
Lyft Set to Claim Third of U.S. Market in 2017 - WisNorCan
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-11/lyft-set-to-claim-third-of-u-s-market-in-2017-document-shows
======
joelrunyon
I always wish we as riders could set a "preset" for what we'd like in a ride.

Most times I take a lyft/uber I have something else to do in the car ride +
rarely want to talk to the driver. Maybe that's rude, but if I take a taxi or
a bus, I just want to get somewhere, not have a conversation.

With the advent of "tips" and "compliments" \- I've noticed how much more
drivers talk to you just because they think it will help with tips, when
really - I'll tip them more if they get me there faster w/ less hassle.

Maybe this makes me a bit cold, but I feel like it could be a trivial thing to
fix considering each rider has their own preferences. Seems like you could set
a default on your profile "I like chats", "just business" etc - and let your
driver know ahead of time and avoid the "I don't really want to talk right
now" type of chats that have no way to not come out rude.

~~~
aeontech
If I need to work or nap or just think quietly, I just tell the driver
upfront. Never had anyone take offense or bother me after that. Not sure why
that needs to be automated.

People tend to talk out of social anxiety or the perceived need to entertain a
passenger who looks bored. I do not think the majority of drivers talk as a
mercenary plot to try to get a bigger tip - simple human sociability seems
just as likely an explanation.

Also, Lyft’s “thing” from the very start was to be a more friendly ride, with
drivers encouraged to offer bottled water/snack/phone charger and chat.

~~~
jessriedel
I agree that just saying you want to work is totally acceptable and I've never
had an issue, but I think it's naive to think driver's don't strike up a
conversation, at least part of the time, as a way to build camaraderie and
generate tips. This is a ubiquitous technique in the service industry and
there's nothing wrong with it.

~~~
ggg9990
If Uber driver conversations were mostly tip-motivated then you would have
seen an increase in the frequency of them when Uber introduced tipping a few
months ago. I haven't observed that. Something like 80-95% of my drivers have
started conversations.

~~~
udfalkso
It’s not just tips. It’s the 5 star rating.

------
andygcook
Whenever I take a rideshare I have a habit of asking the drivers how they like
the app they’re driving for — Lyft/Uber.

Hands down Lyft drivers have better things to say than Uber drivers. Lyft pays
more, reportedly treats the drivers better and was the first to build tipping
into the app.

Anectdotely as a rider, Lyft drivers tend to friendly. Good to see Lyft
growing.

~~~
furioussloth
Whether Lyft treats drivers better is very debatable. After 180 days of change
campaign that Uber did many drivers believed Uber is better for them than
Lyft. But Lyft also takes smaller cut of fare compared to Uber (Lyft also
charges way less in my city so drivers get paid pretty much the same.) Both
companies screw their drivers in one way or the other but Lyft does it with
smiles and fist bumps. Source: I spend more time on uber/lyft drivers
subreddits than i would like to admit.

------
aviv
Lyft is a good example for startups that are 2nd or 3rd place (or worse)
behind a competing market leader. Perseverance can pay off tremendously. You
never know what the market forces will dictate, when your competitor will be
tied in some massive scandal, when the #1 market leader will get bought out
and have their primary product shut down a short while later, etc.

~~~
tyingq
Avis rent a car used to embrace that attitude: [https://visual.ly/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2014/06/avis-1.jpg](https://visual.ly/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2014/06/avis-1.jpg)

[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QjhMFKRvyqo/SODNmsNEHCI/AAAAAAAAAk...](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QjhMFKRvyqo/SODNmsNEHCI/AAAAAAAAAks/v4Awy6s_vjQ/s400/AvisNeedsYou64.jpg)

~~~
rokhayakebe
They could scratch everything save "The Line at Our Counter is Shorter." That
sounds powerful enough.

~~~
TulliusCicero
I'm surprised there aren't rental car counters that are just a bunch of
automated kiosks, like they have for flight check-ins. It seems like there's
rarely anything that actually requires a human at the desk when I've already
booked the car rental a while ago.

~~~
wj
Enterprise at LAX has kiosks but every time I try to use one I end up having
to go to the counter anyway. Possibly due to using a business travel agent but
I'm not sure.

I think Hertz has a VIP feature for frequent renters where they can just walk
right to the car.

------
aantix
This makes me happy. I started using Lyft in SF back in 2012 and I've always
thought their drivers were friendlier and flat out more fun to ride with than
Ubers.

I understand that a lot of people may not enjoy that kind of ride, but it's
nice to see that level of customer service start to win out.

