Washington D.C. - Lyft & Uber

The Washington D.C. Lyft and Uber Driver Guide

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Drive Uber and Lyft Like A Pro In Washington, D.C.

D.C. is an excellent market on both the Uber and Lyft platforms. The market is home to many high traffic rideshare areas in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. itself. There is also a lot of traffic going in and out of D.C. on long rides. If you drive Lyft or Uber in D.C., you wind up spending time in Virginia and Maryland also. If your vehicle is on Lyft Plus, Premier, or Lux SUV, or UberSelect, that translates to some very lucrative fares. Even the UberX and regular Lyft fares on those rides are pretty high.

Washington D.C. - Lyft & Uber

Where are the best areas to Drive With Lyft or Uber in Washington, D.C.?

If you’re driving for Uber or Lyft in DC, some good areas to find riders are:

  • Northwest D.C. – Georgetown, Business District
  • Northeast D.C. – NoMa, Capitol Hill, Union Station
  • MGM National Harbor Casino
  • Arlington, VA – Weekend Brunch Time Especially
  • Alexandria, VA

If you’re driving rideshare in the Washington metro area, you’ll also do a fair amount of dropoffs and pickups from Nationals Park, the African American History Museum, the JFK Center, and the Verizon Center. Union Market is also busy on both platforms, but Lyft in particular. On weekends, Clarendon (VA), Adams Morgan, 14th street, and U street are great, especially later in the evening.

Unlike most markets, Washington D.C. has two major airports. Dulles has more international flights, while Reagan is the choice of most  business travelers. Lyft and Uber drivers in D.C. can often tell which airport someone is going by the amount of luggage they have. Business travelers tend to travel light, so if the pax has one small bag or just a carry-on, they’re likely going to Reagan.

Whether you’re on an airport run to Dulles or Reagan, after you drop off the passenger, don’t go directly to the waiting lot. First, check how many drivers are already in the lot. If there’s a ton of drivers (and traffic isn’t too terrible), don’t bother waiting in the lot. When it’s full, you can wait over an hour for a ride, with no guarantee that it’s going to be a long ride.

When are the best times to drive Lyft or Uber in Washington, D.C.?

The best times to drive rideshare in D.C. are:

  • Weekday mornings between 6am – 10am
  • Weekday evenings between 4pm – 7pm
  • Weekend evenings between 7pm – 3am (These are usually the most lucrative eight hours each week.)
  • Saturday and Sundays – 10am – 2pm (The D.C. metro area loves to brunch. Fair amount of suburban surge and Prime Time.)

Weekdays

Morning rush hours are generally great in D.C., at least when it comes to ridesharing. Because the D.C. metro is overpriced, and has some reliability issues, tons of people in the D.C. area have turned to Uber and Lyft. If you plan on driving during this time, Bethesda, Arlington, and Silver Springs are three heavy rideshare areas. You can often catch a ride from one of these areas into D.C., where you’ll be sure to catch more rides. Monday, Tuesday, and Friday morning rush hours will be the busiest weekdays most of the time.

For the evening rush hour, you’ll find riders in downtown and NoMa. Many drivers like to start around 4pm and drive until 9 or 10. They get the lucrative rush hour fares, but later on can get low traffic fares from northern D.C. to somewhere in Virginia. There are many people who work late in D.C., and they live in Virginia. Often, they’re at well paying jobs and they take a Lyft or Uber home.

Weekends

On weekends, the Mall will be busy as will the hotels downtown. You can also catch great brunch fares from residential areas. Chevy Chase and Crestwood tilt towards Uber, while Foggy Bottom, Shepard Park, and the Georgetown and Howard areas have become more Lyft heavy. That being said, you can probably find rides on both platforms in all of these areas.

On weekend nights, you will make the most money between 10pm and 3am. Early in the evening, you’ll have a lot of rides coming in from the suburbs, as well as the D.C. residential areas I just mentioned (Foggy Bottom & Georgetown especially). Once it gets late, DuPont Circle, Adams Morgan, 14th Street, U Street, H Street, and Penn Quarter are the places to be.

Lyft vs. Uber In The Washington, D.C. Area

Uber has been in D.C. longer and has a larger market share than Lyft. However, Lyft has started catching up this year. They’ve done a lot of rider recruitment in the D.C., Virginia, and Maryland over the past year. As a result, they’ve more than doubled the number of rides they’re giving in those areas.

While Uber’s market share is still larger, your hourly pay will probably be a little higher on Lyft. Nationally, Lyft drivers make about $2 more per hour than Uber drivers. However, in certain markets, Uber is still busier than Lyft. If you haven’t signed up to drive for either service, you’re probably better off signing up with Lyft first. Unlike Uber, Lyft still has a sign up bonus, which has recently been in the $500 – $800 range in Washington, D.C.

Lyft and Uber driver pay in Washington, D.C.

During certain hours, your earnings can reach as high as $30-$35 per hour. However, when you’re just starting out, a more reasonable expectation is $15-$20 per hour when driving for Lyft or Uber in Washington, D.C. After a month of driving, you will be a lot better at rideshare driving, and should be able to pull in around $20 per hour, possibly more. If you’re part-time and can target the busiest hours, you can make more per hour from the get go.

Overall, if you target as many of the busiest days and hours listed above, you stand to make more per hour. If you want to drive part time, you can probably take home $20/hr or more, if you concentrate on morning rush hours (M, T, F) or weekend evenings. If you drive full time, or want to, you should also drive those hours if possible, and add in some evening rush hours as well.

