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Tips For Driving Lyft Or Uber On Halloween

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Halloween Uber & Lyft Driving Tips

Halloween is usually a pretty good night for driving Lyft or Uber. This year, at the very least, it should be better than an average Wednesday. Although many people celebrated Halloween throughout this past weekend, there’s still going to be a number of Halloween gatherings this evening.

Overall, driving rideshare on Halloween is a good time. Most people are in a pretty good mood, you’ll see a few awesome costumes, and probably have a pretty good night earnings wise. Now, it may not be as much as you made this past Friday or Saturday, but it should still be fairly busy in most markets. Expect mostly short hops that you can get finished quickly, but don’t be surprised by a trip out to the burbs.

Here’s a few quick tips if this is your first time driving rideshare on Halloween.

Drive prepared

If you’re going to drive Lyft or Uber on Halloween, keep a few things in the car. These are basically clean up items. Hopefully, you won’t need any of this stuff. In fact, the odds are pretty slim that you’ll need anything on this list.

But if you do need one of these items, you’ll be really glad you have it with you. Most of these are the same things you’d want in the car if you drive on weekend nights, with one addition.

  • Papers towels
  • Clorox wipes – Paper towels are great for the initial cleanup, but these are great for disinfecting. Also, they help a little with the smell, if there is one.
  • Plastic bags – These can be used as sickness bags, or for disposing of paper towels and Clorox wipes.

Halloween Special Addition – If you have a small handheld vacuum, charge it up and stick it in the trunk.

There is decent chance that someone will get in your car wearing a costume that has a glitter component. After they leave, some of that glitter will stay behind in your car, an unwanted Halloween gift. When that happens, take many pictures and submit them to Uber or Lyft for a cleaning fee. Then, go get that handheld vacuum, clean up the glitter, and get back on the road. Glitter is a pain to get rid of without a vacuum. It’s still a pain with a vacuum, but more of a 5 minute pain instead of a 20 minute pain.

Lyft & Uber Halloween Driving Advice

 

Candy in the car?

No, you don’t have to have candy in the car. Some drivers do it, but most don’t. It will likely have little effect on your earnings or ratings. However, if you’re in a great mood, or just want to spread some Halloween cheer, grab a bag of candy from the store. Also, make sure you have a plastic bag to put all the wrappers in.

Should you dress up?

It’s your car, and it’s Halloween. If you want to wear a costume, then wear a costume. If you don’t, don’t. If you do, just make sure it’s not a costume that would impair your ability to drive, or offend your riders.

Halloween earnings

On Halloween, earnings should be good, but don’t expect Christmas Eve type numbers. Also, there’s generally a bit of a lull between 9pm and 10:30pm.

Giant unwieldy costumes

This probably won’t happen. However, if you have someone with a giant costume, and it blocks your view of the rear window, make them take part of it off and put it in their lap, or the trunk if necessary. They’ll likely oblige. But if they refuse, cancel, and immediately email Lyft and tell them you could not take the ride because of a safety issue, namely, the passenger’s costume blocking the rear view window. In general, if you have an issue with a passenger, always email Uber or Lyft right after the ride if possible.

That just about covers it. Have a happy and safe Halloween, and of course, drive profitably.

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Lyft let me be an artist.

How I Finally Made Time to Be an Artist Working for Lyft

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How Lyft Let Me Be An Artist

Trying to survive as an actress or artist in Los Angeles is tough, so waiting tables has been the go-to for covering rent until Lyft came along. Rideshare companies have changed the economy, and offer the freedom to set your own schedule.

For me, this means I can have time to actually pursue a passion, not just a paycheck.

It’s never been odd to me to work side gigs while trying to find my way as an artist. The hours have been long, unpredictable, and on more than one occasion, left me short on rent.

For all the creatives without steady hours, a side hustle is pretty much a necessity. For me, rideshare driving with Lyft is a natural fit. It’s the best way to put food on the table, without having to serve food to a guest’s table.

Lyft Beats Serving Tables

If you’ve worked in a restaurant, you know the struggle. There are no money-making guarantees when you walk in the door. You can literally spend hours waiting for guests to arrive and leave with barely enough to cover the bus ride home.

Waitress getting bad tip

Lyft not only provides the time needed to create my work, but incentives like Prime Time let me make more cash during specific work hours. And Lyft’s weekly bonuses allow me to increase my overall earnings. The benefits of being a Lyft driver mean boxing up someone’s leftover Rigatoni Bolognese is a thing of the past.

