Baltimore-area Lyft driver says she didn't get paid working busiest rideshare night of year

BALTIMORE -- A Baltimore-area Lyft driver said she never received her earnings from New Year's Eve, one of the busiest days for rideshare drivers.

Paula, an Army veteran and Lyft driver since 2018, said she wasn't the only one who didn't get money deposited.

When she finished her shift at the hospital on New Year's Eve, she turned on her Lyft app to start picking up rides around Bel Air.

"it can be up to $500 or $600 a night on New Year's Eve," Paula said.

Paula says the money is usually deposited into her account immediately.

However, after 11 rides, the money wasn't deposited.

"When I saw that, I kept hitting the button and I was getting nothing, I said, 'Wait a minute,'" Paula said.

She ended the night early. She said she wasted six hours driving for free.

Paula said it wasn't the first time it happened to her.

"I stopped driving because I remember the one time that I took someone to New York, it was about $200, and they never paid me," Paula said. "Sometimes when the app doesn't work, it will catch up with you, and sometimes it doesn't, and you don't get paid at all, but they have it fixed, so you cannot contact them by phone."

Paula said she tried reaching out to Lyft but only received scripted responses.

"I have about 30 texts to them in the chat room where they were always sending something back that didn't apply to the money that we did not get on New Year's Eve," Paula said. "'Can I help you with something else?' is what you'll usually get."

Lyft drivers nationwide said they couldn't withdraw the money they made from rideshare trips on New Year's Eve.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, many drivers voiced their frustrations about this glitch.

One driver posted that he's now late on rent and can't get a straight answer from the company.

"There's nothing you can do," Paula said.

Paula says she doesn't want to stop driving for Lyft, but the company needs a better process for resolving issues.

"They need to have it where you can call in and explain to someone," Paula said.

Lyft sent WJZ this response:

"We are aware some drivers were temporarily unable to see or receive their correct earnings over this holiday weekend. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience or worry caused by this error. Any drivers who were unable to cash out will receive or have already received the full amount, and any drivers who saw an incorrect earnings balance will now both see and be able to withdraw the correct amount."