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How To Make Money Driving Uber or Lyft Part-Time

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How To Be A Successful Part Time Rideshare Driver

Driving for Uber or Lyft part-time can be a great way to make some extra money. In many markets, experienced part timers can earn between $22-$30 per hour, sometimes more. However, most of those drivers didn’t start out earning that much. In fact, most of them probably made under $20 per hour their first few weeks on the road.

I met one driver who’s online around 15 hours per week, and averages around $23 per hour. His first week though, he was around $15 an hour, and his second week was worse. It took him a couple of months to work out a system and schedule that worked for him, and let him reliably earn $20 per hour, or more.

Another common story I hear is about how a drivers rating is usually lower their first few weeks on the road. In general, many part-time rideshare drivers earn less in their first few weeks, and have a slightly lower rating than they have after a couple of months.

Given these common issues, I decided to compile some tips for new part-time Uber and Lyft drivers. Hopefully, these will help you hit the road with high earnings and high ratings. Also, if you haven’t signed up yet, be sure to check out the Lyft sign up bonus in your city.

Part Time Lyft & Uber Driving – Keys For Success

In order to hit the ground running as a part-time rideshare driver, it’s important to adopt a strategy. Your strategy will be dependent on how often, and during what hours you’re going to drive. If you simply plan on doing a few rides before or after work, your schedule and strategy are worked out for you. Start picking up rides when you leave work, and when you’re ready to go home, set the destination filter to your address. Before work, leave a couple of hours early, and set your destination towards your work address.

Know The Peak Days

However, if you plan on driving 10 or 20 hours a week, it’s important to pick the right hours and days. The busiest days during the week tend to be Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. This holds true for almost every market. It doesn’t mean there’s no money to be made on Tuesday and Wednesday, but overall, they’re not as busy.

Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest and the most lucrative times in almost all markets. However, Saturday and Sunday mornings and afternoons are also great times to drive. Traffic is light and many of the Friday and Saturday night drivers have signed off. And, people go plenty of places on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Know The Peak Hours

In most markets, the best hours to drive during the week are between 5am and 9am, and then from 4pm to 8pm. However, these times vary a bit from city to city. Some places, the busiest afternoon hours are only from 5pm to 8pm. If you’re part-time, and you plan on driving during the week, these hours are when you’re likely to earn the most. However, in your town, the busiest afternoon hours may be 3pm – 7pm.

On weekends, driving rideshare is usually busy all day. Many people go to lunch on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. You’ll also get a lot of people going to and from church on Sunday. And of course, you’ll have a few rides of shame.

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Take A Ride As A Passenger

If you haven’t already, take a ride in a Lyft or an Uber. So many people start driving without ever having used either service. Try it out and note what you did and didn’t like about the ride and the driver. It will give you insight into the passenger experience and likely help your ratings from the get go.

Get The Accessories You’ll Need Beforehand

You will need three accessories; a cigarette lighter/usb phone charger, a charger cable, and a phone mount. Recommendations for all of these can be found on our Essential Products page. That’s pretty much it. Get these before you start driving. Don’t be the rookie driver rolling around with the phone in their hand.

If you want to keep waters or snacks for passengers, it’s your call. I know some highly rated, high earning drivers who have stuff for passengers, and I know other highly rated, high earning drivers who don’t.

First Two Weeks Uber or Lyft Driving Strategy

Go into your first couple of weeks with a basic strategy.

  • Commit to drive a set number of hours.
  • Pick the times you’re going to drive.

Here’s a good sample strategy to start with if you’re planning to drive Uber or Lyft 15 hours a week.

Drive a five hour shift from 5am – 10am on a Monday, Tuesday, or Friday.
Drive a five hour shift from 3pm – 8pm on a Monday, Tuesday, or Friday.
Drive a five hour shift on Saturday or Sunday between 10am – 10pm.

Other resources that you may find helpful:

Adjust this to suit your schedule. If you want to do all evening rush hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, go for it. If you just want to drive on the weekends, do that. If you want to start at 6 or 7am instead, by all means.

If you can though, drive five hour shifts or longer. The main reason for this is that after a couple of weeks, you’ll be able to look at your earnings and see which hours are the most lucrative in your area. You can then use that info to adjust your driving schedule to earn more.

You may find that you earn more from 6am – 9am. If that’s the case, you may not want to keep driving until 10am. If you only want to drive ten hours, it’s better to start out doing two longer shifts than three short ones. The reason is that when you drive for more than a couple of hours, you sort of get into a zone, and your efficiency goes up.

After driving your schedule for two weeks, look over your earnings and determine when they were highest. Adjust your schedule for the third week so that you drive when you earned the most during the first two weeks. After the third week, look at your earnings again, and make more adjustments. After your fourth week, check your per hour earnings and compare them to your first week. Unless the first week was a holiday or something else that would skew the numbers, your fourth week per hour earnings should be higher.

If you haven’t signed up for a rideshare service, check out our Lyft sign up bonus page and Uber sign up bonus page to see what the bonus is in your city.

 

Lyft and Uber news

The Week In Rideshare – October 28, 2017

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Here’s a quick roundup of the news from the rideshare world this week.

Uber and Visa launched a credit card that amoung other perks, gives 2% off online purchases including Uber rides. If you’re a driver who gets the card, you won’t get anymore pool requests. Just kidding. Come on, of course there’s no special benefits for drivers.

