How to Use Lyft Driver

Co-authored by Christopher Batchelor

Last Updated: September 2, 2021 Tested

When Lyft riders need to hitch a ride, they use the Lyft app. However, as a Lyft driver, you'll need to use the special Lyft Driver app. If you're new to driving for Lyft, this wikiHow will help you get acquainted with the app.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using the Online-Offline Information and Map

1

Open up the Lyft Driver app. The app icon has a white border with a pink steering wheel inside it.
2
Get to know the Home tab. At first, the big thing here is the map, but after you go online and begin accepting passengers, this is the place where you'll be accepting those trips. If you use the Google Maps API to get you to your navigated location, you will have more navigation information at your fingertips here.
- The tabs at the bottom of Lyft Driver will disappear once you go online. In their place, you'll see a daily summary of how many trips you've made to complete a streak or how far away from your weekly goal you are.
- If you ever go online and then move the map around, you'll also see a re-centering button to center the map back on your current location.
Advertisement
3
Take a peak at your Earnings tab. This tab displays driver data including payout and demand statistics, bonus history data, and your recent (ride) history. Here, you can get paid through the "Express Pay" feature or check your past payouts for your account.
- Below this, you'll see a running balance of your earnings, as well as a link to get you to your Payout page (with information about your net earnings).
- Switch between "Today" view and "This week" view by swiping the bar at the top. In Today view, you'll also see how much time you spent online - including time spent giving rides
4

Invite your friends to Lyft using the Earn $(monetary amount) tab. When Lyft Driver opens to this tab, you can invite friends to drive for Lyft. If you swipe this bar over, you can invite your friends to become a rider, instead. Both invitation options include buttons to share the invitation via text or email. You can find your default Lyft invitation code at the top of the page (more custom codes can only be found on their webpage).
5

Use the magnifying glass button to the right of the online-offline switch to filter your passenger requests based on location. Lyft calls this feature their Destination Mode and can help you drive towards a certain point of your choosing.
6

Switch to the Emergency Assistance tab in an emergency. This drop-down button - available when you're Online - will allow you to contact your local emergency facilitators (most often 911).
7

Tap the Online-Offline switch at the top center of the Home tab to go online. At that point, you'll need the steps in Complete a Trip in Lyft Driver to complete your first ride!

Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Navigating the Menu Bar

1

Tap your profile picture in the left corner of the app. This offers you many important driving options. "Home" takes you back to the Home tab.
2

Let your Dashboard be your guide. Your "Dashboard" lets you view additional driving information (more below).
3

Look for other pickups that have been scheduled in advance using the "Scheduled pickup" choice (if available).
4

Modify your account in relationship to your vehicles. "Vehicle" is where you can change your vehicles listed in your list.
5

Review and report new documentation for yourself and your vehicles in "Documents". This option will help you update your documents such as your driver photo, driver's license or car documentation such as your license plate number, registration and insurance or self-inspection which needs to be done annually.
6

Choose your navigation options. "Navigation" allows you to check your Navigation app and settings. Here, you'll have three options, "Lyft Navigation built with Google Maps", "Waze" and "Google Maps". You can also switch on and off whether you'd like to see the address in your navigation view, and enable audio through your vehicle speakers (if available).
7

Get help when you need it. "Help" gives you information about Lyft as well as information to your last few recent trips (rides).
8

Review your payout information settings. "Payment info" allows you to manage your payment information, such as your bank account and Express Pay information, as well as the Express Drive card number (for those Lyft Cities featuring this payout form).
9

Modify your Lyft Amp settings. "Amp" allows you to pair, unpair and modify your Lyft amp. You can check your status above the pairing information to see if one is available to you or not; this is only available after you get up to a certain number of rides given over a period of time.
10
Review the remainder of your settings. "Settings" allows you to see all your payment information, as well as all of your "Personal" profile information (email address, mobile phone, address) and your Navigation app choice. It also links you to the option to buy a Lyft Amp (which provides elevated earnings on some rides), as well as "Accessibility" options for deaf drivers.
- The "High earnings alert" option can alert you when there are Power Zones or extensions of payout in the pickup area. This will apply mostly if you live in an area with a developed Lyft user base.
- You can toggle Lyft's ability to use your contacts in some lists in the Settings tab with the "Contacts" option.
- "Jobs at Lyft" and "Legal" provide you with more information about the Lyft company.
- "Log out" lets you log out.
Advertisement

