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Make More Money by Driving for Uber & Lyft at the Same Time

Driving for Uber and Lyft at the same time is a great way to diversify earnings, cut wait times, and put more money in your pocket. But how does it work?

Most experienced rideshare drivers have at least attempted to drive for Uber and Lyft at the same time.

It’s tricky to do, but if you do it right, you can make a lot more money on the road.

Not only will you get more rides using both apps, but you’ll also get to take advantage of two lucrative promo codes as opposed to one.

Don’t attempt to drive for both companies unless you’re familiar with both driver apps.

Once you are familiar with the apps and how they work, try taking your driving career to the next level and working for both at the same time.

Think you’re up for the challenge?

Here’s everything you need to know about juggling driving for Uber and Lyft in the same shift.

Jump To:

Do Uber and Lyft Allow Drivers to Work for the Competition?

This may surprise you, but the short answer is YES.

Drivers for both companies work as independent contractors, not employees.

And as an independent contractor, the ridesharing companies can’t tell you what you can and cannot do unless you have a passenger in your car.

Once you pick up a passenger, you have limitations as to what you’re allowed to do. But when there’s no one in your car, they have no say whatsoever.

Some drivers prefer working for one service over the other (many Lyft drivers say they earn better tips compared to Uber drivers), but if you want to maximize your earnings and try your hand at driving for both at the same time, it’s perfectly legal to do so.

What to Do Before Starting the Apps

Running both apps at the same uses a ton of battery life, so before you start the apps, make sure your car is equipped.

Plug your cell phone in and keep it plugged in while you’re in the car.

Don’t let your phone go dead – if you do, you’re shooting yourself in the foot (so to speak).

Even if you’re only rideshare driving for one service, it’s best to get a phone mount.

It’s a much safer option than holding your phone in your hand or having to look down at the phone in your lap, it also makes it easier to follow navigation routes.

Another tool that can be quite useful is a Bluetooth headset.

A headset makes it easier to answer calls and makes your driving safer.

When you don’t have to answer your phone, you can keep your hands on the wheel.

Keep in mind that in many states, using your phone while driving is against the law.

Whenever you’re on the road, do what you have to do to make yourself and others safe.

If you don’t, it’s just one more reason for a cop to pull you over.

It’s also wise to sign up for an unlimited data plan on your phone because running both apps at the same time uses up a lot of data.

It’s best to pay a little more up front each month for an unlimited plan than getting slammed with a massive phone bill at the end of the billing cycle.

driving for uber and lyft

How to Switch Between Uber and Lyft Apps

Now for the nitty gritty details of how you can manage driving for Uber and Lyft at the same time…

The most important thing to remember when you’re switching between apps is that you have to log out of one when you get a ride request for the other.

In other words, if you accept a ride request from Uber, immediately log out of Lyft.

If you don’t, you could get a Lyft ride request while you’re doing your Uber ride, in which case, you will need to decline the ride.

The more rides you decline, the worse your acceptance rate will be. And if you want to remain in good standing with either service, you want your acceptance rate to be high.

The best way to switch between the two apps is to keep the Uber partner app on the main screen.

If the Uber app isn’t active and you have it running in the background, Uber will kick you out of driver mode.

The Lyft app doesn’t do that.

So keep the Uber app on your screen and let the Lyft app run in the background.

But remember, when you get a ride request from one, log out of the other.

If you have an Android phone with a large screen, take advantage of the split screen feature.

With a split screen display, you can keep your eye on both apps at all times.

Again – and we can’t stress this enough – be sure to log out of one app when you accept a ride on the other. 

Using Third-Party Apps

Don’t think you can handle all the switching back and forth yourself?

Don’t worry – there’s an app for that.

The Android-only Mystro app (sorry iPhone users!) does the hard part of switching between Uber and Lyft apps and accepting rides for you.

With Mystro, you can keep your eyes on the road and let the app do the tricky stuff that can cause you to lose focus on your ride.

When you use Mystro, you won’t have to physically switch between the apps yourself.

It has an auto switch feature that does that for you.

The app will let you accept rides from either Uber or Lyft, and it will automatically exit the other app once a ride is in progress with the other.

The other thing we love about Mystro is its filters.

It will automatically filter the jobs that are the most profitable.

You can use the filters to see how long it will take you to reach your pick-up location and how long it will take you to reach the destination.

The filters are also helpful for drivers who don’t want to deal with Lyft Line and UberPOOL requests.

