Rodrigo Nieto started driving for Lyft to save for a down payment on a home, “Originally, I was just going to work for a little bit, maybe a summer, but I ended up liking it,” Nieto said.
Nieto said although he enjoys working for Lyft because he appreciates the flexibility, the money is not great. “I only do it really part-time,” Nieto said.
Lyft has around 2 million employees spanning over American states and Canadian provinces.
Logan Green, Lyft’s original CEO, often found himself desperate for a ride from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. He frequented Greyhound buses. The commute was for Green to visit his girlfriend. Zimride, the first name for Lyft, was created in 2007 for students to ride share to and from college campuses.
The hourly pay for a Lyft driver in Eugene is $14 an hour. According to Ziprecruiter.com, the highest hourly salary is $19.56 and the lowest is $5.31. Nationally, Lyft drivers make an average of $16 an hour.
Lyft drivers are paid through a company-provided rate card. Their payout is calculated by base fare of a ride, distance and time. Drivers keep the entirety of their tips.
The general requirements to be a Lyft driver are being over the age of 25, acquiring a background check, uploading car insurance and having a four-door vehicle.
To be eligible to drive for Lyft in Eugene there are specifications that other cities do not require; The driver is required to have a car that is from 2009 or newer, have a first aid kit, use a phone mount, undergo an annual vehicle inspection and have a driver certification card.
Gary Schuster has been driving in Eugene for three and a half years. Generally, he said he enjoys his job. “I make as much money doing this as I would at another job and this, I have no boss,” said Schuster, “If I take a day off I don’t have to ask.”
Schuster started working for Lyft because of finances. He had a different job prior to driving but he found that he only was able to make ends meet when he worked overtime. “They always wanted to cut overtime to save money so I started doing this [Lyft] as a second job and I just liked it better,” Schuester said.
During his time as a driver, Schuster said typically, people are either nice or quiet, including UO students. “Ninety nine percent of the time they are either quiet on their phones or they are friendly and talkative,” Gary said.
For the past few years, the UO had a discount set up with the Lyft app to offer students cheaper rides after the sun sets. As of June 30, they have canceled the program. According to the UO transportation website, they hope to partner with a different rideshare company in the next few months to restart the program.