Uber also hired the former #3 guy at the Dept. of Justice to be their chief legal officer. That guy’s probably going to have a lot on his plate because…

In the Waymo v. Uber trial, Judge Alsup is considering adding two software trade secret claims to Waymo’s hardware claims against Uber. If he adds them, it will likely mean a second trial. Looks like we may get a sequel to the Uber may have stolen Google’s stuff trial. In any case, expect this to continue to be an ongoing headache for Uber. Google wanted at least $1 billion in damages to settle, so a settlement is unlikely. Oh, also, Uber’s law firm, Morrison Foster, may have misled the judge and withheld evidence. On a side note, Morrison Foster is known in legal circles as MoFo, possibly because the firm is run by douchebags. Seriously, their website is mofo.com.

Lyft and Uber news

 

Some Uber investor thinks the company may be worth $95 billion. He’s probably wrong since the last investment round pegged the value at around $50 billion, down from $70 billion, but who knows?

Lyft’s market share edged up 3% in Q3, while Uber’s declined 1%. Although this is a trend that’s likely to continue, Lyft still has a long way to go to pull even with Uber. Also, in a development that surprises no one, taxi use declined further.

Lyft launched in South Dakota this week, after launching in Shreveport a couple of weeks back. Uber, on the other hand, launched in Traverse City, joining Lyft, who launched there last month.

But the biggest news of the week (ok, end of last week) has to be Alphabet’s decision to lead a $1 billion investment round in Lyft. The investment arm of Google’s parent company will get a seat on the board. So, not only is Google suing Uber, but they continue to forge closer ties with Uber’s main competitor.

 

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Driver Pro Tips: 5 Ways To Drive Uber and Lyft Profitably

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How To Make More Money Driving For Uber Or Lyft

Driving for Lyft or Uber is a great way to make money, full time or as side gig. Whether you’re driving already or thinking of becoming a driver, it’s important to keep your costs as low as possible. Your biggest operating expenses as a rideshare driver are likely to be gas and maintenance items, like brakes or oil changes.

The drivers who earn the most money driving for Lyft or Uber often have a system to keep their gas and other operating expenses low. A growing number of drivers have also begun using in-vehicle advertising or item sales to increase revenue.

We’ve compiled a list of the five best ways Lyft and Uber drivers can lower expenses, increase revenue, and drive more profitably. Following these guidelines will likely help you earn more profit per hour, and pay less in taxes.

Track Your Mileage And Expenses

For every 1,000 miles you Drive With Lyft or Uber, you can deduct $535 off your taxes. Pretty awesome, right? That’s because the Federal Government lets you deduct 53.5 cents for every business mile you drive. There’s a couple of different ways you can track your mileage. You can track your mileage in a spreadsheet like excel. Whenever you go out driving rideshare, note your mileage when you start, and when you stop. Then input the miles you drove into the spreadsheet.

Another way to track your mileage, and other expenses, is to use a mileage and expense tracker. Most drivers find this easier than keeping a spreadsheet. The most popular tracker is Stride. It can track your mileage while you drive, and also allows you to keep track of other deductible expenses, so you can save the most money on your taxes.

Learn Your Way Around

Knowing your city can be the difference between making $15-$17 per hour and $20-$25 per hour (earnings vary by city, but drivers who know their way around make more). When you’re first starting out, it’s important to study a map of your city. Note the highways and where they go. Specifically, look at where the highway exits are near downtown, touristy parts, and nightlife areas. Those are likely to be major streets (also, the streets that are thicker on a map are usually major streets). Study the order of those streets and learn their names. After studying the map for a couple of hours, go out and drive around for a bit.

Address numbering system

You also may want to look up the address numbering system for your city. Most cities tend to have even number addresses on the same side of the street throughout the city. If you know which side of the street the even or odd numbers are on in your city, it will make rider pickups a lot easier.

Another perk of knowing the address numbering system in your city is that it can often let you know which major cross streets an address is near. Experienced rideshare drivers can often tell you the two major cross streets and address lies between. For example, if you tell an experienced Uber driver in Los Angeles to go to 9000 Wilshire, they’re going to know the address is between Doheny and Robertson. If you tell an experienced Lyft driver in San Diego 600 5th Ave, they’ll know the cross street is Market.

Learn shortcuts, places to sit, and where the cheap gas is.

Another great trick to learning your way around is to note some of the Waze shortcuts. Waze is a navigation app a lot of drivers use. It’s often pretty good and navigating rush hour traffic by finding shortcut routes around town. It doesn’t always work perfectly and many drivers who are just starting out prefer Google Maps, but most full time drivers tend to use Waze.

When you’re driving around in areas where you seem to get a lot of rides, you want to look out for standing zones. These are great places to pull over and turn off the car for ten minutes while you wait for a ride. Also keep in mind, you’re looking for standing zones, not loading zone. The difference is that loading zones are often connected to a business, and are actually supposed to be used for loading. Standing zones, you can pull in, leave the hazards, and sit. Most standing zones allow you to sit for 15 minutes.

Large parking lots near busy areas are another great place to sit while waiting for a ride. Usually, you want to choose a large parking lot for a supermarket or a large strip mall. If the lot has over a 100 spaces, you can probably pull in for a few minutes without anyone bothering you. You also want to make a note of the cheapest gas stations in your city, and consider a Costco membership ($55/yr). Costco tends to have the cheapest gas in whatever area they’re in. GasBuddy is a great app that can tell you where the cheapest gas around you is located.

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Don’t Drive Around Aimlessly

In general, the only times you should be moving when you don’t have a passenger in the car is if:

  • You’re in an area where you are likely to get a ride request soon.
  • You’re on your way to an area where you’re likely to get a ride request.