The Pay

As an independent contractor, Lyft drivers aren’t paid an hourly wage. I get paid by distance and driving time, but the big payoff for me is the tips: 100% of tips from passengers go to me. Add in the occasional weekly cash bonus (and sign-on bonus when you start driving), and I bring in around $20 an hour on average, sometimes a bit more.

The Schedule

No more closing the restaurant and getting home at 2 a.m. Choosing my own hours lets me book shows or festivals and still make art my concentration. I sign on four or five days a week, and even though traffic can be horrendous, working through the high volume hours can bring in more cash. Prime Time hours – which tend to happen during holidays, promotions, or events – are the best. Any time I get a notification from Lyft that it’s busy out, I tend to log on.

The Balance

Since I choose my own hours, I also get to choose what I do in my downtime. Finding the time to be in the studio or work with other L.A. creatives nearly never happened when I waited tables. Now I can rearrange my hours to make sure events that matter to me (like the Rose Bowl Flea Market) take priority.

The People

If you’re not a people person, Lyft may not be your ideal side gig (maybe try Doordash or Caviar instead), but the conversations sure beat what you’ll have serving at any restaurant. From wedding parties to job interviews, I’ve been a part (even if just a small one) of so many different phases of life, and it’s awesome. Seeing people at their best, or just being a listening ear when one is needed, is really one of the best parts of this job.

Tips for Driving With Lyft

Whether you’re attempting to make it on Broadway or just need one gallery owner to hang your work, I’ll share the secrets I’ve learned about making the Lyft side hustle work for you.

  • Be your own boss: Being self-employed carries a lot of responsibilities, risks, and rewards. There’s no paid time off for sick days or vacation time, so be prepared to work extra hours to make up the missed cash.
  • Discipline: The light bill still has to be paid when it’s cold or rainy, so if you don’t have the self-discipline to work through the elements (or skip the marathon of “Sex and the City” reruns) stick with a 9-to-5.
  • Know the city: Driving for Lyft works out best when you can take the back way around traffic and major highways. Understanding how secondary roads connect will help you respond faster to waiting riders, ultimately putting more cash in your pocket.
  • Check your insurance: If you’re like me and you’re just trying to make enough to get groceries for the next few days, car insurance probably isn’t top of mind. But if you’re in an accident, it becomes desperately important. Lyft provides insurance coverage for while you’re driving, but you should still consider adding rideshare coverage to your policy. Companies like Allstate, State Farm, and Geico now offer insurance specially designed for rideshare drivers at a low cost.
  • Take advantage of incentives: Prime Time hits when the number of available drivers goes down and demand for rides goes up. The rate increases and you can make more cash. What you’ll find is that a number of other drivers have the same idea, so your best bet is to take advantage of Prime Time in the area you’re already driving. Don’t bother racing to an area ten minutes away to catch a Prime Time ride. Generally, Prime Time only lasts a few minutes.
  • Stay in the city: I will do anything possible to stay on the West side or the North valley while I’m driving. Venturing into the suburbs means fewer riders and more time getting back into the hustle and bustle. Stick with the crowds for the most cash. Use the Lyft destination setting to keep yourself in a particular area.
  • Offer an extra: I didn’t get the idea to offer riders a phone charger as an extra until a few people asked if I had one. Once I realized how often people needed to boost their device, I grabbed a couple of chargers (one Android, one Apple). Once I added charges for rider cell phones, tips went up a bit.
  • Track it all: Even though Lyft may just be my side gig, I keep records of everything. From tolls to miles driven while I’m logged in, I keep it all together for tax time so I can itemize my work costs. Using a mileage tracker helps. I use Quickbooks Self Employed to track my expenses and mileage, but many drivers have started using Hurdlr and love it.

I’m a part of L.A.’s new creative underclass, the group that needs a way to make cash for rent to follow a passion. That’s where Lyft comes in. When I’m not elbow-deep in Abstract Expressionist-inspired artwork, I’m scanning a digital map, waiting on the next rider. And when paintings sit longer than they sell, I drive. I listen to the stories, and best of all, I don’t wait tables.

woman offering cash for an Uber ride

Back Door Ubering – Why You Should Never Take A Cash Ride

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If you’ve been driving Uber or Lyft for a few weeks, someone has probably asked you to take cash for a ride, instead of paying through the Lyft or Uber app. It may have been an acquaintance. “Hey, can you drive me to the airport tomorrow for $20 cash?” Or a rider may have requested to pay cash on a long trip. Whoever makes this request of you, the answer should always be the same – NO.

