IamA female Lyft driver in Los Angeles. Ask me almost anything.

Do you even Lyft?

I swear, I tried to register the username brodoyouevenlyft and someone took it!

Do you wind up making good money after gas and wear on your car? Also what happens if a passenger damages your car?

Yeah, the money can be great but it depends on a lot of factors - when you Lyft, how often you Lyft, and where. I know a guy that does it 12 hours a day full time and makes $1400 a week. My top week was $700 something. It's very easy to clear $100 a night, especially on weekends. Gas rates are falling in LA - from like $4.09 to $3.73 a gallon, so it's been even more profitable but yeah gas eats up a good portion. It's also bumped up when I need an oil change and my tires changed, but so far the car is doing well.

If a passenger throws up in your car, Lyft will pay for it (I've been told). So far, no one has done any damage to my car.

Do you ever pick up creepers?

You can see the ratings before you pick someone up and can reject someone under 3 stars but that's never happened to me. I have had two people hit on me, and one guy tried to sell me E, but so far I've never felt majorly threatened.

I didn't realize the drivers rated passengers too, thanks for sharing! What do you base your ratings on?

Yes we do, because when you send out a request we see that rating and know if you're a bad person or not (aka meaning we can cancel it if we want). To be a driver, your rating needs to be 4.5 or higher. If you rate a rider under 3, you will never be paired with them again. There's five stars in the rating system there might as well be three - 5 stars means the rider felt comfortable and safe; 4 means the ride went alright but you either got way lost or had some sort of fuck up; 3 means you were pissed. I guess 1 star means like criminal level activity. Most people just give 5 stars because hey why not? The rides are short often so everyone is nice and cordial.

I know some male lyft drivers who get a lot of girl's phone numbers. Do you get get hit while lyfting? Is it annoying or awkward?

Yes I get hit on. You need to keep your ratings high so I stay nice and friendly and some people misinterpret that. I've been hit on a couple times. If you leave something in the car, the passenger can fill out a form and Lyft will text you with a description... and someone used that to ask for my phone number. I've been asked out for coffee. It's a bit annoying but I just tell people "I try to keep things professional".

did you give them bad reviews?

I generally give people good reviews as long as they're nice, not too aggressive. The only person I've given a low rating to was this woman who kept moving in a very busy/trafficky part of town and made it difficult as hell to find her, then she got mad at me for not being prompt. If you're familiar with LA, it was like Franklin Ave in Hollywood, what a mess.

If you're familiar with LA, it was like Franklin Ave in Hollywood, what a mess.

But that's such an uncrowded, peaceful area. /s

I think it might actually be hell.

LA checking in here. It is indeed one of the levels of Hell.

Right up there with Santa Monica when it's hot on the weekend.

Do you have a nice vehicle? How choosy is Lyft when looking at vehicles the drivers have/use?

I drive a Chevy Tracker. It's not really high end but it's comfy and safe. Lyft has looser requirements. Uber requires vehicles to be 2006 or newer; Lyft lets you have an older car. Once you sign up to Lyft, you're assigned to a mentor that verifies your car is clean and safe, insured, that the lights work, etc.

I wish I could drive my 1993 multicolored Ford Escort and make some money.

That'd be kinda dope.

I have a Chevy Tracker as well. Neon yellow.

Hey! One of us! They're a rare breed in California. What year is yours?

2004, 41k miles, Its been nicknamed the skittle.

Haaa the skittle. Loving this.

Hah, I was just wondering if I'd be able to do this with my car... guess so, seeing as we drive the same vehicle! I must have read Ubers vehicle requirements at some point, because I was thinking they were really strict about the car you drive.

Do you love yours as much as I love mine?

I love hearing from all these Tracker drivers, because I love my car. Its name is Marvo. Trackers are fantastic, people comment on mine all the time since they're so uncommon in LA. Mine has the horsepower of an eggbeater, but it's high enough to avoid under-side scratching and speed bumps, gets great street gas mileage, crazy trunk space, sweet turning radius, and easy to spot in a parking lot.

Uber requires vehicles to be 2006 or newer. Lyft can be down to the year 2000, but it must have four doors, and be insured.

Hah, everyone I've ever come across that has had one has absolutely loved it, and in some cases owned more than one of them. I actually had a mechanic ask me if I wanted to sell her a few weeks ago!

