In 2014, I earned a total of $594 from customers (not counting Lyft bonuses) including $29 in tips, so tips accounted for around 5 percent of fare income (Lyft kicked in a bunch more in sign up bonus). Yesterday, I earned a total of $187.68, with $12.20 of that being tips, for an average tipping rate around 6 percent. That $12 comes from just three passengers (including one guy who tipped $6 for a $16 ride), so I would not say I have a large enough sample yet to say people tip more now than they did in 2014.
The $594 was for 50 hours of logged in time, compared to about 7.5 hours of logged-in time yesterday (the rest of the 9 hours was deadheading, charging, and bathroom breaks). So my nominal earnings per logged-in hour roughly doubled from $12 to $24. In 2022 dollars it went from $15/hour in 2014 to $24/hour now, a 60 percent increase.
Figuring out earnings net of expenses will be non-trivial. I probably won't attempt it until the week is over. Driving an electric car probably helps because electricity is cheaper and depreciation might be cheaper too.
Interesting, I'm excited to read the full version of the story!
Meta note: This is a great lil extra for paying subscribers. I hope you do more "thoughts for future stories" posts. I like that it gives us an an opportunity to participate in the reporting process (e.g. if I knew a Lyft or Uber driver, I would certainly offer to introduce you to them) or pose questions.
It's pretty complaint-heavy so there's definitely a selection effect going on — people being more vocal when frustrated, as with reviews in general — but gives a feel for the stressors that come up.
Here's a question: Why'd you choose Lyft versus Uber?
Thanks Sonya! I'll definitely look for opportunities to do short pieces like this in the future. I appreciate the pointer to the uber drivers' forum.
Choosing Lyft over Uber was partly a historical accident. At the time of my first story, our only car was a 2003 Mazda Protege, which was too old for Uber's standards but permitted on Lyft's network. This was also around the time Travis Kalanick was solidifying his asshole reputation. Plus at the time Lyft still had a reputation as the friendlier ride-sharing platform. Passengers were encouraged to sit in the front seat and fist-bump their drivers, which was both a nicer vibe in general and also potentially better for writing an interesting story.
After logging 50 hours as a Lyft driver I had some brand loyalty and continued to use them as my primary app as a passenger. So when I started preparing for this one, I signed up for Lyft first. I have also signed up for Uber and might give them a try if and when they finish my background check.
Another interesting change: back in 2014, a lot of drivers logged on to both apps simultaneously and tried to juggle fares between the two networks. This was helpful because there were sometimes long waits between fares. Today the waits are smaller and so the upside of doing this is smaller. So I would guess this behavior is less common than it used to be, though I haven't verified that yet.
Compare the tip rate from 2014 and Friday?
About what did the 2014 run yield per hour vs Friday (somehow accounting for costs then and now)? Thanks
In 2014, I earned a total of $594 from customers (not counting Lyft bonuses) including $29 in tips, so tips accounted for around 5 percent of fare income (Lyft kicked in a bunch more in sign up bonus). Yesterday, I earned a total of $187.68, with $12.20 of that being tips, for an average tipping rate around 6 percent. That $12 comes from just three passengers (including one guy who tipped $6 for a $16 ride), so I would not say I have a large enough sample yet to say people tip more now than they did in 2014.
The $594 was for 50 hours of logged in time, compared to about 7.5 hours of logged-in time yesterday (the rest of the 9 hours was deadheading, charging, and bathroom breaks). So my nominal earnings per logged-in hour roughly doubled from $12 to $24. In 2022 dollars it went from $15/hour in 2014 to $24/hour now, a 60 percent increase.
Figuring out earnings net of expenses will be non-trivial. I probably won't attempt it until the week is over. Driving an electric car probably helps because electricity is cheaper and depreciation might be cheaper too.
Interesting, I'm excited to read the full version of the story!
Meta note: This is a great lil extra for paying subscribers. I hope you do more "thoughts for future stories" posts. I like that it gives us an an opportunity to participate in the reporting process (e.g. if I knew a Lyft or Uber driver, I would certainly offer to introduce you to them) or pose questions.
You may already be aware, but /r/uberdrivers is a window into the grievances of rideshare drivers: https://www.reddit.com/r/uberdrivers/
It's pretty complaint-heavy so there's definitely a selection effect going on — people being more vocal when frustrated, as with reviews in general — but gives a feel for the stressors that come up.
Here's a question: Why'd you choose Lyft versus Uber?
Thanks Sonya! I'll definitely look for opportunities to do short pieces like this in the future. I appreciate the pointer to the uber drivers' forum.
Choosing Lyft over Uber was partly a historical accident. At the time of my first story, our only car was a 2003 Mazda Protege, which was too old for Uber's standards but permitted on Lyft's network. This was also around the time Travis Kalanick was solidifying his asshole reputation. Plus at the time Lyft still had a reputation as the friendlier ride-sharing platform. Passengers were encouraged to sit in the front seat and fist-bump their drivers, which was both a nicer vibe in general and also potentially better for writing an interesting story.
After logging 50 hours as a Lyft driver I had some brand loyalty and continued to use them as my primary app as a passenger. So when I started preparing for this one, I signed up for Lyft first. I have also signed up for Uber and might give them a try if and when they finish my background check.
Another interesting change: back in 2014, a lot of drivers logged on to both apps simultaneously and tried to juggle fares between the two networks. This was helpful because there were sometimes long waits between fares. Today the waits are smaller and so the upside of doing this is smaller. So I would guess this behavior is less common than it used to be, though I haven't verified that yet.