~~~
djrogers
These days 80% of the rides I take are with drivers who are running both Lyft
and Uber, and there is little to no difference between the drivers attitude or
the ride.

The rare exceptions are not always in Lyft’s favor (over-the top theme
decorated cars with annoying sound effects and props, or super chatty drivers
who don’t stop talking even when I take out my earphones to explain that I’m
on a call or watching a training video etc).

------
habosa
Uber is like the classic movie evil villain. They had their enemy dangling
over the pit of alligators, but they spent too long giving their final speech
and the good guy got away.

If Uber had better direction in the last 2 years they would have completely
crushed Lyft, even put them out of business.

But I'm glad they didn't. I like Lyft more and the competition is good for
users of both.

~~~
icebraining
I'm not sure this is bad for Uber. Having competition can be helpful
politically. It reduces claims of monopolization and makes laws that help
"ride sharing" services less likely to be perceived as a favor to a single
company.

------
indescions_2017
After $1B investment from CapitalG, Lyft may also go public before Uber:

[https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/20/new-york-times-digital-
lyft-...](https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/20/new-york-times-digital-lyft-
exploring-i-p-o-raises-1-billion-led-by-googles-parent.html)

It will be very interesting if their two paths diverge. With Uber aggresively
investing in autonomous systems, logistics and emerging markets. While Lyft
provides its Open Platform to car manufacturers. And pivots to a more
"experiential" consumer-centric culture and service.

------
musgrove
Here's the source: "a private Lyft investor document." I'll take it with a
grain of salt.

------
unabridged
I like that lyft is getting more marketshare. But could we create an
opensource rideshare server and a nonprofit that lets drivers keep 99% of the
fare? There is nothing these companies are doing that the drivers couldn't get
done themselves with a handful of developers. The lawyering/lobbying part is
taken care of as long as they follow in uber and lyft's footprints.

~~~
listenallyall
isn't that a bit optimistic? while you're at it, why not create an open-source
ticket-selling site where fees are only 1% of the ticket price? and a short-
term home/room rental with tiny fees also? oh, and a global auction (or
BuyItNow) marketplace with virtually no fees, because open-source. when you're
finished with those, don't forget a worldwide social network with no ads,
because why not, its gonna be opensource, right?

~~~
WisNorCan
Do any of those sound crazier than (1) a free open source OS that anyone can
just download and modify or (2) a free encyclopedia created by people on the
Internet that has the same quality as EB.

Dream big. All the best ideas sound impossible until someone does it.

------
jacksmith21006
Google was coy on their plans in Arizona involving Lyft. They did share there
would be news in the not too distant future. Google ride sharing in Arizona
need to be supplemented with human drivers for trips Google can not do
automated. My guess is Google will use Lyft will this service for the humans.

BTW, Google also owns 9% of Uber.

------
akerro
Why is there no Lyft in Europe?

~~~
KerrickStaley
Lyft is very focused on winning the US market before doing aggressive
international expansion.

~~~
chris_wot
It appears they are also willing to follow the law.

~~~
asabjorn
What do you mean by following the law in this case? And how would they be
different from Uber in this regards? Uber has recently worked closely with
regulators in both London and Brazil to create regulation where little existed
before.

~~~
gsnedders
What regulation have they created in London? AFAIK, Uber London Ltd has always
just operated as a private hire firm; the only notable things with regards to
regulations was what ended up with the court case as to whether their use of
GPS distance-tracking was considered a taximeter.

~~~
asabjorn
In Brazil it’s passed regulation while in London it’s currently a WIP
according to press.

You did not answer my question though. How is Lyft any different in this
regard? Quite to the contrary Uber is as far as I know breaking ground in this
regard in Brazil and London with possible replication of these efforts
elsewhere.

------
revelation
A whole _third_ of a market where no one is making money, and hasn't for a
decade now? What a great achievement.

~~~
dang
Would you please not snark or post unsubstantive dismissals? We're trying for
better than that here.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