Her name is Tracy. I was living in a pretty rural area at the end of last year and was looking for something with 4x4 or AWD and enough room for my 3 dogs. Wasn't even seriously shopping, had just been toying with the idea and doing some research on what I wanted. Decided to stop in at a little used car lot in my hometown and stumbled on her... 4x4, manual, only 96k miles, super clean inside and out, well under my budget, and oh god so much room when you fold the seats down! She's my baby. I wrecked her in February when I spun out on black ice and hit a guard rail head on... the repair shop probably thought I was insane when they told me they wouldn't be totalling her out cause I was so happy I almost cried, haha.

Haha I swear our cars should have a meet up and we should put name tags on them. Yeah the trunk room is insane. I somehow fit a dining room table sized desk in mine. 96K is really good, mine just broke 71K because it wasn't used heavily for a while. I'm surprised the repair shop didn't total out your car considering the older Trackers are barely worth $6K right now. Good to hear you got back on the road! I haven't been in a major accident in LA yet and I often worry about what happens when I will.

I've gotten a lot of compliments on my car from Lyft riders. I wonder if there's any other Chevy Tracker Lyft drivers in California...

How much do make per week?

It varies. When I started doing Lyft I needed money like hell so I was pushing $600-$700 a week. Now I'm down to like $170-$200 since I have another job.

Profit or revenue?

Probably Revenue you need to pay taxes on your own.

Yep. You fill out a W ...9 or 2 or whatever it is but the taxes are all on your own. I've been saving every single gas receipt to deduct as a business expense.

I heard from my Lyft driver in LA that cops are using the app to track drivers coming to LAX and try and find a way to ticket them. Is that true? Do you avoid the airports?

I haven't heard that but I don't know how it would be possible. In order for cops to track drivers coming into LAX, they'd need to be able to see where the drivers are. The only people who can see that are other Lyft drivers. Even so, on the app, each car is marked by an icon. There's no way to tell which vehicle is which, and no one is dumb enough to wear the mustache into the airport (a lot of us never put it on our cars at all). There are so many cars at LAX, how would you know which one it is?

I found an article about Uber drivers that says: "Drivers usually have cellphones mounted in the window and passengers usually sit in the back seat —and then pounce on the car." So if you keep your phone in your lap and people sit up front, they have no way to tell which one is you, unless you go to LAX all the damn time and the cops start to notice.

That said - Lyft does not forbid airport requests. However, when you receive a request, Lyft texts you a text that says to pick them up on the Departure side instead of Arrival. This seems kind of dumb considering that it would seem VERY obvious you're picking up instead of dropping off, and most people just ignore it. LAX has terrible public transit, taxis are fucking expensive, and Super Shuttle can take 2 hours or more because they loop around the airport twice. You can't stop people from requesting Lyft and Lyft drivers can get their score lowered for denying requests, so there is pressure to take them.

Do Lyft cars not have mustaches in LA? That seems like an easy way to spot them.

They do, but in my opinion, most drivers don't put them on their cars. They're kinda embarrassing.

I think they look fun :c

Well some people would certainty agree with you.

Wait, what?

Are there laws in LA/CA to justify going after private driving programs?

Lyft and Uber try to masquerade as ride-sharing, when in fact they operate like cabs. Most major cities have regulations that limit the cabs that can pick up at the airports near them, like LAX or SFO. You can be a registered taxi in San Francisco, but still not be able to go to the airport. You need a special endorsement to pick up at the airports.

EDIT: That's why she said that Lyft advises them to pick up at Departures instead of Arrivals. Cabs can drop off at the airport with no problems, but picking up is the big deal.

Ah, that's good to know. Big inconvenience for passengers though, to go upstairs. Yeah, the ride-sharing/cab thing is definitely a thin line.

Do you carry a weapon?

No. My car is a weapon. If it was an emergency, I could crash it or brake suddenly. When I drive, I look for firestations and police stations and note where they are in case I need to drive to one suddenly.

My car is a weapon. If it was an emergency, I could crash it or brake suddenly.

What a thrill-seeker.

Hahaha. When you're in a dangerous situation, you lose control to the hostage taker. You need the element of surprise to win control back.

TIL how to deal with hostage takers

You gotta be careful that they don't just shoot you, though...also I read somewhere that if you talk to the person you're in conflict with, they're less likely to harm you.

Can u give me a ride home? I'm on LA Cienega and Pico going to Exposition and Western.