This is where knowing where standing zones and parking lots are comes in handy. It’s not possible to sit still all the time. But knowing where these are around busy areas in your town will save you a lot in the long run on gas and vehicle wear and tear. Also, if you live in an area that’s far from where you want to usually drive, use the Lyft or Uber destination setting to get you there.

Don’t chase the surge

This is the biggest mistake drivers make. They see red on the map, and rush to get to the Prime Time (Lyft) or surge (Uber) zone. One of two things then happens.

The surge disappears or is a lot lower by the time the driver gets there.
They get there in time but no lucrative surge request comes in.

On top of that, the driver often rushed to get to the surge zone in time, wasting gas and increasing vehicle wear and tear. Most surges last less than five minutes. There is also no guarantee that you will get a request just because you’re in a surge zone. With a couple of exceptions, surge and Prime Time are fools golds. Chase it at your peril.

  • For more info on Prime Time, Surge, and the exceptions, click here.

Explore Additional revenue options

In the past year, a number of companies have launched services that allow rideshare drivers to increase in car revenue.

Cargo is a service that lets a driver provide free and premium goods to rideshare passengers. The driver installs a container of goods above the vehicle’s center console. The passenger pays for the goods through the Cargo app, and the driver gets a cut of the sales. Cargo has become so popular that there is currently a waitlist in many markets. Sign up today.

Viuer and Vugo are in vehicle advertising services. The driver mounts a tablet (or 2 tablets) in the back seat. Passengers can then play games or use the tablet, while the driver gets a share of the advertising revenue.

The amount of money you can make from these revenue options vary, but the more you drive, the more you’re likely to make. If you drive full time, using Cargo and an advertising platform in your vehicle can add over $500 to your monthly revenue.

 

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Rideshare Insurance Guide For Uber & Lyft Drivers

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The 2018 Rideshare Insurance Guide For Uber And Lyft Drivers

At Rideshare Central, we get a lot of questions from drivers about rideshare insurance. “What is rideshare insurance?” is the most common question, followed closely by “Do I need Uber insurance?” We know you probably have other questions on this topic. So we’ve put together a comprehensive guide that answers the above questions, and many of the other questions Uber and Lyft drivers are asking about rideshare coverage.

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Frequently Asked Rideshare Insurance Questions

Don’t I already have coverage through the Lyft or Uber Insurance Policy?

Yes. Both The Lyft and Uber insurance policies provides $100,000 in contingent liability coverage when you are online waiting for a ride request (period 1). They both also provide $1 million in liability coverage and $50,000 in collision coverage if you have an accident while you are on your way to pick up a passenger (period 2), or while a passenger is in the vehicle (period 3).

However, in most markets, neither Uber or Lyft provide collision coverage during period 1. Even worse, your personal auto insurance policy will not provide collision coverage if you have an accident while online for Uber or Lyft. Here’s how this could be a problem for a rideshare driver.

Say a driver is online with Uber and waiting for a passenger request (period 1) and has an accident that was their fault. No one is injured, but the driver’s car is damaged. Uber will not pay to fix the driver’s car because the Uber insurance coverage doesn’t take effect until a ride request comes in. If the driver’s insurance company knows the driver was online with Uber when the accident happened, they won’t pay for the car repairs either. In this case, the driver will be on the hook for all the vehicle repairs. To add insult to injury, the driver’s insurance company may cancel the policy after finding out the policyholder was driving for Uber. That seems like a lot of trouble, which the driver could have avoided if they had rideshare insurance or an insurance policy with a rideshare endorsement.

What is rideshare insurance (aka Uber Insurance)?

Basic rideshare insurance provides liability and collision coverage when you are online and waiting for a passenger request. Essentially, it extends your personal auto insurance into period 1. Once you accept a ride, Lyft or Uber’s insurance takes over. This type of insurance is often called gap coverage. If the driver in the example I gave above had this type of coverage, their insurance company would pay for their vehicle repairs.

USAA, Safeco, Farmers, Mercury, American Family, and Travelers are some of the companies offering gap coverage.

Extended rideshare insurance includes gap coverage, but also extends parts or all of your personal auto policy into periods 2 and 3.

State Farm, Geico, Progressive, Erie, and Metlife are some companies that offer extended rideshare insurance.

Do I need rideshare insurance?

Yes. If you’re going to drive rideshare, and you want to be fully covered, you absolutely need to get rideshare insurance. Some of the most heartbreaking stories I’ve heard are about drivers who had an accident while waiting for a ride request. Their insurance would not cover the repairs and usually cancelled the policy.

The fact is that you can’t depend on either Lyft or Uber insurance during Period 1. But now that rideshare insurance is more widely available for a reasonable cost, it’s easy to avoid this type of terrible situation.

Do I have to get rideshare insurance if I Drive With Lyft or Uber?

No. Lyft and Uber only require that a driver have their name on a personal auto insurance policy that was written in the state where the driver will be working. However, it’s still a very good idea to purchase a rideshare insurance policy.

Lyft and Uber only require a personal insurance policy because they don’t want uninsured drivers on their platforms. However, while the coverage levels on the Lyft and Uber insurance policies are pretty high, a driver may still face out of pocket expenses in the event of an accident. Both companies tend to shift the expense of accidents over to drivers, in the form of high deductibles, and the lower coverage levels during period 1. That’s why it’s incumbent on drivers to look out for themselves and make sure they have proper and complete auto insurance coverage. Spending a little now can save a lot down the line.

Why is it important to have rideshare insurance?

