How Can I Run Uber And Lyft At The Same Time?

Hey guys, Rideshare Guy here. Today, I’m going to be tackling a question that I get all the time: How do you run the Lyft and Uber apps at the same time?

A lot of new drivers and even a lot of more experienced drivers hear me talk about how I’m always running Uber and Lyft at the same time, and they wonder, “Hey, how do you do that?” I’ll tackle that question below.

In an earlier video, I covered how to download the Uber partner app. And you guys probably know by now that if you’re on Lyft, the same app is used for passengers and drivers. You just hit the wheel in the upper right corner and boom — you’re in driver mode. With Uber, you use the partner app to drive.

When you start your shift, check both the Lyft and Uber apps

I typically start driving at my house, so I log in from my couch. I check both apps to see what each is like. Are they on surge? If one is surging higher than the other or prime-timing higher than the other, I’ll obviously start with that app and wait for a request.

That’s the one thing you need to really watch out for when you’re doing both apps. You want to make sure that if one is surging, you’re only doing that app, especially, if you know Uber and Lyft, the prices are pretty similar. And personally, if the prices are close, I usually tend to prefer Lyft because I like the quality of the passenger. I find that that I get more tips because of the great experiences I have with Lyft passengers. And obviously, the tipping screen on Lyft is much easier for a passenger. I just like supporting better user interface (UI) for drivers.

Running both apps at the same time, step by step

Let’s say I’m sitting on my couch at home, and I turn on my Uber app. Then I turn on my Lyft app? As soon as I get a ride request on one, I’ll accept it. So let’s say I get an Uber request first. I accept that Uber request. And before I do anything else, I switch over to Lyft. As soon as I am in Lyft, I log out of Lyft. So there’s really only about one to three seconds while I’m logged in both.

Two ride requests at the same time?

Now, people always ask me, “What happens if you get a request while you’re trying to switch over whatever on Lyft after you have already accepted an Uber request. Now, that definitely has happened once or twice. But one of the ways that I try to avoid that is I only use this strategy when it’s not super busy. If it’s busy, I’ll try to just do one app. If I only am waiting one to two minutes in between calls, I’ll pick one or the other. I’ll either pick Uber or I’ll pick Lyft based on the surge and based on where I am.

Only run both apps when it’s not very busy

Those are the things you want to consider. If it’s really slamming busy, you are going to have a tough time switching back and forth on Uber and Lyft anyways, so you might as well just stick with one. If I started waiting long and then a minute or two, boom! I’m going to go and I turn on Lyft.  I always start with only one app, then if I don’t get a call after one to two minutes, I turn on the other.

You really won’t come up with too many situations where you’re getting double calls. If you do, you probably want to pick whichever passenger is closer. Or if you have a higher surge on Uber, then you’re going to have to pick that passenger and eat the cancellation fee from Lyft. So that’s definitely something to consider when you’re running both apps at the same time.

Why running both apps at the same time is the right thing to do

It takes a little bit of practice doing Uber and Lyft at the same time, but it’s definitely doable. The reason you want to do Uber and Lyft at the same time is really to maximize your opportunities, right? Think about it. You’re a business owner. You want to diversify your income. It’s really all about maximizing the time where you can have someone’s butt in that seat next to you!