You can check out what other drivers are saying about Mystro on Reddit.

One driver says “I use Mystro and it’s kick ass.”

Another says “I am pretty spoiled now not having to look at ratings or distance to decide if I’m taking the ride.”

How to Make More Money Using Both Apps

The point of driving for Lyft or Uber is to make some money.

And once you figure out how to drive for both at the same time, you’ll make even more.

Some drivers prefer to have a third party app to make the decisions and switch between the apps for them.

Other drivers prefer to do it themselves.

A third party app (which costs about $12 a month) does the hard part for you.

But if you don’t want to use one, you can do it yourself.

If you decide to do it yourself, you’ll need to have a strategy in mind.

There are three main things to keep in mind if you plan to manually switch between apps while you’re driving.

If you follow these three simple rules, you’re sure to complete more rides than you would if you were to drive for only one rideshare service at a time.

And the more rides you complete, the more money you make.

1. Don’t Chase Surge or Prime Time

Don’t chase prime time or SURGE pricing.

This is a major mistake by many new drivers still learning how to drive for Uber/Lyft.

Chasing a surge usually results in wasted time, gas and money.

The trick is to log into both apps before you start a shift and see if either is offering bonus pricing.

If you’re in the middle of a shift and have to drive across town to catch the surge, it’s not worth it.

If you can position yourself in the area where surge rates and prime time prices are happening, you’ll be in good shape.

New and inexperienced drivers chase a surge.

Smart, profitable drivers know that it’s a waste of time.

By the time you get to the area, there might be so many other drivers in the region that the surge ends before you can catch it.

Check for nearby surges, but don’t go out of your way.

2. Choose the Closest Pick-Ups

Always choose the closest pick-ups.

The way to make money driving for Uber or Lyft (or both) is to have a passenger in your vehicle as often as possible.

So whether you’re driving for one service or juggling both at the same time, always choose the closest pick-up.

The point is to spend most of your time with a passenger in your car.

If you’re debating between choosing a quick trip that has a nearby pick-up or a longer trip that’s a bit further away, go for the one that you can reach the fastest.

You don’t get paid for the time it takes to get to the pick-up destination.

So having a passenger in your car as much as possible is the best way to increase earnings and reduce expenses like gas and maintenance fees.

3. Stick with One App (If It’s Really Busy)

If it’s really busy, stick with one app.

If you’re getting slammed with ride requests on Uber, stick with it.

There’s no point in switching between Uber and Lyft apps if one is filled with ride requests.

If you’re seeing a steady stream of customers, stick with one.

If a few minutes go by and you’re waiting for a ride request, then start checking both apps again.

It takes some time and patience to get used to switching back and forth between the apps.

So if one is providing you with plenty of work, just stick to that one.

Most drivers that work for both companies have one that they prefer.

Start with that one and as long as they’re keeping you busy, there’s no need to switch between the two.

Related: How Much Do Uber Drivers Make?

Keep in mind that by switching between the two apps, you could run into a situation where you’re hit with multiple ride requests at the same time.

Declining ride requests lowers your acceptance rate, and you always want to keep your acceptance rate as high as possible.

You can make some decent money driving for Uber or Lyft – but you can make even more if you can master the art of driving for both at the same time.

Get a little bit of driving experience under your belt and get familiar with both apps before you attempt it.

Once you know how to operate each app with ease, try driving for both at the same time.

Start your shift by logging into both rideshare apps and seeing if either is offering surge rates or prime time bonus pricing.

Run the Uber app on your screen and run the Lyft app in the background (if you run Uber in the background, it will kick you out of driver mode).

With both apps running, look for ride requests.

Once you accept one, log off the other app so you don’t get a new ride request that you can’t accept.

That’s the key to remaining in good standing with both rideshare services.

Man driving a vehicle in the city

If you can’t handle switching back and forth yourself, consider downloading a third party app like Mystro.

Mystro will do the switching for you, filter out certain types of rides, and make it easier to make more money when you’re on the road.

Once you’re used to using both apps at the same time, you can maximize your earnings by always choosing the closest pickup.

If you’re really busy, stick with one app and avoid chasing surge pricing and prime time hours.

It’s ideal if you can be in the thick of the surge when it happens, but chasing it is a foolproof way to lose money.

Keep these tips and tricks in mind and you’re sure to see an increase in earnings.

By juggling Uber and Lyft rides at the same time you can keep your call full with passengers as much as possible.

And if you’re trying to make some real money, that’s exactly what you have to do.

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