4 Reasons To Start Driving For Lyft Before Uber

If you’re just getting started with ridesharing, you’ve probably got a lot of things on your mind. Before you can hit the road, you need to clean and/or maintain your vehicle, sort out your insurance options, and even put some thought into how you’ll deal with an unruly passenger. But there’s another decision to make, too: Which service should you sign up for first?

We compared the perks of signing up for Lyft vs. Uber and declare Lyft the better bet. Read on for our 4 reasons why.

1. Bigger Sign-Up Bonuses*

Lyft doesn’t publish a public list of sign-up bonuses anymore but if you want to know the bonus amount ahead of time, you can contact me or send a message directly to Lyft to ask what the bonus amount will be.  Typically, Lyft bonuses in many cities are up to $500 right now and some are even up to $750-$1,000. These vary by city, as does the number of trips you’ll need to do to earn the bonus (in most places, it’s between 25-100 rides). Often the Lyft sign-on bonus alone is reason enough to try out ridesharing, even if you don’t plan to stick with it very long.

Uber’s sign-up bonuses, on the other hand, have been in more of a decline and there are even some cities that don’t offer any bonus at all. That doesn’t mean there aren’t still cities where Uber is trying hard to recruit – but in most cases, Lyft’s bonuses are still just as high, if not higher.

2. Tips

Lyft really encourages fostering friendly relationships between drivers and passengers. To that end, they think that drivers should have the opportunity to be compensated for helping make the rider’s day better. Even if you’re getting fewer riders in a day, if you go the extra mile (not literally) to put a smile on someone’s face, you net out better.

These tips are not added to your fare and not subject to the fees that Lyft takes. That means anything you get, its yours! Since both platforms have minimum ratings requirements, you should be putting in the effort to be friendly anyway. At least Lyft lets you benefit from excelling at that.

Speaking of those rating requirements, what many new drivers don’t know is how their rating gets calculated. On Lyft, only your last 100 rides count towards your rating; older ratings are forgotten. That’s great if you make some mistakes early on and get rated low, because those low ratings won’t count for too long. Uber, on the other hand, takes into account your last 500 – so if you mess up early on, it takes a long time for those bad ratings to fall off your record.

3. Better Company Culture

Lyft is nicer to their drivers. It’s that simple. With the Lyft app, passengers have the option to add a tip to your fare. Uber doesn’t offer that option. If you rate a Lyft passenger three stars or less, you won’t be matched with them again. And most importantly, Lyft offers the famous Power Driver Bonuses – if you complete a certain number of rides per week, you get to keep a bigger percentage of your fare (Lyft takes a smaller cut).
And for a $0.50 transaction fee, Lyft also allows you to cash out your fares on the same day that you earn them (as long as you’ve made at least $50). This is perfect if you encounter unexpected expenses or financial shortfalls. The feature is called Express Pay and it’s one of the most popular amongst drivers.

I also like some of Lyft’s milestone perks.  After 100 rides you get a free glowstache and after 1,000 rides you get a free jacket!

4. Job Security

If you drive often or rely heavily on ridesharing for your income, having access to both platforms can pay off in unexpected ways. Both platforms occasionally go offline for one reason or another, and having the other available as a backup will allow you to keep working. In addition, both platforms have been known to deactivate drivers temporarily for one reason or another. Sometimes, this may be caused by a false or misleading review from a passenger, and your account may be put on hold while the claim is investigated – but having access to the other platform means you won’t be completely out of work.

Another example: If a passenger pukes during an Uber trip and you’re able to clean it yourself, you can still request a cleaning fee. If you do that, you can’t drive Uber for the rest of the night – otherwise Uber will assume that the damage wasn’t bad enough to warrant the fee. Staying active on Lyft will allow you to keep that Uber cleaning fee and keep driving.

Likewise, if you get into a minor accident during an Uber trip, you have to submit photographic evidence that all the damage has been repaired before you can keep driving on the platform. To be honest, most passengers don’t even notice minor dents or scratches. If you know the damage won’t prevent you from being a 5-star driver, it could be handy to have the ability to keep driving for Lyft while Uber and their insurance carrier sorts out the situation.

Readers: Which platform do you like better? Which did you sign up for first? Share your thoughts below!