Sure! Would love to. PM me your address and a phone number so I can text you once I'm there. Once you're in the car you can Lyft request me and we can sort it out.

Eleven hours later, did you get that ride?

Guy decided to take public transit home instead.

Do you mind at all if you pick up multiple people at once?

For example, if people want to go out to the bars and instead of picking up a cab, will you pick up the person who requested the Lyft and 3-4 friends going to the same destination? I guess there's no way of knowing until you pick them up.

Yeah we don't care - it's one Lyft and as long as that person's cool with paying the bill, we're happy to have something to do. Lyft is implementing a new system where you can pick up multiple riders going the same direction, but LA hasn't gotten it yet.

As a frequent user of Lyft, how can I see my ratings? Drivers rate riders, correct?

To be honest, I had no idea users couldn't see their own ratings. Next time you take a Lyft, ask your driver what your rating is - it comes up on our screens.

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Not so much people, but driving to Inglewood/Crenshaw neighborhoods at 3 am is a bit terrifying because there's NO one around and it can get super seedy down there. I've made an effort to stay out of Lyft range of those areas late a night.

Hey! I live right by Crenshaw and ... actually, you're right.

No offense but that area where the Wal-Mart is is really unnerving at night.

please inglewood is hardly bad anymore

Yeah, parts near Slauson near Culver City are pretty nice and middle class. The more south and east you go though, the more run down it gets.

How much do you calculate you make per hour?

When are the best and worst times to be a driver?

Worst drive and best drive experience?

Thanks in advance =)

Welcome in advance.

Lyft tells us how long we've been driving for the night - aka, how long the driver mode has been active. You can divide that by how much you made. Last night I made about $30/hr. It fluxuates.

Best and worst is relative... the best money is during holidays like 4th of July. That's also the worst because the traffic (car and pedestrian) can get insane in touristy areas (like the beach). I personally think the best time of day is late at night because there's less traffic, less distractions, and thus higher turn over and better gas mileage. Worst is rush hour and Santa Monica on beach days, good fucking lord the people, it's like a zombie apocalypse or something.

Worst drive experience was probably this lady in Hollywood who was with her parents, but she moved after she "pinned" her location. She kept giving me these weird directions that only locals would know and got in a huff when it took me forever to find her, especially because it was an insane high traffic area and turning around was a chore.
Best drive experience...can't name one specifically. It feels good to be told passengers are taking Lyft to avoid drunk driving. Lyft has saved lives for sure. I've heard cops are irritated because DUIs are down, meaning less fines. I also love talking to people from different countries and so far I've talked to people from Turkey, South Africa, Korea, Canada, France, Japan, Suriname (the guy was thrilled I'd heard of it), and Russia.

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The only famous person I know of was an actor for the Queen musical.

Do you sit in your car waiting for the next job, like I imagine a taxi driver would do, or do you just hang at home and head out when a job comes up?

It depends. When I start off Lyfting, I normally just stay at home and wait for the first page. Wherever that person gets dropped off, I'll hang around and Lyft around there. However, in order to get the most Lyfts you need to keep moving. Lyft has been doing a massive recruitment drive, and in some cities drivers get to keep everything you make (in some cities, Lyft gets 20%), and they're giving financial incentives to sign up new drivers, so the competition is insane. Lyft drivers can see other drivers on the app (I think the icons wink out when someone picks up a rider), and there's always big clusters of drivers in the more popular areas. If you just sit there and wait for a Lyft request, you can sit for like 30 minutes.

The best thing to do is to keep moving away from the groups to the voids on the map. However, in some instances like holidays and weekend evenings, you will get binged almost instantly. Fourth of July was pure insanity. Oh, and if you Lyft late at night when other drivers start going to bed, you will get a much faster pick-up rate.

Wow, I'm imagining this as a big video game, where you have to avoid all the other dots, but also stay near population centers where you're more likely to get a job, two mutually exclusive requirements. The points you get for successfully navigating this are the dollars you make. Haha, that's awesome. I'd play it!

Thanks for the reply!

Ahaha, it really is! I spend all my time at red lights glaring at the Lyft screen. Welcome~

Every time i see a lyft car on the road the only thing i can think of is how stupid it is to put that big pink thing right in front of the cars grill.

How often dose your car overheat? and have you ever considered moving the pink thing off your air intake?