Peace of mind. It’s a lot cheaper to pay a little extra now to avoid a very expensive headache later. Having proper insurance is key if you want to avoid unnecessary costs. If you have good rideshare coverage, your expenses in the event of an accident will likely be a lot lower.

For example, if the accident happens during period 1, instead of having to pay the full cost of repairing your vehicle, you’ll only be responsible for the deductible. If the accident isn’t your fault, you probably won’t even have to pay that.

Certain rideshare insurance policies also can help lower your out of pocket expenses if you have an accident during periods 2 and 3. Even though Uber and Lyft provide coverage once you accept a trip request, your out of pocket expenses in the event of an accident can still be thousands of dollars. For example, Uber has a $1,000 deductible and Lyft’s is an enormous $2,500. Some rideshare insurance policies can lower your deductible costs for accidents during periods 2 and 3, and even cover rental car expenses.

I tried to get rideshare insurance once, but it wasn’t available in my state. Have things changed?

The current rideshare insurance situation is a vast improvement from a couple of years ago. At that time, very few companies offered any rideshare insurance coverage, and coverage was only available in a few states. Even if you could find rideshare insurance, it was usually very expensive.Most Uber or Lyft drivers at that point were forced to buy commercial insurance if they wanted full coverage while rideshare driving.

In most states, there are far more insurance options for rideshare drivers now. In fact, most places have at least two rideshare insurance options for Uber and Lyft drivers, and many have four or more. Companies like Erie Insurance and Mercury were two of the earliest entries into the rideshare markets like Pennsylvania and Illinois. In the past year, the large national companies like Allstate, State Farm, USAA, and Farmers have all started offering rideshare policies around the country.

Can I get rideshare insurance in my state?

We’re glad you asked. Unless you live in North Carolina, the answer is yes. Rideshare insurance is now available pretty much everywhere else, If you live in Texas, California, Idaho, Georgia, Florida, or even Hawaii and Alaska, you have at least one option for rideshare insurance. Nationally, there are now at least 15 companies that offer some type of rideshare insurance policy.

Even in Massachusetts, which resisted allowing rideshare coverage for a long time, you can now purchase a rideshare policy through USAA.

In New York City, drivers must carry commercial insurance, usually purchased through an insurance broker. In New York state, rideshare coverage is available, but unnecessary. A recently passed state law mandates that Lyft and Uber insurance cover drivers during period 1 (waiting for a ride request).

To see who is offering rideshare insurance in your state, head on over to our 50 state rideshare insurance database.

We’ve heard from some drivers that some insurance agents do not seem to be aware that their company offers rideshare insurance. To help with this issue, we’ve begun adding recommended insurance agents to our rideshare insurance database. These agents are familiar with the rideshare policies their company offers. If you know of a great rideshare insurance agent, let us know.

What do rideshare insurance policies cover?

Rideshare policies differ by insurance carrier, but there are two main types of rideshare coverage:

Rideshare Insurance Type 1: Extended Coverage

Extended coverage offers coverage during period 1, but also extends your personal auto insurance policy into periods 2 and 3. For example, Lyft and Uber provide very good liability coverage during periods 2 and 3, but their collision coverage have very high deductibles. If you have an extended coverage policy, you will only be responsible for the deductible on your personal auto insurance policy. That alone can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Extended rideshare coverage differs from company to company. Some insurers offer a policy that provides coverage at all times, essentially replacing Uber and Lyft’s coverage entirely. Other companies offer a hybrid policy that adds to Uber and Lyft’s coverage. All extended insurance policies offer coverage during period 1.

Rideshare Insurance Type 2: Gap Coverage

Gap coverage extends your personal auto insurance into period 1, when you are waiting for ride requests. Essentially, this coverage fills the gap between your personal auto policy and when Lyft and Uber’s full coverage takes effect (period 2). This is the rideshare insurance option most drivers choose. It’s relatively inexpensive and offers coverage where Uber and Lyft’s coverage are weakest.

How much is rideshare insurance?

You can get gap coverage added to most policies for an extra $6 to $20 per month.

Extended coverage policies that offer protection during periods 2 or 3 generally cost more. While there is a lot of variability in the costs based on the amount of coverage you want, most extended rideshare insurance policies will cost $30 to $50 more per month. While this seems like a lot, these policies do provide the most coverage and protection in the event of an accident.

Does rideshare insurance cover both Uber and Lyft?

Almost all insurance companies offer rideshare insurance that covers both Uber and Lyft. Metlife is the only exception, as they only cover drivers when they are on the Lyft platform.

Most insurers only offer coverage for drivers on TNC platforms like Uber and Lyft. If you are driving for Amazon Flex, Instacart, DoorDash, Grubhub, or another non transportation network platform, be sure to check with the rideshare insurers in your state to see if they offer coverage. Don’t assume that if your rideshare insurance coverage is good for Lyft and Uber, that it’s good for every platform.

Do Uber and Lyft insurance provide enough coverage?

It depends how much coverage you want to have. In terms of liability coverage when you’re on the way to a passenger or have a passenger in the car, their coverage is pretty high – $1,000,000. However, it’s still lower than the liability coverage amounts on most commercial policies. Certain extended rideshare insurance policies offer a higher amount of coverage.

When you’re waiting for a ride request, Uber and Lyft’s liability coverage is pretty low – $100,000. Rideshare Central recommends at least $300,000 in liability coverage at all times. The reason is that if an accident results in high medical expenses, $100,000 is often not enough. Medical bills add up quickly and if it’s a bad accident where someone winds up in the hospital, the costs can easily exceed $100,000.

Final Take: Driving for Uber or Lyft without rideshare insurance makes no sense.

