What Is Lyft Prime Time? How does Lyft Prime Time work (2019)
Lyft Prime Time is a Lyft feature that works to benefit drivers during especially high-demand hours.
According to Lyft, when demand for rides is greater than the number of available drivers, passengers may be expected to pay an additional amount for their rides.
The additional amount works as a percentage that is added on to the base rate of a Lyft ride.
For instance:
If there is a 50% Prime Time fee in place, riders may have to pay $15 for a ride that is normally $10. It is important to remember that this additional fee is calculated using a trip subtotal (and does NOT include any other fees, such as taxes or the airport fee).
Again, Prime Time is always calculated on a supply-and-demand basis; the fewer the drivers and the higher demand for rides, the more will be charged for Prime Time.
Drivers may notice the ‘Prime Time indicator’ on the passenger rating screen (after a ridem or on their daily summaries page marked in green).
Drivers can benefit significantly from Prime Time hours.
Simply put: the more safe and reliable rides drivers give during busy Prime Time hours, the more they will earn. Drivers are sometimes notified of Prime Time hours via text message or e-mail, but many Prime Time hours are guaranteed (depending on the city and time of day).
Holidays and important events or promotions may cause Prime Time hours on occasion, while rush hour or weekend evenings may reoccur (with a significant degree of frequency) each week. Again, Prime Time hours depend on the location and day.
Drivers may also benefit from from using a useful Prime Time feature called Heat Maps. Heat Maps allow drivers to see which areas in their city are in the highest demand. This features shows a map of a particular city (with shaded/colored sections that indicate where drivers are needed most).
Drivers may use the Heat Map feature anytime – while online or offline – and can respond to rides accordingly. Additionally, Heat Maps are used to indicate the busiest places that riders indicate as a future desired location (i.e., it’s worth noting that not all pick-ups happen in the shaded sections of a Heat Map – the Maps simply indicate generalized and expected demand on behalf of prospective Lyft passengers).
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