Rideshare Advertising – Is It Worth It For Lyft & Uber Drivers?

The marketing industry is finally seeing the potential of the rideshare industry. As a result, there are a number of in car advertising options available to Lyft and Uber drivers.

Take a closer look at rideshare advertising and if it can work for your pockets, below.

What Is Rideshare Advertising?

Using a combination of print and digital media, advertisers pay to promote their ads or products to reach the desired audience. But, with rideshare advertising, this process is catered to the unique environment of peer-to-peer transportation.

The material is displayed on tablets in the cabin or through externally-mounted graphics and decals.

Are Uber and Lyft Drivers Allowed Advertise In Their Cars?

Uber and Lyft drivers are independent contractors, so neither company can technically control a driver’s other sources of income. However, the real answer lies in the type of rideshare advertising you choose. Both companies have stipulations as to the type of vehicles that they accept on their platforms. Since Uber prohibits vehicles with commercial branding, drivers who break the rules and advertise in their vehicles risk losing access to the service.

Why Utilize Rideshare Advertising?

As a Lyft or Uber driver, you already have a built-in audience. Whether it’s other drivers on the road or passengers inside of your vehicle, your daily interactions provide a direct connection between businesses and consumers. Such an arrangement opens up a whole new world of money-making opportunities for you, so why not take advantage of them?

Are There Rideshare Advertising Legal Restrictions?

Some municipalities restrict external advertising, especially when it comes to private for-hire transportation services. If there’s a restriction in place, you could face large fines and even lose the ability to work your side hustle. Because these restrictions vary on where you are, check local, county, and state regulations beforehand to avoid significant out-of-pocket costs.

How Does Rideshare Advertising Affect Auto Insurance?

Most of the internal advertising systems are multi-functional in that they offer entertainment alongside the business-related features. The well-rounded approach means that such systems serve as supplements to the ridesharing experience. As a result, the offering is covered by most rideshare insurance plans and personal policy riders.

However, external features are focused solely on advertising, which places them into the commercial-use category. If you’re involved in an accident, you risk forfeiting coverage from both the rideshare company and your insurance provider because commercial coverage falls outside of each plan’s protections. Before choosing external advertising options, check with your company to find out if you can add a policy endorsement to cover the risks.

7 In Car Advertising Options For Lyft & Uber Drivers

There are rideshare advertising services popping up left and right. Here are the top seven choices.

Vugo

Vugo is an in-car entertainment device. Using a smart tablet that’s mounted to the headrest, the device offers passenger entertainment separated by short ads. The company’s algorithm caters ads to the specific location of the vehicle, so riders end up viewing ads for nearby stores and eateries. The system also fine tunes the information based on the viewer’s interactions with the tablet.

Currently, Vugo is only servicing New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. If you’re chosen from the waitlist, Vugo will send all of the equipment to you for free.

 

Earning Potential:

While there are speculations of earning potential between $100 and $200, there’s no concrete evidence. Vugo hasn’t released averages for their drivers or fleets, so it’s hard to estimate how the potential take-home earnings.

Surf

Surf offers one of the most well-rounded approaches to rideshare entertainment. From music to videos, passengers have the opportunity to personalize their viewing experience with a variety of content options. These selections are offered along with advertisements and a built-in directory highlighting local companies.

Earning Potential:

As long as you make 150 rideshare trips per month, the service and use of Surfs tablet are free. Drivers are paid $0.35 per session, which involves four-minutes of passenger engagement. The company also claims that rideshare drivers who utilize Surf report a boost in tips and ratings.

TripCam

TripCam is an advertising and monitoring system rolled into one. However, drivers are in control of the advertising aspect of the system. You’re responsible for recruiting local businesses to advertise on the platform in the form of local event highlights, Yelp deals, and Groupon offerings. While there’s more footwork involved, there’s a higher potential for earnings as well.

Along with advertising and entertainment, the system offers enhanced safety for drivers with a built-in recording function that monitors passengers and stores the footage for two weeks. TripCam also offers a tipping feature, so passengers can tip drivers directly through the tablet instead of relying on the Uber or Lyft app.

Earning Potential:

Your earning potential is based solely on your ability to sell and the number of businesses in your area. While the app is free, you do need to provide your own tablet with a card reader attachment for tipping purposes.

Play Octopus

Play Octopus is another rideshare advertising device. However, the company differs slightly from Vugo in a few ways. First, they require that all drivers provide at least 100 trips per month to enjoy the service and equipment for free. Secondly, they also offer prizes for passengers. If a rider earns a top score on any of their device’s games, they’re sent a $25 Amazon gift card via email.

Earning Potential:

Play Octopus advertises potential earnings of $100 per month, but they don’t outline how they pay drivers (mileage, trips, etc). All payments are processed on a monthly basis using direct deposit.

 

Viuer

Viuer offers in-vehicle and external rideshare advertising. For in-cabin use, the company sends drivers a smart device and accompanying hardware. The advertisements are chosen based on location and time of each trip. Lyft drivers can also take advantage of their decal wrapping advertising. While their service area is growing, Viuer is limited to rideshare drivers in most large metropolitan areas, like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Denver.

Earning Potential:

Drivers are paid per passenger impression. Viuer advertises potential earnings of up to $600 per month, but per-impression pay rates are determined by geographical location. Payments are sent via PayPal quarterly, but drivers can keep track of their impressions through the app and from the monthly reports Viuer sends.

Firefly

Firefly is an external advertising system, but instead of ad wrapping, it utilizes a roof-mounted visual display. The system connects to a temporary base, so drivers have the option to remove it when needed. As with Wrapify, this opportunity is limited to Lyft drivers.

Earning Potential:

Firefly only officially launched recently. The service is currently available in Los Angeles and San Francisco, which is where the beta testing occurred. Drivers in the beta program reported around $300 per month with bi-weekly payouts, but there hasn’t been any information released regarding post-launch rates.

Is Wrapify An Option For Uber Or Lyft Drivers?

With Wrapify, drivers have the opportunity to earn money by showcasing a single panel, partial, or full-vehicle ad on the outside of their vehicle.

Unfortunately, Uber expressly prohibits the use of vehicles with commercial decals.

After signing up, Wrapify tracks your mileage through the app and then matches you with campaign options.

Earning Potential:

The company advertises average estimated earning between $84 and $452 per month. Earning potential is location and campaign-specific. There are also income variations between the size of the advertisement, but they make the weekly amount of each campaign visible when providing matches. Payouts are sent via direct deposit on a bi-weekly basis.

Start Earning Today

Rideshare advertising falls right in line with most drivers’ goals by allowing them to boost their income.

If it is compatible with your driving service, it’s can be a win-win-win scenario for drivers, passengers, and businesses. However, you’re probably better off with a service that has no upfront costs.