The Ride Sharing phenomenon is changing the world at quantum speeds, and the two fastest growing companies are Uber and Lyft.
Interestingly, while there are many similarities, there are also some differences, and these differences can have a huge impact on passengers.
On the side of similarity, both companies charge roughly the same, after all, they are competing. Applications are easily downloaded to your cell phone, payment is made with your credit card, and trips typically arrive in five to ten minutes.
Passengers get into the cars, which are usually, but not always, Prius, can chat with the driver or not, huddle in the corner and sleep, or whatever. Most drivers honestly don’t care about chatting, although it tends to speed up your time.
On the side of the differences there are a couple of elements that affect the passenger a little, but more the driver.
First, the Lyft payment is better. Lyft charges roughly the same, but pays its drivers a higher percentage. What this does is make the Lyft driver more polite and caring. Additionally, Lyft allows, even encourages, tipping. Uber disapproves of tips, even telling its drivers to decline tips. Say ah! That’s like telling someone in the desert not to drink.
What’s interesting about this tipping thing is that Uber tells the public that tips are included in their fare. But is not. Not even remotely. And especially since Uber has steadily lowered the price of rides.
As a driver for Uber and Lyft, I can tell you that these small differences have a big impact.
One, seasoned drivers tend to gravitate toward Lyft. This means that they will know better the routes around the city and will get the passenger there faster and without problems.
Two, tips are an incentive. I know a guy who drives for both Uber and Lyft, and he puts away spare water bottles and little snacks every time he gets a call from Uber. When he drives for Lyft, he takes them out again.
Three, there is definitely more courtesy from the Lyft driver. You are simply earning a better salary and therefore have a keen interest in being more educated; you’re going to get tips if you’re polite, whereas as an Uber driver you’re not going to get tips, so why bother opening the door or offering the free bottle of water?
And this brings us to an interesting point.
Did you know that Lyft riders are more polite than Uber riders? There are reasons for this, Uber tells the driver to wait and wait for the slow rider, Lyft applies a moderate ethic by turning on the meter within two minutes of arrival.
But the main reason is that by briefly changing the Uber driver’s salary, Uber is making the Uber driver not care, which will be reflected in the ‘supportive’ attitude of the passenger.
In conclusion, the rideshare company you choose to use is up to you. And, if you find that neither Uber nor Lyft suit your wishes, there are others out there. However, they won’t be as fast and efficient, at least not for the foreseeable future, like Uber or Lyft.