In 2018, rideshare insurance or an auto policy with a rideshare endorsement is usually a very inexpensive addition to your auto insurance costs. Usually, basic rideshare insurance only adds $6 to $20 a month to your auto insurance costs. Given that, it simply makes no sense to not have rideshare insurance.

Think about it. You can pay a few extra bucks a month, and be fully covered while driving for Lyft or Uber. Or, you can not get a rideshare insurance policy, and risk thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses that you could have avoided.

Seems like a pretty easy choice to me.

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Philadelphia Skyline - drive with Lyft

The Definitive Guide To Driving For Lyft Or Uber In Philadelphia

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Where are the best areas to Drive With Lyft or Uber in Philadelphia?

If you’re driving rideshare in Philly, you’re likely to find a lot of riders near:

  • Center City – Avenue of the Arts (Broad Street), Rittenhouse Square, and 30th Street Station
  • West Philadelphia (insert Fresh Prince joke here) – Baltimore Ave
  • Manayunk – Main Street
  • University City – Univ. of Penn | Drexel University
  • South Philly – Sports Complex – Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles games) | Wells Fargo Center (Flyers games)
  • King of Prussia Mall

Some other Philadelphia Lyft and Uber rideshare hotspots are Northern Liberties, Old City, SugarHouse Casino, and the Delaware River Waterfront (Morgan’s Pier). Plenty of riders can also be found in Cedar Park, Fairmount, and Fishtown.

Overall, the city is busier than the suburbs on both Lyft and Uber. Uber is still busier than Lyft in the suburbs, but Lyft is quickly catching up. If you find yourself in the suburbs and it’s dead, you can always use the destination setting in the app (rides towards a specific directions) to get you a rider going back to the city or the airport. Uber lets you use this feature twice daily, but Lyft allows six uses per day.

Philadelphia love sculpture

Speaking of the airport, PHL is also a great spot for lucrative rides in Philadelphia. If you get a ride to the airport, you may even get another pickup request before you drop off your passenger. If not, you can head to the staging area to wait for a return ride. However, you always want to check the app to see how many drivers are in the staging area before you head over there. If the lot is very full, you may be better off heading back to town. A lot of drivers make the mistake of going to the airport staging lot when there’s a lot of drivers there already. They can wind up waiting over an hour for a ride. So, always check the number of drivers in the lot before heading over.

When are the best times to drive Lyft or Uber in Philadelphia?

The best times to drive rideshare in Philadelphia are:

  • Weekday mornings between 7am and 9am (Some drivers start at 5am instead and can pull in over $100 by 9am.)
  • Weekday evenings between 4:30pm and 8:00pm (Many drivers go past 8pm because they can still catch lucrative rides from people working late downtown going to the burbs.)
  • Weekend evenings (Fri. & Sat.) between 6pm and 8pm, and between 10pm and 3am
  • Weekend mornings and afternoons between 10am and 3pm (If you don’t want to drive nights, this is a great time to drive because there’s fewer drivers on the road.)

The busiest days of the week are Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Expect a fair number of rides to Philadelphia International Airport on Mondays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Wednesdays can also be lucrative if you drive peak hours. A lot of full time drivers will drive the morning rush hour through lunch on those days, take a break, and then come back and do the evening rush hour. These drivers tend to have the highest per hour earnings. While weekend nights are generally the biggest money makers overall, weekend mornings and early afternoons can also be very lucrative. There are fewer drivers on the road, but a lot of people go places on weekends in the late morning and early afternoon.

Lyft and Uber driver pay in Philadelphia

During peak hours, your earnings can reach as high as $35 per hour, sometimes more. However, when you’re just starting out, a more reasonable expectation is $15-$20 per hour when driving for Lyft or Uber in Philadelphia. As you learn your way around the city, you’ll become more efficient and should be able to earn $20 per hour or more.

Lyft vs. Uber in Philadelphia

Uber has been in Philadelphia since 2012, while Lyft came to town in 2015. Until this year, Uber’s market share had been steady and dominant. This year, however, Lyft has been able to consistently cut into Uber’s market share. One reason this has happened is because of Lyft’s focus on increasing ridership in the city. Another reason Lyft ridership has skyrocketed is probably due to Uber’s continuing public relations troubles. Whatever the reasons though, the Lyft rider boom in Philadelphia has the left the company with a bit of a problem – they need more drivers!

Drive With Lyft in Philadelphia – Lyft Philadelphia Bonus up to $725

Use Lyft Driver Promo Code – RIDESHARECENTRAL

Currently, some of the best Lyft driver promos in the country are available in Philadelphia. Recently, the Lyft sign up bonus in Philly has ranged from $300 to $725. The reason Lyft is offering such high driver sign up bonuses is simple. The have a lot more riders than they did a year ago and they need more drivers on the road.

While Lyft has been operating in Philadelphia since early 2015, they have seen a tremendous boom in ridership this year. At the beginning of 2017, Lyft began offering great rider incentives. These incentives have been overwhelmingly successful, and Lyft ridership is currently at an all time high in Philadelphia. In the first six months of 2017, Lyft actually gave more rides in Philadelphia than in all of 2016!

Philadelphia Skyline - drive with Lyft

Why you should sign up for Lyft over Uber in Philadelphia.

While Uber has been operating in Philadelphia since 2012, the massive increase in Lyft ridership this year means that a driver can make as much, if not more, driving for Lyft in Philadelphia as they could driving for Uber. In fact, in many markets, Lyft drivers tend to make around 10% more per hour than Uber drivers. In some cities, they make 15% more. The reasons for this are twofold.

