You would assume that in order to motivate all drivers equally, both Lyft and Uber would offer us all the same bonus opportunities. But that is not the case. Joe, here at the Rideshare Guy and today we’re going to discuss why neither company offers drivers the same bonuses.
What type of bonuses do Uber and Lyft offer?
Uber and Lyft offer bonuses for two primary reasons. One reason is to get you to drive more, or even exclusively for them. That’s why Lyft offers the weekly ride challenge bonus, and some drivers still have the power driver bonus and Uber offers the quest bonus. And another reason is they want to try to match passenger demand during the busiest time of the day. So, that’s why they offer things like power zones, boost, streaks, and consecutive trip boosts.
Bonus amounts and ride requirements are determined by two main factors. The first main factor is your market. And obviously, each market has different prices and demand. And drivers are paid different rates in different markets. And bonus amounts will somewhat reflect those rates. Also, some smaller markets may not have enough demand for Lyft or Uber to feel that bonuses are necessary.
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Bonus offers vary widely from city to city
Bonuses may not be offered at all. For instance, here in Minneapolis and St. Paul, every bonus that Lyft offers is available. The power driver bonus, the weekly ride challenge, power zones and streaks. But with Uber I find that typically only quest is offered, at least for me personally. Uber may feel like their driver supply is adequate enough here, so they don’t need to offer a lot of bonuses. Meanwhile, Lyft is trying to eat into Uber’s market share, so that’s probably why they offer all bonuses. But in Uber and Lyft’s most competitive markets, like say San Francisco for instance, you most likely will be offered all of the bonus opportunities.
Your driving habits can determine your bonus
And another main factor when determining bonus amounts and ride requirements is how much you drive and how and when you drive. If you are driving consistently for Uber, you most likely will be offered quest bonuses. They often start small and increase in order to encourage you to drive more.
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And if you aren’t completing trips, you may not be offered bonuses at all. I have found that I’m only offered quest bonuses the weeks following a week where I’ve actually completed a trip with Uber. Otherwise, I’m typically not offered quest. Again, the bonus amounts you are offered depend on the amount you drive. The more you drive the higher the amounts you will be offered.
Lyft has recently transitioned to the weekly ride challenge bonus. The great thing about the weekly ride challenge bonus is it will be strictly ride based. There will no longer be a peak hour ride requirement and there will not longer be minimum acceptance rate requirement. And also, with the power driver bonus, your car had to be a 2011 model or newer. Now with the weekly ride challenge bonus you don’t have that requirement any longer.
We reached out to Lyft to get a little bit more information on the weekly ride challenge, and they said they’re basically creating a simpler incentive that will benefit more drivers. And they also said that the weekly ride challenge will be offered to every single driver and that offer will be tailored toward your driving habits and market conditions. I personally feel like this is a really positive step for Lyft, especially if they’re going to offer this bonus to all drivers no matter what market you’re in.
Which company offers better bonuses?
As far as some overall thoughts, Lyft has done a good job of creating goodwill with me personally as a driver by consistently offering me those bonus opportunities every year that I’ve driven for them. I’ve driven for them for about 4 1/2 years. Same amount for Uber. And Lyft has offered me bonuses from the start. So, that’s the reason I drive almost exclusively for Lyft.
Now with Uber, to be honest, I basically feel forgotten. And quite frankly, they might not care because I’m in a market like Minneapolis and St. Paul where maybe they have the lion’s share of the market. And back in the days when I drove heavily for Uber, I’ve completed about 3500 Uber trips, that predated the quest bonus program. So, back in that day there were really no great bonuses for me to be offered.
And now since the quest has been introduced, I’ve been primarily using Lyft, because of the power driver bonus and now the weekly ride challenge. I seldom, if ever, drive for Uber. I’m not offered that quest bonus. And again, my market is Minneapolis and St. Paul. But maybe if I drove in a more competitive market, like say San Francisco, I would be more consistently offered those bonus opportunities.
Let us know what bonus opportunities you’re offered, what market you’re in, how much you drive, does the fact that you’re offered certain bonuses affect how much you drive, like me personally. If you haven’t subscribed to the Rideshare Guy channel, please subscribe. We post new videos every single week. Thanks again for watching, and drive safe.
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