The More You’re Booked, the More You Earn

We know that maximizing your earnings is what matters most when you drive. So, let’s get back to basics: Get to know your rate card, learn how booked time directly impacts your pay, and watch our short videos on how to earn more with Lyft.

Get to Know Your Rate Card

The majority of your earnings come from your rate card — and understanding how it works is the first step toward raising your earnings. A rate card sets your base rate and accounts for the time and distance you transport riders. The majority of your earnings are calculated using those three values. Additionally, a rate card’s value can vary depending on where a ride takes place. It’ll also show you how much you could earn if a passenger cancels a ride.

Here’s an example rate card to give you a better idea of what to expect. Note: The rates shown here are just an example and don’t reflect your personal rate card.

Using these example values, here’s how the total earnings of a single complete ride would be calculated:

Base rate for starting the ride: $1 

Amount of time spent driving the rider: $4 (20 min x $0.20)

Distance traveled while driving the rider: $2 (4 miles x $0.50)

Total earnings: $7

For more details, take a look at how ride earnings are calculated.

Boost Your Pay by Increasing Your Booked Time

Knowing when and where to drive will help increase the amount of time you’re booked with riders, which is also known as your percentage booked time. The more miles and minutes you spend driving people, the more you’ll earn. The balance of drivers versus riders determines how booked you’ll be — if a lot of people need rides in a certain area, and there are only a few drivers on the road, it’s going to be a busy day for those drivers. On the flip side, when there are lots of drivers out, but only a few people needing rides, you’ll likely get fewer ride requests. So, being in a busy area, with lots of people on the go, means you’re more likely to be matched quickly.

See How Booked Time Affects Earnings

Watch our short videos to understand how increasing booked time boosts your earnings, and how your rate card determines your earnings per ride.

Note: The numbers shown are taken from the example rate card on this page, and don’t reflect your personal rate card.

Interested in learning more? Take the tutorial.