the day. You can rest in January, when the new year begins.
Be Safe Out There.
