RIDEGURU
As a Lyft or Uber driver, can I choose to only give rides to friends and family?
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JMartensen
Ride Apprentice
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The Guru Take
No, not by design. It may work short-term. Eventually will be deactivated.
Once you sign up as a Lyft or Uber driver, and you activate the drive app, you have no control over who you are matched up with. You are at the mercy of their algorithm to be matched up with passengers.
You could potentially do this:
- You only activate the driver app near your friend, and then he or she requests a ride immediately.
- You do this only in areas where other drivers are scarce.
- You do this only when your friend is near you. (so you are the closest driver)
- You decline every request besides your friend's request.
Even the steps above will not guarantee you a ride, most likely because of #4. As a Lyft driver, you must keep up a certain "accentance rate %", which will fall every time you decline a passenger request. Eventually, you will either be deactivated.
And also...why would you do this? Why go through Uber and Lyft who takes 20~25% of the fare? Can't you just give your friends and family your cell phone number and have them pay you in cash? :)
Comments
Well if it's a luxury vehicle you can use section 179... You will be compensated the full cost of the vehicle to do business if it is over 6000 lbs. So if it's your club hoping ride, legally it would be valid and you'd be paying far less per month than actually financing the vehicle. Depending on how long you keep it up you'd make more money from the reimbursement than your spend for your friend using your service... And it'll be legal. Only issue would be if u curve keep up the business
I'd also add that you can get deactivated by Uber for doing this. Uber would consider it prearranging rides, which is against the Community Guidelines. Look under the Fraud and Illegitimate behavior section: https://www.uber.com/legal/community-guidelines/us-en/
Doing it once or twice would likely be ok, but if you made a habit out of it, you'd eventually be deactivated.
Why do it? My buddy has to go for training 30 miles away and his company will reimburse for Lyft.
Fraud gotcha.