Can you drive for both Uber and Lyft?

If you’re trying to get the most out of ridesharing and wondering if Uber or Lyft provides you with the best opportunity to do so, you might actually be asking the wrong question. Instead of “Uber vs. Lyft,” the answer might be “Uber AND Lyft.”

Maximizing earning power when driving for a TNC (Transportation Network Company) is the highest priority of drivers, and a great way to do that is actually to drive for both Uber and Lyft at the same time.

You might be wondering how this is possible, but with the right tools, some strategy and practice, driving for both could become second nature. You’ll bring in more ride requests, increase your trip earning potential, and waste less time.

The setup

Before you attempt to simultaneously drive for both companies, you’ll want to make sure you’re set up for success. Here are the tools you’ll need.

The right phone

As you can imagine, running two ride sharing apps at the same time will seriously drain your phone’s processing power and battery. For this reason, it will be important to have a newer phone. For iPhones (iOS), a 7 or newer is best, and for the Galaxy (Android), an S7 or newer.

Just be prepared: this will definitely use up a LOT of data.

Rather than sucking the life out of one phone, some prefer to use two phones, one for each company. This may work better for you, though for most this just adds unnecessary complication. Its also not the safest option, as it only adds to your distraction while driving. Safety first.

The right accessories

To minimize distraction while driving, as well as abide by safety laws, it’s best to use a phone mount. The last thing you want is a ticket for disregarding cell phone safety laws.

There are many options available, but the Kenu Airframe comes recommended by many, and is an affordable choice. Plus, it attaches to the air vent, giving you the added bonus of keeping your phone cool and preventing overheating while it’s working so hard.

The hands-free mount is important, but so is Bluetooth. It will just make things easier if you’re able to leave your phone on the mount and use your voice to accomplish most tasks. Most cars come with built-in Bluetooth features these days, but if your vehicle doesn’t afford you that luxury, there are plenty of Bluetooth headsets available that are high quality and will get the job done.

A charger

That one probably seems pretty obvious, but your phone is likely to run down the battery a lot more quickly than usual as you utilize both apps, and forgetting your charger will be detrimental to your workday. Even better than one charger? Several. Your riders will thank you.

Using the apps

Once you’ve got the correct tools, you’re ready to get both apps going and start receiving ride requests. This is about as simple as it sounds, but there are definitely a few things you’ll want to do to make sure things go smoothly.Close out any apps you have open. You may even want to restart your phone, making sure you’re getting a fresh start and your phone is only focused on running the Uber and Lyft Apps.

• Close out any apps you have open. You may even want to restart your phone, making sure you’re getting a fresh start and your phone is only focused on running the Uber and Lyft Apps.
• Open the Uber and Lyft Rider Apps to check on the location of other drivers. You don’t want to lose out on opportunities simply because you’re competing against other drivers unnecessarily.
• Open the Uber Partner App and the Lyft Driver App and go online with both.
• It’s best to have the Uber app on your main screen and Lyft running in the background. Uber will actually take you offline if you are away from the app for more than a few minutes.
• Avoid using other apps, such as the internet or social media, while driving for both companies. This will ensure that your phone doesn’t try to do too much and lessens the likelihood of glitches or crashing.

How it all works

Once you receive a ride request, you’ll want to immediately accept it and then log out of the other app. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to receive a ride request from Uber while already en route driving for Lyft.

There is, of course, the small chance that you will receive a ride request in both apps at the same time, particularly if you’re driving at a busy time. If this happens, you’ll have to accept one and decline the other, but it would have to happen really frequently to affect your acceptance rating.

As you do with any ride, once you’ve accepted the request (and taken the app without a request offline), you’ll switch to the navigation app to pick up your rider. Lyft does this automatically for you. You’ll want to go back to the Lyft app once you’re close to your rider, to ensure you get to the exact location (navigation can sometimes be a little off).

Uber does not automatically take you to navigation, but once you’re there, it provides a useful little tab that appears on the screen while you’re in navigation, which you can tap when you’re ready to go back to the Uber Partner app.

A few things to know about iPhones vs. Androids:

• iPhones: When you go online within your Uber and Lyft apps, a blue bar shows up at the top of the screen, indicating that you are online (similar to when you are using a map app). That blue bar will tell you that Uber/Lyft is online, or possibly alert you to nearby surges. If that blue bar disappears, that means your phone has shut one of those apps, so keep an eye on it.
• Androids: With Uber, the icon does not appear in the status bar while you are using the Uber Partner app. It only appears if you go into another app. With Lyft, it appears as soon as you go online, and remains in the status bar the entire time you are online, whether you are in the Lyft app or not. As with the iPhone’s blue bar, if the icon disappears, you are no longer online.

As you can see, the main thing required of you when you decide to start driving for Uber and Lyft at the same time is concentration. You’ll need to be quick to accept fares and go offline in the other app, and remember to turn that app back on once you’ve completed the ride.

When you’ve done it for a while, though, this practice will come much more naturally, and you’ll establish an easy rhythm for using both apps at once.

A few tips

There are a few more tips that can really aid in your success as an Uber or Lyft driver, especially if you drive for the two services simultaneously.

First, it might be tempting to drive around while waiting for your next ride request, but this is a mistake. You are no more likely to receive a ride request this way, and you end up wasting mileage and gas. Instead, choose a location that you feel will surely produce a high rate of requests, and stay parked while you wait. If you go 15-20 minutes without any requests, choose a new location.

Second, Surge and Prime Time pricing can sometimes be a distraction, causing you to lose time and gas, rather than gain it. If you see that Surge or Prime Time pricing is on, but it’s far enough away that you’d lose 20 minutes getting there, it may not be worth your effort.

Third, if you feel you’ve mastered your technique and are very comfortable using both apps, you may even want to take the unused app back online a few minutes before completing a ride, giving you a higher chance of getting another ride request sooner.

Is there an app for that?

You might be wondering if there’s an app that can streamline all of this for you. After all, there is an app for almost everything! Well, it turns out, Mystro has been completed with that very purpose in mind!

It’s still in beta testing, and is only available for Android users. But it’s a promising step forward in this area, and may make all of this easier. It will allow drivers to manage three or more apps and allow you to customize to accept only certain requests.This means you can choose not to receive Lyft Line or UberPool requests, requests from riders with lower ratings, or even omit riders more than a certain distance away.

This means you can choose not to receive Lyft Line or UberPool requests, requests from riders with lower ratings, or even omit riders more than a certain distance away. Mystro offers a trial for up to 10

Mystro offers a trial for up to 10 rides, and is then paid for by subscription.

Conclusion

Is driving for Uber and Lyft at the same time worth your consideration? Absolutely! If you’ve got the right tools and are prepared to work at it a little until it becomes comfortable, it could be just the boost in ride requests and income potential you’ve been looking for.

Is driving for Uber and Lyft at the same time worth your consideration? Absolutely! If you’ve got the right tools and are prepared to work at it a little until it becomes comfortable, it could be just the boost in ride requests and income potential you’ve been looking for.