Owensboro Lyft was introduced locally a little over a year ago, and its service has been a game-changer for those needing rides in a quick, safe and friendly manner. The passengers who’ve benefited from the ride-sharing service aren’t alone in their appreciation, either.
“I love it, absolutely. It’s probably my favorite job I’ve ever had,” said Kurt Burns, who’s been driving for Owensboro Lyft since its November 2017 inception. “I basically get paid to hang out with people and hear their stories.”
Burns’ journey to Lyft driving began once he realized how unhappy he was at his former job. After seeing an advertisement for a Lyft driver in Evansville, Burns applied and was accepted for the position.
“Back when I first started looking into Lyft, I had a regular 9-to-5 job, and it was soul-sucking. I hated it, I hated the grind,” Burns said. “I started looking into ways to make some supplemental income. I’d always had some form of a driving job before, so I applied.”
Admittedly, Burns didn’t know what to expect when he started his position as a Lyft driver. However, he found that he enjoyed helping people and getting to know them in the process.
Burns had finally found a job that fulfilled him. Once the service was brought to Owensboro, Burns made the switch to driving in the local area.
The experience has been life-changing for Burns, who said some of his closest friends were met while providing Lyft rides.
“I’ve met some amazing friends through LYFT, some of my regulars,” Burns said. “I’m going to be in the wedding of one of my passengers.”
“Regulars” are common for Lyft drivers once they’ve established themselves. Customers come to know and appreciate their Lyft drivers and know them by name, car and physical attributes. Burns said he’s known to passengers as “the bearded Lyft guy.”
Burns said the Lyft service is not only thriving in Owensboro, but that it’s grown exponentially in popularity. When Burns started out, Owensboro had less than a handful of drivers. Now, there are over 20 Lyft drivers serving the Owensboro area.
“I actually see the nightlife in this town coming back [because of Lyft],” Burns said. “Now that Lyft is established, people are starting to go out again. Club 300 is always packed. Bar Louie is a big one. I live really close to Ten.O.Six. so I’m going there all the time.”
From Burns’ perspective, nightlife in Owensboro suffered before because it was difficult for residents to get safe rides in a timely fashion. Burns said the biggest complaint he’s heard from Lyft customers is that it took them between 2 and 3 hours to get a taxi when needed.
With Lyft, customers are given real-time updates on the location of their driver, as well as a predicted timeframe for when they will arrive. In Evansville, Burns said he didn’t stay as busy as he does in Owensboro because Evansville provided more taxis and utilizes Uber as well. In Owensboro, however, Burns has seen major success with Lyft.
“I make enough money to sustain, and then a little more,” Burns said.
New Year’s Eve is Lyft’s busiest day of the year, and pricing for the service is dynamic, Burns said. Based on demand, prices lessen when there are more drivers and less demand, while prices rise when there are less drivers available against a higher demand. Surge pricing is also incorporated through an algorithm that detects large-scale events and holidays.
Other busy holidays for Lyft include Christmas Eve, Fourth of July and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which Burns said is the second busiest day for Lyft drivers.
“It’s been an incredibly rewarding job for me — I don’t even want to call it a job because I enjoy doing it so much,” Burns said.
