After missing out on the delivery boom, Lyft is finally playing catchup to rivals like Uber and Amazon.
With Lyft Delivery, drivers get paid to pick up and deliver packages, food, prescriptions, retail items, auto parts, and more.
If you’re a Lyft driver, read on to learn what you can expect from Lyft Delivery, how to opt in (or out), and how much you’ll get paid to deliver for Lyft.
What is Lyft Delivery?
Lyft Delivery is a Lyft service that provides same-day deliveries for local businesses. Deliveries are completed by Lyft drivers.
For Lyft drivers, Lyft Delivery is a new way to earn by doing deliveries at retail stores, auto parts stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and other businesses.
After opting into deliveries, drivers will begin to get delivery requests in the Lyft driver app. Requests show you how much you will make up front, and you’ll also know the pickup and dropoff location.
You can’t sign up to specifically do delivery. Currently delivery volume isn’t very high, so don’t expect deliveries to replace normal Lyft rides.
How much do Lyft drivers get paid for delivery?
Generally, you can expect Lyft Delivery pay to be similar to rideshare pay: Around $15–$30 per hour.
Lyft uses an upfront pricing system that tells you exactly how much you’ll get paid for the delivery before you accept it.
Payouts for Lyft deliveries are not calculated based on a rate card, so you won’t know exactly how Lyft comes up with delivery payouts.
A Lyft delivery request. Plenty of upfront info to make a decision
Lyft says that upfront earnings are based on factors including, “estimated pickup/drop-off time, distance, location, as well as real-time market conditions.”
What you see in the delivery request is what you’ll get. You receive the quoted upfront amount even if the trip ends up longer or shorter than expected.
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What Lyft drivers say about Lyft Delivery pay:
“It pays about the same as taking people”
“I got a 2 hour delivery for $31”
“$7 for a 10 mile drive puts me in the red”
“Deliveries for me often involved Napa, Whataburger and Pei Wei”
“The delivery wasn’t bad but I felt like I should’ve made a little more than I did”
“Did 13 groceries boxes and I got paid $36. No tips and customers were rude”
Does Lyft deliver food?
Lyft does food deliveries, but Lyft customers can’t directly make a food order on the Lyft app. Lyft does not have a customer-facing food delivery app like Uber Eats or DoorDash.
Instead, food deliveries on Lyft come from partnerships with major brands and many are business-to-business orders. Sometimes a food delivery can be routed to a customer through Lyft Delivery, but that is uncommon.
How to opt into Lyft Delivery
When Lyft Delivery becomes available in your city, you’ll get an email or in-app message to sign up. Tap the opt in button to get started.
Lyft will send app messages and emails when delivery is available
Next, you will have to watch a few tutorial videos that explain how deliveries work. After the tutorial, you will be eligible to start getting deliveries.
Another way to see if Lyft Delivery is available in your city is to go to the Learning Center in the driver app. If the delivery tutorial is in the Learning Center, it’s available in your region and you can sign up.
Find the delivery tutorial in the Learning Center: Menu > Support and Safety > Learning Center.
How to check to see if you’re opted in to delivery
Not sure if you already signed up for deliveries? You can check to see if deliveries requests are available to you by looking in the driver app.
Go to: ‘Vehicles and Devices,‘ select your vehicle, tap ‘See details‘ then look for deliveries under ‘Available ride types.‘
If you’re opted into delivery, you’ll see delivery listed along with Lyft and any other Lyft services that you qualify for.
If you’re not opted in, a delivery opt in may be listed under available ride types.
Check your vehicle details to see if you’re opted into delivery
Is Lyft enrolling drivers into deliveries?
Some Lyft drivers noticed that they were receiving delivery requests even though they never directly opted into deliveries.
If that happens to you, you can opt out by contacting Lyft.
How to opt out of Lyft delivery
Don’t want to receive Lyft deliveries anymore? Contact Lyft to be removed. There is no in-app button to opt out of deliveries.
What it’s like to do a delivery for Lyft
Delivery requests look similar to ride requests, but the request will have a ‘delivery’ label.
The delivery request screen shows the upfront pay, the pickup and drop-off location, estimated total mileage and trip time.
After you accept the request, drive to the pickup location. The app will list any special pickup instructions. Go into the location and pick up the item.
Next, go to the drop-off and follow any drop-off instructions. Take a picture of the item after you drop it off and mark the delivery as completed.
Ttry to contact the customer if you’re having trouble at the drop-off. If you’re unable to drop off the item, you will have to return it to the pickup location. You are paid for the return trip.
What items will you be delivering?
Many drivers report that their most frequent delivery items are car parts from chain stores like Pep Boys and Napa.
AxleHire deliveries on Lyft
AxleHire is a delivery logistics company that sometimes contracts with Lyft to complete deliveries.
AxleHire deliveries on Lyft are similar to other Lyft deliveries: You will see an upfront pay estimate, the total number of stops, and the total estimated time and mileage for the delivery.
AxleHire deliveries are a type of delivery you might see
Drivers react to Lyft delivery
“I don’t mind a little break from making small talk with strangers”
“Most of [the deliveries] are Napa, Firestone, Pep Boys, O’Reilly Auto Parts”
“I signed up with Lyft Delivery a couple months ago and I haven’t seen any”
“Some are good and decent but overall wack pay”
Lyft Delivery vs Uber Eats, DoorDash, Amazon Flex
How does Lyft Delivery compare to the other major delivery apps?
Delivery on Lyft is still a relatively new business and delivery volume is low, so you won’t be doing back-to-back deliveries like on other delivery apps.
Generally speaking, you can expect Lyft deliveries to pay similarly to apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats.
Tipping is a big advantage of DoorDash and Uber Eats that isn’t as strong of a feature on Lyft Delivery. Customers on those apps are more likely to tip, and both allow you to see tipping info up front.
Amazon Flex will likely pay more than Lyft Delivery, and offers more transparent pay. But Amazon Flex is harder on your vehicle and harder on your body.
Should you do Lyft Delivery?
It’s always a good idea to new work options that are offered in gig apps. You might find that you like the work, or that it pays better than the other jobs on the app.
And there’s no downside to trying out—you can always opt out of the program, or ignore delivery requests. Why not give yourself another option?
R Walker says
Woah 😳 that’s crazy !!! That’s the driver pay and I wonder what Lyft actually charged the customer though ??! Deliveries are always more work and complication than rides of the same distance but always pay SIGNIFICANTLY less. Why ???
Christine Krantz says
Hello…just wanted to mention my last experience with a Lyft delivery on Christmas Eve.
Unfortunately I don’t have all the specifics about drive time and distances. Picked up 3 large packages of food from a restaurant. Dropped off package where the Generous Customer gave me a 25 dollar tip. Lyft paid me 2.62 dollars plus a 3 dollar bonus!!???!!
My issue is what?!? If the customer had not tipped…my earnings for the pickup and delivery would have been 5.62?????!!!!????
Please respond if you have.
Thank you,
Christine