Lyft Making a Big Deal Out of Offering Nothing

[News Hound]

Once again one of the two major rideshare companies is making a big flap about taking nothing and making it seem like it's something. How many of these offers for amazing stuff have we seen that end up being nothing?

Remember when they were both offering free healthcare? But it turned out not to be free healthcare at all. In fact, it wasn't even healthcare. It was just a free signup to a site (that was already FREE!) that would help you find a healthcare plan. And apparently it didn't matter to anybody that you can already do that by going to healthcare.gov - for free!

Oh and remember when Uber offered free gas? Well, except that it turned out to only be discounted gas. But you'd only get the discount at the most expensive stations, like Exxon Mobil, Shell... you know all the name brands. Does Texaco still exist? Oh yes, they do - I see the nearest one to me is 1,746 miles away.

So if you used the Uber debit card you'd get a $0.02 a gallon discount - only if you went to a station that changed $0.75 a gallon more than every other station nearby. Some discount.

Anyway, that's how the rideshare premium offers have pretty much gone.

Now Lyft is throwing in FREE BANK ACCOUNTS!! Whoo Hooo! Oh wait... I already have a free bank account. As long as I never go below $50 a month. So maybe Lyft could just make sure I always have 50 bucks in there.

And along with free bank accounts, they're touting FREE DEBIT CARDS!!!! Yahoo! (oh wait... yahoo... that's another company entirely). But I don't believe I've ever seen a debit card that you have to pay for. So, what is it again exactly that they're offering?

And why do they keep promoting these insane offers that sound a lot more like they're just shouting out to the world that their DRIVERS ARE STOOPID!?

 

[Graham]

It's almost like they're specifically targeting people who simply don't know any better.

 

[Olga]

Once again one of the two major rideshare companies is making a big flap about taking nothing and making it seem like it's something. How many of these offers for amazing stuff have we seen that end up being nothing?

Remember when they were both offering free healthcare? But it turned out not to be free healthcare at all. In fact, it wasn't even healthcare. It was just a free signup to a site (that was already FREE!) that would help you find a healthcare plan. And apparently it didn't matter to anybody that you can already do that by going to healthcare.gov - for free!

Oh and remember when Uber offered free gas? Well, except that it turned out to only be discounted gas. But you'd only get the discount at the most expensive stations, like Exxon Mobil, Shell... you know all the name brands. Does Texaco still exist? Oh yes, they do - I see the near one to me is 1,746 miles away.

So if you used the Uber debit card you'd get a $0.02 a gallon discount - only if you went to a station that changed $0.75 a gallon more than every other station nearby. Some discount.

Anyway, that's how the rideshare premium offers have pretty much gone.

Now Lyft is throwing in FREE BANK ACCOUNTS!! Whoo Hooo! Oh wait... I already have a free bank account. As long as I never go below $50 a month. So maybe Lyft could just make sure I always have 50 bucks in there.

And a long with free bank accounts, they're touting FREE DEBIT CARDS!!!! Yahoo! (oh wait... that's another company entirely). But I don't believe I've ever seen a debit card that you have to pay for. So, what is it again exactly that they're offering?

And why do they keep promoting these insane offers that sound a lot more like they're shouting DRIVERS ARE STOOPID!?

I agree. What would you suggest is offered by these companies to make your gig better and life easier?

 

[Mr. Gig]

@Olga, I see you're working for a company that wants to improve things for rideshare drivers. What are their ideas about that? Surely they must have some idea.

 

[McCrank]

What would you suggest is offered by these companies to make your gig better and life easier?

What do you think? Better pay. AND THAT'S IT. Nothing else will make our lives easier. We need higher pay. We're being grossly underpaid.

And if you think coming up with some crazy schemes like the ones mentioned in this thread that Uber and Lyft are constantly coming up with - forget it. We see through it. The ONLY thing that will help us is higher pay.

 

[Olga]

@Olga, I see you're working for a company that wants to improve things for rideshare drivers. What are their ideas about that? Surely they must have some idea.

The ideas are in the very early stage which is why we are doing this research now. There is an understanding that the response from the drivers on the platform that what is offered is not good enough is loud and clear. And we are looking at a range of options: 1) skilling programs across a range of areas, many not directly related to the business that can help the workers to access learning; 2) Working with 3rd parties that offer innovative benefits schemes for workers based on each and every hour worked which is transportable across platforms (e.g. "nano or portable benefits"). Might any of these resonate as options? Does anyone have other ideas?

 

[Olga]

What do you think? Better pay. AND THAT'S IT. Nothing else will make our lives easier. We need higher pay. We're being grossly underpaid.

And if you think coming up with some crazy schemes like the ones mentioned in this thread that Uber and Lyft are constantly coming up with - forget it. We see through it. The ONLY thing that will help us is higher pay.

The company that I am working for is looking for a package of incentives that can really increase retention. I would love any ideas, out of the box included. We recognize pay increases are critical but want to offer more. Any ideas are welcome.

 

[McCrank]

We recognize pay increases are critical but want to offer more. Any ideas are welcome.

What more could you possibly offer over and above pay increases?

When you say you want to offer more, just be honest with us. What you really want to offer is something different, something you think will be attractive enough to drivers that we'd be willing to pay you. Isn't that a lot closer to the truth?

Pay increases aren't just critical they're literally the only thing we care about. You say you want to offer more, so why don't you start with a pay increase and then we'll of course be open to even more goodies after that!

You see, there is actually nothing else we want. Do you understand that most of us are making far less than $10 an hour? Yes, many hours we make just $7-$8. (And people ask why I'm so cranky - well, that's why).

And out of that $7-$8 we make in a typical hour, we have to pay a couple of dollars for gas, more for maintenance, car payments, insurance and depreciation. So unless you can either increase our pay, or pay for some of those expenses, really nothing you do will matter.

 

[Jon York]

The company that I am working for is looking for a package of incentives that can really increase retention.

Why don't you tell us a little more about what your company is thinking? Surely they've already come up with some ideas (or they wouldn't have formed a company). So if you tell us some things they've come up with maybe we could help you evaluate those ideas.

Also, since you haven't given any information about your company, it makes it a little hard for us to help you with ideas. I mean, on the one hand we're assuming your company isn't Uber or Lyft! But, if it's not then it doesn't make sense why they would be so interested in retention. Why do they care if Uber and Lyft have better retention if they're not Uber or Lyft?