I know there are many drivers out there who take cash rides. Some even do it daily. It’s become so prevalent, there’s even a name for it – Back Door Ubering. I understand. The allure of cash rides is strong, especially since the introduction of Upfront Pricing. Passengers like them because they save a few bucks. Drivers like them because they make a little more, and they have the cash in hand right after the ride. Also, there’s the added satisfaction of beating the system.

However, whether you’re a passenger or driver, you should never, ever, take a cash ride. The risks are simply too great. For a driver, the risks of taking cash, instead of completing the ride through Uber or Lyft, are substantial. For one thing, if you get caught, both Lyft and Uber will likely deactivate you. But that’s not even the largest risk.

Lyft & Uber Cash Rides Are Not Insured

The biggest risk is that cash rides have absolutely no insurance coverage. Zip, zero, ziltch, nada. No coverage whatsoever.

Both Uber & Lyft offer $1,000,000 liability insurance while on a trip, along with contingent collision and comprehensive coverage. So, if you’re on a trip, and you have an accident where someone is injured, the driver has insurance coverage. On Uber, your out of pocket expenses would be limited to $1,000. On Lyft, they would top out at $2,500. While that’s expensive, if you want to know what the likely cost would be if you didn’t have insurance, just add a zero or two to the Lyft number – $25,000 – $250,000. Depending on the extent of the injuries caused by the accident, the total liability could be even higher. Yup, without insurance, the cost of having an at fault accident while driving Lyft or Uber would drive most people into bankruptcy.

What Happens In The Event Of An Accident On A Cash Uber or Lyft Ride?

Well, if you take a cash ride, Uber or Lyft do not provide insurance for that ride. The driver would not be covered, and the passenger wouldn’t be covered either. If you’re a passenger, obviously you won’t be liable for damages caused in an accident. But, if you are injured in an accident on a cash ride, you also won’t be able to get any of your medical expenses covered, because the ride is uninsured.

If you’re a driver, there’s no easy way to put this. You’re totally screwed if you have an accident on a cash ride. Uber or Lyft won’t provide coverage, and neither will your insurance company. But I have rideshare insurance, you say? It doesn’t matter. Almost every rideshare policy in existence only provides coverage for rides given on a TNC network (Uber or Lyft). Many rideshare policies don’t even cover driving for Amazon Flex or Instacart!  The only way you can conceivably do cash rides that are covered by insurance is if you have a full commercial policy. Most drivers don’t have full commercial coverage because it runs in the neighborhood of $400 – $600 per month. Also, since rideshare coverage exists and is now available in most states, most drivers simply don’t need full commercial coverage.

But What If I Don’t Tell My Insurance Company I Was Doing A Cash Ride?

I’ve heard many stories of drivers having an accident and not telling their insurance company that they were doing rideshare. This was especially common before rideshare insurance was widely available, and the practice still persists today. You really don’t want to do this. For one thing, your insurance company may find out, in which case the won’t provide coverage. Also, lying to your insurer about the fact that you were doing a cash ride is called something else – insurance fraud. While the odds of prosecution are really low, I’m pretty sure it’s a felony.

But Nothing Is Going To Happen On My Uber Or Lyft Cash Ride

You’re probably right. The likelihood of an accident on an individual cash ride is low. You’ll probably complete the ride and nothing out of the ordinary will happen

However, if you’re considering giving or taking a cash ride, consider whether the extra five or ten bucks is really worth risking every cent you have in the bank, or a felony conviction. If you think about it, it’s just not worth it.

So, if someone asks you to take cash for a ride, remember that D.A.R.E. assembly, and Just Say No!

If you drive in a market where Uber accepts cash (mostly certain markets outside the U.S.), this article doesn’t apply to you. Take all the cash rides you want.

Buying a car for Uber or Lyft.

The Best Cars For Uber And Lyft

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How to get a car for Uber or Lyft

Xchange, Uber’s popular rideshare leasing program, stopped leasing vehicles last month. Many drivers utilized Xchange because it was often the quickest way to get a vehicle for Uber. Drivers could also use the vehicle for Lyft, Amazon Flex, and other sharing services. Leasing through Xchange also meant the driver didn’t have to worry about maintenance, as oil changes and tire rotations were included.

