Today, Lyft released a series of new improvements intended to make more rides worth the effort for drivers. But drivers have been figuring out how to maximize their Lyft earnings for years. So we asked some top-earning drivers to share their secrets.

I get a cue from the app that tells me where drivers are needed. Twenty-five years ago, if you were driving a cab, you had to have all this experience to know where the rides were. But now we have all this data collected over years, and that can tell you where you’re likely to get the most rides and where people want to go. — Jack Lin, Atlanta  

If there’s an event, the app will tell you how many people are going and when they think the busiest time will be. But I get there three or four hours early because that’s when everybody’s getting ready: doing their shopping, getting their stuff together, going to the pregame and bars. — Danell Johnson, Pittsburgh

I look at the Huntington Convention Center website to see how many people to expect at that week’s event. If ticket prices are high, you know it’s going to be high-demand. — Jamie Petrus, Cleveland

If it’s busy in one particular area, I set a filter as low as it can go — five miles — so I get back-to-back rides. There are nine colleges here, all close together, and college students don’t like to walk! So I can get six rides really quickly in that area. — Danell Johnson, Pittsburgh

I live on the stay-in-area filter. I set a ten-mile radius around the area where I live, so I don’t have to go too far out or have to drive so far back. And then I feel like I’m able to make more money quicker. It’s really convenient. Plus, I save on gas. — Emmanuel Malette, Atlanta

There’s often a bonus zone, at a certain time, that’s about 30 or 45 minutes from my home. So I’ll start heading in that direction, and hopefully, I’ll hit that bonus zone as it comes online. — Jack Lin, Atlanta

If I’m not going to make at least $30 an hour [for a ride], I won’t accept it. But if I’m on a ride-completion challenge — like getting a bonus for completing 120 rides in four days — I’ll still take a quick ride for $3 because in the long run, it will be worth it. — Jamie Petrus, Cleveland

Recently, I ended up an hour and a half away from my house. I put on the “head to destination” filter [which only suggests rides en route to a particular endpoint] and caught a couple rides back home. If I go out far, I always use that to bring me back. — Rob Michlowski, Ann Arbor

I’ll set my alarm for 4:20 in the morning and put on the “head to destination” filter to catch airport rides. Plus, the Lyft app tells you the amount of planes coming in. So it’s easy to check [for demand]. — Jamie Petrus, Cleveland

At night, I’ll look at scheduled rides and try to catch one to the airport the next morning. Those are my most profitable rides. They tend to tip. And sometimes you’ll get an airport pickup that takes you really far. And the longer you have a person in your car, the more money you’re gonna make. Plus, you really get to know somebody. It’s beautiful. — Rob Michlowski, Ann Arbor

One of the features I really love is the ability to see other drivers nearby. I don’t want to compete with too many people in the same neighborhood — especially if they’re parked, which means they’re probably waiting to pick up another fare. And it feels like we’re providing a better service to our community if we’re not all in the same spot.  — Jack Lin, Atlanta