First, Lyft pays drivers more than Uber for certain types of rides, such as carpool rides (rides with multiple passengers going different place). Lyft pays its drivers the same amount whether it’s a Lyft Line (Lyft’s carpool service) ride or a regular Lyft ride. Uber, on the other hand, pays a driver less for UberPool rides than for UberX rides.

The second reason Lyft drivers tend to make more is tipping. While Uber recently added an in-app tipping option, Lyft riders have been able to tip drivers in the app since the service started. As a result, most Uber riders have been pre-conditioned not to tip. For years, in fact, Uber misled riders into thinking that a tip was included in the fare. So, even though riders can now tip in both apps, Lyft riders tend to tip at a substantially higher rate.

Given the likelihood of higher pay, it definitely makes more sense to sign up for Lyft over Uber in Philadelphia. And if you’re already driving for Uber in Philly, it’s a better time than ever to try driving for Lyft. However, there’s one more reason you should choose Lyft over Uber – the sign up bonus.

Lyft still has a driver sign up bonus, Uber does not.

Besides the higher pay on Lyft, there’s one more important reason to sign up for Lyft before Uber – the sign up bonus. Lyft still offers a sign up bonus. Uber does not. Uber has changed their sign up bonus to a guarantee.

The Uber new driver guarantee works like this. Uber will offer a new driver in Philadelphia guaranteed earnings of $800 if they complete 110 rides in 30 days. If the driver completes the 110 rides, but only makes $700, Uber will make up the difference. If the driver makes $850 from those 110 rides, they get nothing. Not really a bonus, is it?

Lyft, on the other hand, may offer a new driver $500 for completing 100 rides in 30 days. This Lyft bonus would be paid out at $5 on every ride for the first 100 rides. This means a new Lyft driver starts receiving their sign up bonus as soon as they start driving!

The bonus amounts vary by driver and city. The numbers mentioned above are just examples. One final note – if you have an SUV or a high end vehicle, you can make even more on Lyft by driving Lyft Plus or Lyft Premier.

Final Take – Sign up for Lyft or Uber in Philly today and start making money.

Looking For The Best Rideshare Company To Sign Up With?

Sign up to drive with Lyft today and get a sign up bonus.

With Lyft, you can sign up to drive even if you don’t have a car!

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Driving rideshare is fun, and often fulfilling work. You meet great people, have some terrific conversations, and get to see your city in a new way. We often don’t realize it, but most of us never see 90% of the city in which we live. One of the great things about rideshare driving is you get to see new neighborhoods and areas of your city that you never would’ve gone to. In the more than three years I’ve been rideshare driving, I’ve discovered new parks, walking paths, restaurants, and nightlife areas that I just didn’t know existed. Put simply, driving rideshare has given me a new appreciation for my city and the people in it. It can do the same for you.

So, if you’re looking to make an extra few hundred dollars a week, or want a full time job where you can make over $1000 per week, while learning about your city, sign up to Drive With Lyft or Uber today!

 

driver for lyft by the boston old state house

The Definitive Guide to Driving For Lyft or Uber in Boston

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When are the best times to drive Lyft or Uber in Boston?

The best times to drive rideshare in Boston are:

  • Weekday mornings between 6am and 9am
  • Weekday evenings between 5pm and 7:30pm
  • Weekend evenings (Fri. & Sat.) between 6pm and 8pm, and between 10pm and 2am
  • Weekend mornings and afternoons between 9am and 2pm

During the week, Monday, Thursdays, and Fridays tend to be busier than Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Expect a fair number of rides to Logan on Mondays and Fridays. While weekend nights are generally the biggest money makers, weekend mornings and early afternoons can also be very lucrative and are less of a hassle trafficwise.

Pro Tip – If you’re going to start your driving day from a suburb in the morning, set your destination towards downtown or Logan to get you into the city. There are simply more ride requests coming from that area, so you want to get down there to maximize your profitability. The destination setting will only give you rides towards a particular destination. Uber allows you to use this setting twice a day, but Lyft allows six uses per day.

If you haven’t signed up yet, the Lyft sign up bonus in Boston is currently $500.

What are the best areas to drive Lyft or Uber in Boston?

The best Boston rideshare hotspots are Fenway Park and the surrounding bar area, TD Garden and the surrounding area, South Station, Harvard Square, and around Fanueil Hall.

Logan airport is also very busy, but if the staging area (where drivers wait for requests) is full, you may be better off immediately heading back to the city or into Cambridge, rather than spend 45 minutes to an hour waiting for a ride request. Hopefully, you won’t even have to go to the staging area to get a ride request after dropping off at Logan. This is because both Lyft and Uber may give you a return rider as soon as you dropoff your current passenger at the airport. This doesn’t always happen though. It depends how busy Logan is at the time.

Harvard - Boston Lyft Hotspot

 

Boston rideshare driving strategies – Part Time Drivers

If you’re going to drive rideshare part time in Boston, it’s important to choose your hours carefully, and stick to a schedule. If you plan on driving 10-15 hours a week, try and schedule your driving hours during the best times to drive that I mentioned earlier. Doing so will likely result in 25-60% higher earnings than driving during off peak hours. That boost can mean the difference between bringing in $150 over 10 hours versus $250. The simple fact is that more people are taking rides at 6am on a Tuesday, than at 1pm. Higher demand tends to mean more rides, and higher fares. Try and plan your schedule accordingly.

Boston rideshare driving strategies – Full Time Drivers

If you plan on driving full time for Lyft or Uber in Boston, do the following to increase your profitability. Some of these tactics may be helpful for part-time drivers as well.