However, the end of Xchange is actually a blessing in disguise for rideshare drivers. While convenient, Xchange leases were often more expensive in the long run than just purchasing a car for Uber or Lyft. Monthly lease costs on Xchange were usually in excess of $600, or even $800, per month! For that kind of money, if you want to drive rideshare, you’re much better off buying a vehicle. So, here’s a step by step guide on how to choose a car, get financing, and get the best price on your vehicle for rideshare driving.

Buying a car for Uber or Lyft.

Choose a vehicle

When selecting a vehicle for driving rideshare, the three most important items to consider are gas mileage, reliability, and price.

Mileage

In terms of mileage, the Toyota Prius is the gold standard for Lyft and Uber drivers. It gets a whopping 52 miles per gallon. Just behind is the Honda Accord Hybrid at 48 miles per gallon. Coming in third is the Ford Fusion Hybrid, which gets a not too shabby 42 miles per gallon. The Kia Optima Hybrid also gets about 42 miles per gallon.

If you decide against a hybrid, the Chevrolet Cruze gets a stunning 38 miles per gallon. If you want to try the Chevy Cruze out, in certain markets you can rent this vehicle through Lyft.

Reliability

After surveying various reliability surveys, it’s clear that the Toyota Prius also comes out on top in this category. The Honda Accord Hybrid also receives high marks from J.D. power. The Ford Fusion Hybrid, Kia Optima Hybrid, and Chevy Cruze are ranked a little lower, but still perform well.

Price

Although the Prius is tops when it comes to reliability and mileage, the Ford Fusion Hybrid is far and away the best value among the hybrids. While you can expect to pay at least $21-24k for Prius, you can pickup a Ford Fusion Hybrid for less, often about $5,000 less. The Honda and Kia hybrids are priced similarly to the Toyota Prius.

However, the Chevy Cruze may be the best overall value. You may be able to pick one up for around $15,000. Given that the Cruze mileage is almost as good as the hybrids at 38MPG, that may be difficult to ignore. Essentially, you get hybrid like performance without the hybrid price.

Top 3 Rideshare Vehicles Based On Price, Mileage, and Reliability

  1. Ford Fusion Hybrid – The Ford Fusion is the car of choice for thousands of full-time rideshare drivers. Besides the excellent mileage, affordable price, and above average reliability, it has one major factor that puts it at the top of the list. The Ford Fusion is a full size sedan. It fits five comfortably, and has a large trunk. The car also has a very smooth ride, and excellent handling. If you’re driving rideshare, the importance of passenger comfort and space for luggage cannot be overstated. These factors combine to put the Ford Fusion Hybrid at the top of the list.
  2. Chevrolet Cruze – If you’re looking for the most cost effective vehicle, the Cruze is a great choice. It’ll probably cost you around 5k less than the Fusion, and 10k less than the Prius. While it gets slightly worse mileage than both, it still gets excellent mileage overall.
  3. Toyota Prius – The Toyota Prius is a fantastic vehicle with a slick interior, and top notch reliability. However, it is less comfortable than the Fusion, and significantly more expensive than both the Cruze and Fusion. If you can afford the extra five to ten thousand dollars for the Prius, go for it. If cost is a concern though, you’re probably better off with the Fusion or Cruze.

If you’re not sure which vehicle you want to go with, you can always sign up to drive with Lyft or Uber first. Then, you can rent the vehicles you’re deciding between from HyreCar, a service that rents cars to for rideshare driving. If you’re looking at the Cruze, you can often rent that from Lyft or Uber as well.

Obtain Financing

Once you’ve selected your vehicle, it’s time to get a loan. While you may be able to obtain dealer financing, a number of dealers have been hesitant to finance loans if your sole income is going to be Uber or Lyft. This makes no sense given that full time rideshare drivers can routinely take home $1,000 per week or more. Fortunately, there are a number of options for financing your vehicle besides the dealership.

Main Street Finance provides business financing for equipment like vehicles. You can receive approval within minutes and funding with 24-48 hours. Check Your Rate.
MyAutoLoan.com is a free service that matches you with up to 4 lenders who can finance your vehicle. Check Your Rates.
PersonalLoans.com provides low interest personal loans with APR’s starting at 5.9%. They offer peer to peer, personal, and bank loans. Check Your Rates.
24/7 Auto Finance is a great choice if you have less than stellar credit, and they usually make a decision within 24 hours. Check Your Rates.

For more financing choices, be sure to visit our main Vehicle Finance page.

Good luck with your new car purchase, and drive profitably!

 

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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