I actually see very few Lyft drivers with the stache on their car. I actually Lyfted a guy recently that said he didn't use Lyft just because he thought they were ugly, lol. I don't put mine on my car. One, because it clashes with my red paint. Two, because for my other job, I park on a dirt lot and it would get dirty really goddamn quickly. Three, because...it's kind of dumb.

Oh so you don't have to use it, ok.

Being a gear head, when i first saw one (it was on what looked like a early 90's honda civic), the only thing i could think of is "why did somebody put a big fluffy pillow on there grill." shure as hell I saw the same car a half hour later and the pink 'stash' had been moved to his dashboard. 5 bucks says he overheated and stalled the engine.

Note to self, don't do that.

Is there a uniform of any kind or is it just wear whatever you want? Do you typically wear easy to drive in shoes as well?

No, there isn't. You want your ratings to be good, so generally it's suggested to not dress like a slob. I normally wear sandals or flip flops because my feet get warm and I shuck em off. No one has complained about me driving barefoot.

but that's illegal!

ahaha is it??

Why don't they refer to you guys as Dryvers and us as Ryders?

In all seriousness though, I adore Lyft. I broke my right foot recently and haven't been able to drive. Lyft has allowed me to continue to have a social life.

One complaint, which I know you have no control over, is the fact that the app is not compatible with Android tablets or iPads. I have a tablet with 4G that I use as a phone, and I can't get the app myself. On the plus side though, when I'm out and about I just ask someone with a smartphone to download it and get another free ride!

Oh, second question: With the free rides, does Lyft pay you as if it was a regular ride?

Lyft pays the drivers for the free promo rides.

Yep.

I live in the Los Angeles area can you send me a code?:)

Yes will do!

Hey me too!

me too

Sent!

What are the requirements to use you car for Lyft?

Also what car do you use?

Answered this elsewhere, so copy/pasting here: I drive a Chevy Tracker. It's not really high end but it's comfy and safe. Lyft has looser requirements. Uber requires vehicles to be 2006 or newer; Lyft lets you have an older car. Once you sign up to Lyft, you're assigned to a mentor that verifies your car is clean and safe, insured, that the lights work, etc.

Why won't anyone pick me up in San Pedro? :(

Probably because there aren't a lot of drivers down there. I hear there's a need for them in the Hermosa Beach area too. Drivers over there could make a shit ton.

Do you work with any Lubers? Or a driver that goes both ways? I've actually met a few of them here in ATL.

I've never met any, but I've heard of them. Some riders use both.

What are your thoughts on UberX vs. Lyft?

I don't know the diff between Uberx, Uber Black, Uber, and whatever the hell they got going on there. From asking riders, the difference seems to be that Uber is more formal and acts more like a car service. Lyft is more like your friend picking you up after you get drunk at a bar.

Lyft is more like your friend picking you up after you get drunk at a bar.

Your friend that you pay a fare to and never see again.

Exactly.

Thanks for doing this! I'm considering doing Lyft since I work a 9-6 job and am bored usually during my down time and I could use some extra cash.

If you become inactive and decide not to Lyft for say a few days or weeks like you are on a vacation will they deactivate your account? And how is the payroll given out? Every night? Directly deposited? Or monthly?

Thanks!

Hi there~ When you become a Lyft driver, you have to sign into the driver portal and list your availability for the next two weeks. I have really no idea what impact it has because you can still Lyft whenever you want even if you don't fill it out, yet it implies that you have to "reserve" the hours you want to Lyft... I have no idea. Anyway, you can mark that you will be unavailable for the week so you don't have to put in any hours. I think there is a minimum amount of hours a week you have to drive, but I'm not sure what it is...

Oh, and payment is weekly, direct deposit. You take care of your own taxes.

Thanks!

Also, if someone requests a ride and you let the timer run out, does it negatively affect you?

The reason I'm asking is I plan to Uber and Lyft at the same time this way I can maximize my time. Obviously I will turn off drive mode on one phone if the other gets a ping, but what if both pick up someone needing a ride? If I don't respond to Lyft will there be any penalties? Do you know anything like that with Uber?

Thanks!

Um, if you miss too many requests I think your score goes down eventually. I don't really know the details. It's also possible if you miss the request, that you're gonna get requested again if there's no other drivers in the area. The later it is at night, the less drivers on the road there are, the more likely this will happen.

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I think it's kind of trying too hard to be cool. Only two people out of like 200 have ever prompted a fistbump.

How is lyft better than a taxi service? How is it worse?