Make a schedule. Some drivers tend to drive more nights, some drive mornings. Other drivers only drive morning and evening rush hours plus the weekends. Some drivers start at 7am and drive for 12 hours 6 days a week. However, the drivers who choose and stick to a schedule tend to earn more per hour than drivers who don’t.

Don’t drive around unnecessarily. Note locations of standing zones, and parking lots, as you drive around. Often, you’ll want to pull over and stop during the time between rides so you don’t waste gas. This becomes easier as you become familiar with the area.

If you’re starting from the suburbs in the morning, try and get on the road between 6 and 7am, and consider using the destination setting to get near downtown, Cambridge or Brookline. Once you’re in those areas, you should start receiving requests pretty quickly. The destination setting may not always be necessary as there are a lot of people heading into the city from the suburbs on weekday mornings.

Between rush hours, good places to find riders in Boston include areas around Harvard, M.I.T., Boston University, and Boston College. Mass General is also a good spot because hospital shifts aren’t 9-5. You’ll also want to stick around the hotels in touristy areas.

Effect Of The Massachusetts Rideshare Law

There has never been a better time to start driving for Lyft or Uber in Boston. Earlier this year, Massachusetts instituted more stringent background checks for drivers. As a result, 8,000 Lyft and Uber drivers failed the new background checks and were removed from both platforms. Although the state loosened the background check restrictions in September, both Uber and Lyft have been still been scrambling to find new Boston area drivers. To accomplish this, they’ve been offering some of the highest driver sign up bonuses and guarantees in the country!

The Lyft Sign Up Bonus in Boston is currently between $500 – $1025. The Boston Uber sign up bonus guarantees are also several hundred dollars to over $1,000. These bonuses won’t last forever though. Earlier this summer, Lyft actually had a $2,000 sign up bonus in Boston. Additionally, both companies often offer weekly incentives to new drivers. These incentives can add hundreds of dollars to your weekly pay.

The reason Lyft had such a high signup bonus is that Lyft ridership has significantly increased in Boston in 2017, especially in areas like Medford, Cambridge and Brookline. Overall, Lyft gave more rides in the Boston area in the first six months of 2017 than they did in all of 2016! This has allowed Lyft to consistently cut into Uber’s market share throughout 2017. Overall, Uber is still busier in suburbs like Lexington, Winchester, and Waltham. But when it comes to downtown Boston, South Boston, and the rest of the city, both Uber and Lyft are pretty busy. However, in a few neighborhoods, Lyft has been busier than Uber since the Spring.

td water boston lyft

 

Should I sign up to Drive With Lyft or Uber in Boston?

While you can make good money on both platforms, Rideshare Central recommends signing up for Lyft first in Boston. Both platforms are busy in Boston, but Lyft ridership has pickup up a lot in the past year. Moreover, drivers tend to prefer driving for Lyft. Driver support is better and less impersonal. Moreover, although in app tipping is available on both platforms now, Lyft passengers tend to tip at a higher rate than Uber passengers. However, the main reason you should sign up for Lyft first is that their sign up bonus is currently better than Uber’s. In fact, Lyft is still offering a sign up bonus in Boston.

Looking For The Best Rideshare Company To Sign Up With?

Sign up to drive with Lyft today and get a sign up bonus.

With Lyft, you can sign up to drive even if you don’t have a car!

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What’s the difference between the Uber and Lyft sign up bonuses?

The current Uber sign up guarantee works like this. Uber offers new drivers a guaranteed amount if they do a certain number of rides in a set amount of time (usually 30-60 days). For example, Uber will offer a Boston driver a $1025 guarantee if they give 120 rides in their first 45 days. If the driver earns less than $1025 from those 120 rides, Uber will make up the difference. If the driver earns more than $1025, they get nothing. In most cases, if a driver gives 120 Uber rides in Boston, they will hit that $1025 anyway.

On the other hand, the Lyft sign up bonus is an actual bonus. Even better, new Lyft drivers start receiving their bonus as soon as they hit the road. This is how the Lyft driver sign up bonus works. Lyft will offer a new driver in Boston a set bonus (usually $500-$1000) if they complete a certain number of rides in the first 30-60 days. For example, Lyft may offer a new Boston driver a $600 sign up bonus. The bonus will pay out an extra $4 per ride for their first 150 rides. The driver will have usually have 45-60 days to complete those rides. The bonus is on top of any driver earnings from the rides.

As you can see, in Boston, it makes far more sense to sign up for Lyft first, because you’ll actually get a driver sign up bonus.

driver for lyft by the boston old state house

 

Final Take – The Best Time To Start Rideshare Driving in Boston is now!

Driving rideshare is generally really fun as a job. You meet a lot of interesting people, learn your way around your city, and get paid to do it. Even if you’ve lived in Boston your whole life, I guarantee you will discover more about the city in a couple of months driving for Lyft or Uber than you thought possible.

Whether you want to drive full time or part time, there has never been a more lucrative time to start driving rideshare in Boston. Ridership is at record levels, and both Lyft and Uber are in need of drivers. If you’re just starting out and you’re full time, you’ll likely be making more in the $15-$20 an hour range. As you improve, that number can go up. If that interests you, click below to see your Lyft sign up bonus.

Looking For The Best Rideshare Company To Sign Up With?

Sign up to drive with Lyft today and get a sign up bonus.

With Lyft, you can sign up to drive even if you don’t have a car!

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Photo by Shawn Pierce Photography
Photo by CthulhuWho1 (Will Hart)