Are you a Lyft driver, or are you considering getting started with this popular driving gig? If so, it’s only reasonable to wonder How much do Lyft drivers make per day? Or how much do Lyft drivers make per hour? Gridwise has the numbers, and we reveal them here, along with other helpful information.
Here's what we cover:
Lyft driver earnings per hour
Estimates of what Lyft drivers make are all over the board. Salary.com lists Lyft hourly earnings between $15 and $23, while Glassdoor’s figures range from $19 to $33 per hour. Gridwise figures are based on actual driver earnings, and here’s what they tell us:
While hourly earnings have had their ups and downs over the course of the last several months, actual earnings demonstrate that Lyft can be a very solid source of hourly earnings.
Hourly Lyft earnings across key cities
Gridwise data tells us a lot about how much Lyft drivers earn. The Gridwise figures we’ve already shown you reflect average earnings nationwide. It makes sense that the actual hourly earnings where you are located may vary. Drivers make the most money, for instance, when they live in a big city such as San Francisco.
The busiest times of day to drive
Location is just one of the reasons it’s not easy to pinpoint exactly how much the average Lyft driver makes per hour. The times of day that you choose to drive will also have a big effect on what you earn.
Daily averages can give you some idea about when the best times to work your Lyft gig might be, but there is a more effective way to know for sure when demand for Lyft rides is high where you live and work.
With When to Drive from Gridwise, you’ll be equipped with up-to-the-minute information, as well as historic data, that show you what real drivers are making at different times of day in your area.
You might get messages from your app that try to get you to go to certain areas for surge pricing or boosted rates, but this Gridwise feature is different. Because it’s based on actual data from real drivers, When to Drive directs you to the spots where you know you can consistently make the most money.
Ready to take your gig work to the next level?
Download Gridwise, the app that helps you track your expenses and maximize your earnings
Download Gridwise now to get personalized and more detailed information about the best places to drive. Upgrade to Gridwise Plus to get granular detail that will truly boost your Lyft earnings!
How to maximize your hourly earnings with Lyft
You need to strategize in order to make sure you’re making the most money per hour as possible, and you also need to know what you can do to keep as much of it as possible. Make your Lyft driving gig as profitable as you can with these savvy tips.
Use When to Drive from Gridwise. Get actual data from real drivers so you can plan your gig to make the most of each and every hour you work.
Master multi-apping. Maybe the times you can drive aren’t always the most profitable ones. Keep making money by switching between apps. One of the biggest perks of being an independent contractor is the freedom you have to work as many gigs as you can humanly handle. That means you can multiply your earnings with multi-apping. Business Insider is very much aware of this growing trend, and you should be too.
Track your mileage and deductible expenses. Adding up all your deductible expenses is crucial if you want to keep more money at tax time. An accurate count of every mile you drive on your gigs, for every trip and the time in between, is crucial if you want to deduct the IRS 2024 $0.67 per mile allowance from your income. That number really adds up, so track every mile and record your deductible expenses with the Gridwise app
Ready to take your gig work to the next level?
Download Gridwise, the app that helps you track your expenses and maximize your earnings
