
Lyft - nikunjk
http://a16z.com/2015/03/12/lyft/
======
habosa
It's pretty scary that a representative of a company who just put half a
billion dollars into Lyft seems to have no idea why Lyft is popular with
"millennials".

The only reason people of my generation don't go everywhere in a private black
Suburban is because it's expensive. The only reason they use Lyft Line and not
Lyft is because it's cheap. If you could get a private black car for $0.01
less than a Lyft Line you'd have the most popular app on the app store.

It's the same with AirBnb. If you could stay at the downtown Mariott for $110
and an AirBnb was $120, AirBnb would be dead. It just happens that AirBnb
offers lower prices than traditional hotels and much more capacity in certain
locations. People don't say "I really want to go on vacation and share a home
with a stranger, so I'll check out AirBnb". They say "oh shit the Westin is
charging $300 a night because there is a conference in town, I'll stay in
someone's guest bedroom for $100".

Sure, the social thing is nice sometimes. Most Lyft drivers I get are more
interesting than the taxi drivers I used to get (or at least more relatable to
me). But all of the startups the "millenials" have fallen in love with either
offer exceptional convenience (which is really about valuing your time),
better pricing, or both. That's really all it's about. We're part of the free
market like everyone else and we like to get things cheaply.

~~~
lobster_johnson
I like AirBnb because I don't like most hotels. They are like airports; ugly,
generic, a place for just passing through whose pretensions of courtesy and
happiness are a thin veneer over crass commercialism.

If I can find an apartment that is nicer than a hotel (they are not all nicer,
of course) then I will gladly pay a premium for my own entrance, my own
kitchen, my own fridge, etc.

Having spoken to my friends about this, I know I'm not the only one. I'm not a
millennial, though, but then I doubt that millennials are the ones propping up
AirBnb?

~~~
ritchiea
Agreed. Ride sharing is a faceless commodity and people will take the cheapest
option. AirBnB is slightly different because sometimes the apartment is nicer
than the hotel, or offers a full kitchen. Or is an entire house and you're
planning a trip with a group of friends or family. The reasons go on and on.
But the original comment's point about Lyft is spot on, it's a shame we have
to derail that thread because of his misreading of Airbnb.

------
nostromo
Anyone who thinks Airbnb is a "social experience" hasn't used and doesn't
understand Airbnb.

That's fine and all, rich dudes aren't their target market. But I cringe when
I hear VCs talk about Airbnb, because it's nearly universally clueless.

I think Airbnb is special in this way. It's a darling startup every VC loves
and _no VC ever uses_.

~~~
dang
> Anyone who thinks Airbnb is a "social experience" hasn't used and doesn't
> understand Airbnb.

That's far too strong a claim. Most times I've used Airbnb have been social
experiences—pleasant ones in fact, that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

I'd say the same about Lyft, come to think of it.

~~~
simonebrunozzi
Your experience might be like that, but reading the comments above it seems
that you are in the minority.

~~~
dang
I'm not sure how much we can conclude from a sample of HN comments.

------
whichdan
I live in Boston and hugely supported Lyft (using it exclusively over Uber),
but as soon as the weather started getting bad (late December), it seemed as
if all of the Lyft drivers vanished. I'm back to using Uber exclusively and
not even checking Lyft, since I most likely won't be able to get a cab during
peak time. Sure, it'll probably pick back up now that the weather is
improving, but how they handle bad situations is much more defining than how
they handle good ones.

~~~
gitah
One aspect I haven't seen anyone mentioned is that Uber does not prompt you
for tips where as Lyft does.

This is a pretty big deal and is why I always choose Uber over Lyft.

~~~
whichdan
I actually emailed Lyft for clarification on this! They said that tipping is
considered optional, and more of a reward for good service than a supplement
for low pricing.

That said, for both Lyft and Uber, the drivers seem to be underpaid as a
whole, and several have remarked to me that hitting $20/hr means they're doing
well.

~~~
aianus
Netting or grossing $20/h?

~~~
whichdan
Not sure; I think they implied gross, but probably meant net.

~~~
aianus
I would say someone netting $20/h driving a car around part-time is well-
compensated. Pretty much anyone in the US can drive a car and it's neither
dangerous nor particularly uncomfortable.

