Disclaimer: Lyft discontinued the Lyft Power Driver Bonus in August 2018 and replaced it with a different incentive program. Drivers can now earn bonuses through a “Weekly Ride Challenge,” with no peak-hour requirement, no minimum acceptance rate, and no car year requirement.
driving with Lyft is a nice way to earn some extra money on the side, or even to replace your regular income in some cases. Normally, your Lyft earnings consist of the passenger fare, as well as any bonuses for successfully referring other drivers.
In some cases, however, Lyft offers special additional bonuses to drivers. In this article, we’re going to take a look at one of the most common: the Power Driver Bonus. We’ll explore what it is, why it matters and how to qualify so that you can start earning extra Lyft income today.
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What Is the Lyft Power Driver Bonus?
The Lyft Power Driver Bonus program rewards drivers for giving a certain number of rides in a week. It’s a way for Lyft to increase the availability of their rideshare service. In exchange for meeting the requirements (which we outline below), drivers will be eligible to receive cash bonus amounts.
The amounts vary from city to city, and it isn’t always available to all markets or all drivers. When it is available, however, it can be a great way to earn some additional money on top of the rides you’re already giving.
Why Does the Power Driver Bonus Matter?
If you’re giving Lyft rides anyway, you might as well give just a few extra rides (or give rides in a few specific places) in order to boost your earnings. Particularly if you’re a new driver, giving a larger number of rides is a chance to get a feel for where and when you can earn the highest fares, as well as establish a high driver rating.
Even if you’re an established driver, the program can still be a good use of your time. If you’re not earning as much as you’d like via passenger fares and referring other drivers, the Power Driver Bonus is an additional opportunity to earn more money.
How Do I Get the Lyft Power Driver Bonus?
To get the Power Driver Bonus, you’ll need to meet a few requirements:
1. Region
You must be in a region where the Power Driver Bonus is available. To see if the program is available in your region, check your Lyft driver dashboard or in-app driver console. You may also receive an email from Lyft informing you that the program is available in your region.
2. Vehicle
Your vehicle must be a 2011 model or newer to qualify you for the Power Driver Bonus.
3. Ride Requirements
You’ll need to give a minimum number of rides in order to qualify. You may also need to give a certain number of peak rides. Peak rides are rides given during the times when demand for Lyft is the highest, thus requiring more drivers.
To count as a peak ride, the ride must be requested during a peak time. Peak hours vary by week and city. To view the peak hours for your region, consult the in-app driver console or driver dashboard. Learn more about peak rides.
4. Acceptance Rate
Sometimes, you’ll need to maintain a 90% acceptance rate for the week in order to get the Power Driver Bonus. Your acceptance rate is the percent of ride requests you accept and complete. Rides cancelled by passengers do not count towards your acceptance rate, but ride requests you decline or cancel do count. Learn more about how Lyft calculates your acceptance rate.
Lyft Power Driver Bonus FAQ
Here are answers to some common questions about the Lyft Power Driver Bonus.
1. How much is the Lyft Power Driver Bonus?
The bonus amount varies from week to week and city to city.
2. How will I receive my bonus payment?
You’ll receive your bonus payment as part of your regular weekly Lyft earnings, which are deposited to your bank account each Tuesday.
Lyft calculates your bonus payment at the end of the week (Monday at 4:59 a.m. local time).
Note that, depending on your bank, you may not receive your deposit until up to seven days later.
This depends on your bank’s rules for processing deposits and is not something that Lyft can control.
3. How can I check my progress towards the bonus?
To view your progress towards the week’s Power Driver Bonus (as well as the current bonus requirements for your region), go to the “Earnings” tab of the Lyft driver app and then tap on “Power Driver Bonus.”
You should see a display similar to the one below:
4. What are bonus tiers?
In some regions, the Power Driver Bonus has different tiers.
When you reach a certain tier, you can earn more than you would have on the previous tier. Here’s the example Lyft gives on their site:
For example, say a Power Driver Bonus has a $50 tier and a $100 tier.
The $50 tier may require you to get a 90% or higher acceptance rate, 10 Peak Rides, and 30 Total Rides during the week.
The $100 tier may require a 90% or higher acceptance rate, 20 Peak Rides, and 45 Total Rides.
Note that the tiers are not cumulative.
That is, you only receive the amount for the specific tier you reach, not for each tier.
In the example above, you would only receive $100 for reaching the $100 tier, not $150.
5. Do Lyft Line rides count towards the Power Driver Bonus?
Yes, they do.
In fact, you get credit for each Lyft Line passenger request.
For example, if you complete a Lyft Line request involving two separate passenger requests, you get credit for both.
However, single Lyft Line requests involving multiple passengers only count as one completed request.
Earn More driving with Lyft
We hope this article has helped you understand the Lyft Power Driver Bonus requirements, as well as the advantages of the program. For other ways to earn more with Uber, check out our guide to the Lyft sign-up bonus, as well as the Lyft driver referral program. If you’re curious about the weekly promotions available to Uber drivers, check out this guide.