Um...it depends what you want really. Cause Lyft is way faster. You request the driver, you get an ETA, you can watch the driver move on your app, and get a text message when the driver arrives. With a taxi, you call some call center, get an estimated time of arrival, you can't see where the driver is, and when they get there they call you. Taxis you sit in the back and there's definitely a barrier between you and the driver; with Lyft it's more casual and people get chatty. With Lyft you can't see the mileage or the cost of the ride as you go though, and technically Lyft isn't supposed to do pick ups at the airport.

Are the rates consistent across the company/city? Is there a way to see the rates?

https://www.lyft.com/drivers If you go there, there's a little calculator you can use for this.

Coming late to the party here!

What's lyfts policy on modified cars? I've got a BMW but it's slammed (lowered) w/ rims a sound system and a full exhaust that's moderately noticeable. Can I do something like this or would i be disqualified?

I would go ahead and sign up to drive for Lyft. It'll pair you with a mentor who will look over your car. They'll make the decision, but as long as it's clean and four doors and insured you'll probably be fine.

On average, how long is each ride you give to each customer? Have you ever gotten requests to drive very long distances?

It varies. If I'm Lyfting in Downtown LA, the rides are often short. If it's a residential area, they're longer since they're going to bar areas. It'd say 10-15 minutes on average. I've gone from LAX to Los Feliz, and Santa Monica to Studio City before. I hated that. I know a guy who has gone to Victorville, and heard of people who have had to go to Palmdale, but not so far I've been kinda lucky.

I've used lyft a couple of times and really enjoyed it. I'm from Albuquerque, New Mexico and I hear the state is trying to ban it. Have you hears anything?

Nope, you're too far from me to hear anything... Google it, and under Search Tools limit your results to recent months. Should help.

Do you find that you tend to knwo all the locations and destinations to drive people to? Or do you use a GPS or something to help out?

I half-applied to become a lyft driver just out of curiosity of what the application was like, and have been bombarded by emails and text messages to finish my application. But the more I've been talking to friends, the more I'm considering going through with it. What should I know about driving (I'm in the SF/San Jose area), and if I were to just work friday-sunday, maybe just evening and night times, what would you say you could pull per week doing like 7 PM to 1-2 AM on weekends?

I don't know about San Jose but you can make like $100 a night late on weekends if you put more than five hours into it. Yeah, Lyft harasses the shit out of you. Just do it, it's a good way to fill empty time.

Seriously? Ur lifting right now. I already jumped on a bus and am at LA Cienega and Jefferson right now. About to just jump on the expo line home.

ha wow, you didn't wait. Yes I am Lyfting. I live close to there. Next time!

i'm in the los angeles area as well, could i get a code?

Sent~

Hi!!! I'm a brand new female driver in LA too!!

If you don't mind me asking, which are the BEST spots to pick up people on Thursday-Saturday nights?? And during what hours?? I need to become really efficient with my hours QUICK.

Also, any tips for a new driver?? Best story?? Worse story??

Thank you!! =D

Hey there. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I am not apt to give away weeks of research into my best spots. I don't even know where you're based out of. Look at the hot spots on your Lyft app, where prime time is, and base it around then. Think like a rider - why would you want a Lyft? When and from/to where?

As to tips for a new driver - keep your car clean, keep a car charger and tissues in your car, and keep water and snacks in your car. It really helps your ratings.

I've got too many stories to quantify now, but being hit on sucks.

Happy Lyfting~

When getting a lyft, is it weird if a passenger sits in the front seat? Where do you prefer that they sit?

No, it's HIGHLY encouraged to sit in the front seat. It's less awkward that way. We're not taxis. Also cops look to bust Lyft drivers at the airport by spotting people only sitting in the back seats, so front seat is way encouraged.

Why do cops care whether you're a Lyft driver? Will they try to ticket you over anything they can? Is it the DUI < Lyft thing?

The cops only care if you're a Lyft driver at the airport. There are very strict rules about who gets the privilege of picking people up at the airport, and Lyft people often skip learning the rules and paying the fees because it's so easy to fly under the radar.

have regular taxi services given you any trouble?

Nope.

I live in LA and was looking to move a large screen TV (55") that won't fit in my car. Would you be able to do this?

Give me the height and length and I will let you know.

yeah can you pick me up on the corner of sunset & la brea?

Ack, just saw this sorry. I was Lyfting near the Colleseum. You still need a ride or did you get one?

Code pls?

Sent~

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Yes.