A recent study showed how poor the earnings are for Lyft drivers in Illinois. Even though the study found that Lyft drivers make between $19 and $23 per hour on an outright basis, their real pay is far less after accounting for fees and taxes. The real wage of Lyft drivers in Chicago is less than $13 per hour, which is the states minimum wage. This puts drivers in a terrible place economically and unleashes an army of desperate drivers onto Chicago streets.
The low wages mean that Lyft drivers need to work long hours just to make ends meet if they are driving Lyft as a full-time job. The only entity making any real money is Lyft itself, which takes a nice cut of the driver’s hard-earned money just for providing the app. Those driving Lyft as a side hustle will need to work even more hours late at night to earn the money they need from the job.