------
khamoud
What's with the aggressive attitude? The writer admits that he doesn't fully
understand the psyche of a "millennial" and then tries to be subtle and smear
Uber. I'm a millennial and a software engineer so I make enough money to be
able to purchase an eight passenger suburban and drive it around if I wanted
to but I don't own a car so instead I choose to ride share. Is getting into an
Uber more offensive than buying a suburban? This whole article felt like they
were trying to prove why they are better than Uber by trying to make some fake
sense of guilt for using Uber. I use Uber exclusively because my experiences
with them have been so much better than the experiences I've had with lyft.

Instead of focussing on why Uber is bad they should try to focus on helping
make lyft suck less.

~~~
pbreit
I think the audience is just bi-furcating. There are many Lyft riders who are
horrified at the thought of sitting in the back solo of a non-professional's
car. Likewise, there are many Uber riders who are insulted by the thought of
chatting with their paid driver.

------
7Figures2Commas
It's somewhat ironic that Lyft announced its largest funding round to date on
the same day that a judge rejected the company's request to declare its
drivers independent contractors.

If a jury decides that drivers are employees, transforming the U.S. personal
transportation market is going to become a much more expensive proposition for
Lyft's investors.

[1] [http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Juries-to-decide-
wheth...](http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Juries-to-decide-whether-Uber-
Lyft-drivers-are-6128899.php)

------
nakedrobot2
Let me decipher this cotton candy advertising-speak.

"We have to bulk up to fight Uber. Lyft seem nicer at least, since Uber keeps
getting caught doing sleazy things. Choose us, before we're completely
commoditized."

~~~
pbreit
Except that there's a good chance you are wrong. It's conventional wisdom that
Uber should easily steamroll Lyft but it's just not happening and this post
articulates some of the reason. Some/many people actually do appreciate a
human(e) experience.

~~~
jknightco
The only reason Uber hasn't steamrolled Lyft is because Lyft has been injected
with over $850M in venture funding.

~~~
vivekpreddy
That's a curious statement. I could easily say the only reason Uber had a
chance to steamroll anyone was because they've been injected with billions in
venture funding...

------
mbesto
> _as we transform the $2.25 trillion U.S. personal transportation market_

Anyone know how this number is calculated? Tried the Google and couldn't find
much.

~~~
moe
Usually by the scientific method of summing up every remotely related figure
that you can find on google, adding some markup for good measure, and then
maintaining a straight face while dropping it on the audience that you wish to
impress.

------
hodgesmr
When I can't or don't want to drive, Lyft is definitely my go-to
transportation option in my city (Cincinnati). The prices are lower. When it's
"surge" time, Lyft's up-charges are less painful. The drivers are nicer. I
only user Uber when I can't get a Lyft.

------
kposehn
> John and Logan realized that women feel much more comfortable getting into a
> car if there’s a woman. Today 30% of the Lyft drivers are women, which has
> also had the effect of attracting women passengers who now make up more than
> half of all riders.

Makes me think that Lyft may be intentionally matching women drivers with
women riders where possible. Smart move, if so.

------
somberi
What the author forgets to mention, either intentionally or not, is that the
drivers of Lyft are also millennials. Both drivers and passengers participate
in a bottomed-out value chain, where the driver and the passenger cannot
afford anything more expensive. Paupers driving Paupers, and Kings spinning
this off as an "environmental cool meets individual liberty".

------
hndude
"impact on world around us" should read "impact on the world around us"

------
jgrahamc
_the founders have held a hard-earned secret about all the subtle things
necessary for people to come together in a car with strangers and enjoy it.
For instance, John and Logan realized that women feel much more comfortable
getting into a car if there’s a woman._

That's a subtle insight?!?

 _For my generation, it’s hard to fully understand the sea change of the
millennial psyche._

If you are calling people 'millenials' then you've failed from the get go.

~~~
m52go
They treat "millennials" as if they're some sort of alien species.

To them, I say: you were just as weird to the older generation when you were
younger. So please, cut it out.

~~~
orcdork
The world you're looking for is "demographic".

On a related sidenote, i use uber for the same anti-social reason i use
airbnb. Uber to get a cab without having to talk to some random dude with a
yorkshire accent on the phone for 15 minutes before i can manage getting a car
to pick me up, and airbnb because i want a real apartment for myself, instead
of hotel cucibles or a shared place. Couldn't care less about the made up
social aspects of being stuck in traffic. Maybe I'm just not "millennial"
enough.

~~~
pyrocat
have you used Lyft? You don't talk to anyone until your car picks you up, same
as Uber. If you want you can sit in the back seat and not talk at all.