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Learning About the Dashboard

1
Learn what's available on the Dashboard. If you scroll this box up, you'll see information about your earnings and acceptance rates, your Driver Rating, and how many total trips/rides in total. There's also a Referral program button you can use to make some big referral bonus.
- The Dashboard also has a hamburger menu with lots of menu options within it. The rest of this article will take you through them, one by one.
2

View all your past trip information on the "Driving history" page.
3

View all information about your Lyft Driver account in the "Driver Info" page. You can see your profile picture, name, rating, lifetime rides and whether or not you are active on the Lyft Driver platform, as well as your Lyft Driver email and phone number. Underneath this, you can find your Shipping Address and see which documents may need to be refreshed soon, including your Driver's License, Driver Photo, and Education.
4

Manage your Lyft Driver vehicles and related options under "Vehicles". This page allows you to manage your Lyft Driver vehicle and/or learn about the Express Drive platform where you can manage your Lyft rental cars that are available (if it is available in your Lyft City).
5

Give yourself time to review all the tutorials. "Tutorials" is an easy place to learn about what driving with Lyft is about and gives a short overview of the work you'd be doing. Give yourself some time before completing your first ride to read these pages and watch the accompanying videos.
6

Review the boundaries to your Lyft City using the "Rate Card" choice. "Rate Card" gives you a way to find your current available Lyft city you are able to drive in and gives you the rates that you'll be making for each Drive. There's a button here that says "Find My Location", which allows you to find which types of Lyft services are available in each Lyft City, as well as their rate of Driver pay along with the zone borders on the map.
7

Review and print out tax documentation from the "Tax Information" section. "Tax Information" gives you documentation for tax time, along with Driver information if you didn't make enough to receive tax documentation for Lyft.
8

Look at your "Payout Information". This page allows you to edit your bank account details and view information about your payment details, including deposit timing, payment totals, Express Pay card information, and your eligibility to subscribe for Express Pay.
9

Review the passenger Waybill from time to time "Waybill" is the rider's "insurance" card if you are ever in an accident. Lyft only keeps the rider's Waybill for only an hour past the rider's dropoff time or until your next rider's request arrives (whichever is sooner).
10

Keep up with all the extra rewards you'll earn with the "Accelerate Rewards" option. "Accelerate Rewards" gives you information into Lyft's rewards program, which includes gas saving rewards (with Shell) a phone discount, and auto roadside assistance. The options grow as you complete more rides, but if you become less active, you'll lose the perks again.
11

Don’t worry about Settings in the Dashboard's hamburger menu. "Settings" gives you a link to Lyft's partner, eHealth, a health insurance marketplace. You are not required to use their services.
12

Check up on your referrals. "Driver Referrals" and "Passenger Referrals" allow you to sign up for additional referral codes and to track the invites status for any referral you've sent.
13

Check connected services. The "Connected Services" option allows you to connect with other services for select discounts and points. Below this information, you'll see which devices are currently logged into and using the Lyft and Lyft Driver apps.
14

Buy gift-cards for passengers (or yourself). "Gift Cards" allows you to purchase and redeem gift cards for your own Lyft trips or to purchase a gift card for a friend who commonly uses Lyft.
15

Review your help documentation as needed. "Help" gives you access to the Lyft Help Center documentation, which can also get you information to report lost and found items, accidents, and citations. You can also read about Lyft's Service Animal policy here.

Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

What kind of discounts do Lyft drivers get?

Christopher Batchelor
Former Lyft & Uber Driver
Christopher Batchelor has been driving for Lyft since July 2017 and Uber since August 2017. He has made more than 3300 combined rides as a driver for these ride-sharing services.

Christopher Batchelor

Former Lyft & Uber Driver

Expert Answer

You can get discounts on various business-related things, such as cell phone service and fuel at Shell via their Fuel Rewards program.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Check out where all the other Lyft Drivers are before you go online. When you are set to ONLINE in the Lyft Driver app, Lyft will open but won't let you see where all the other Lyft cars are in the rider portion of the Lyft app.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

How to Use Lyft Driver

Steps

Using the Online-Offline Information and Map

Navigating the Menu Bar

Learning About the Dashboard

Expert Q&A

Tips

You Might Also Like

About this article

Is this article up to date?

You Might Also Like

Explore Categories