
Uber vs. Lyft: From The Driver’s Seat - gregmuender
https://medium.com/life-learning/uber-vs-lyft-an-insiders-view-fb14ba0a3dbb
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filmgirlcw
I understand why Uber's culture might be less popular with drivers and I
certainly wish they seemed less smarmy - to echo another commenter - but this
description totally underscores why I prefer Uber to Lyft as a customer.

Nothing against Lyft per se (though getting hit on by drivers twice, including
a text after the fact, my last trip to SF didn't help), but the "we're all
friends" culture sounds ok on paper but when I'm paying for car service, maybe
I'm just a bitch, but I don't want to be your friend.

I get there is a difference between liveries and ride sharing in some cities,
I do. But I live in New York. I don't want to sit in the front. I don't want
to bump your fist. I don't always want to talk (though I've maintained a diary
of sorts of many of my favorite Uber driver conversations). I'k primarily
using the app because I need a car and couldn't get a taxi. Having a warm and
fuzzy relationship is fine, but most of the time I'm trying to do work on my
laptop or iPad. As a result, I'm more incline to use the service that treats
it as a business than a lark.

But I do appreciate that Lyft drivers feel more appreciated there. That's
important. I hope Lyft continues to treat it's drivers well.

~~~
crazypyro
To be fair, you are basically describing a taxi service or professional
driving service, word for word. The friendly, talkative atmosphere is exactly
what Lyft is marketing towards. In fact, a comment directly below yours talks
about how great the atmosphere is for them and how it feels like a true ride
sharing service between friends.

One couldn't even argue the ride sharing between friends when you actively
don't want to communicate with your driver....

~~~
mmagin
It may be an introvert thing, but I find this similar to how I vastly prefer
the self-checkout machines at the supermarket. I don't really want to expend
the finite emotional energy I have on being fake-social with people I don't
even know while I'm making a business transaction.

Although apparently Lyft is now available where I live, it's never even had
the inclination to try their service (as a passenger) because I find actually
meeting new people and having open-ended conversations with them quite
exhausting and stressful. At least with UberX I am assured we can just be
polite to each other and not say much.

~~~
elwell
There's a Bible proverb somewhere that says, "He who refreshes others will
himself be refreshed." Sometimes it can seem like we only have a finite amount
of emotional energy, but keep in mind the ways to refresh that store.

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dnautics
As a (full-time) driver for both: I am biased towards lyft - I make more money
on their platform weekly, they take less commission, I have a good friend who
works for lyft.

There is certainly a difference between the two, but the two corporate
cultures are converging. The cutthroat competition, and possibly growth
demands put on them by VC has forced lyft to 'play catch up' against uber in
many ways.

It shows up in superficial ways: For example, especially hilarious was the
week that uber's and lyft's driver-side UI for accepting and completing rides
swapped (uber went from tap and confirm to swipe in/swipe out; lyft went the
opposite way).

Lyft communication with drivers, while always upbeat, is often very very slow
and occasionally they are borderline negligent in dealing with pay issues.

And as is always the case, it's very difficult to measure the supply and
demand, and so in my market at least there is a gross oversupply of drivers;
as the drivers tail off and stop driving because they aren't making money,
lyft finds itself needing to go on a hiring drive before major events
(halloween, etc)... And then everyone shows up on the road for the few weeks
after that and takehome goes sharply down.

I have doubts lyft will ever get caught in a major dustup like Uber did with
its executive-level idiocy, but it's not a perfect company, and there are
certainly more points of similarity (in bad ways) between the two companies
than this review points out.

Still having said that, I do like contracting with lyft. It's (and to a less
extent uber) given me runway for setting up my nonprofit and I'll be launching
a for-profit after I move up to the bay area next week.... While we're seeking
capital for it, I'll be lyfting around, if you use lyft you might see me.

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pgopalan
This post references its original parent in Pando Daily. I'm surprised there
is no disclosure in Pando Daily that investors in Pando Daily such as A16Z,
Founder's Fund, Peter Thiel are also investors in Lyft. I think it is only
fair that every post in Pando Daily should carry that disclosure so that
readers are fully aware of the connection. Why isn't this not called out? I
just read a post in Medium which is rightfully questioning the motivation of
these media posts absent the disclosure.
[https://medium.com/@PersonofAwesome/buying-news-coverage-
and...](https://medium.com/@PersonofAwesome/buying-news-coverage-and-crying-
misogyny-in-the-ride-sharing-industry-dedeec300ae9) We need more transparency
from the media outlets.

~~~
pbreit
Pando typically discloses that it shares investors with Uber and Lyft. This
one might have slipped through since it's a guest author.

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joshstrange
I have used Lyft probably close to 25 times (Is there a place I can see my
ride history other than CC statements?) and only used Uber once so I won't try
to compare the two but I will say this about Lyft:

Lyft was the first ride-share program to come to my city and I was a little
disappointed as I had spent over a year hearing about how awesome Uber was.
This feeling quickly disappeared after my first Lyft ride. It was so
completely different than any taxi ride I had ever taken that I was taken
aback. The whole process was super smooth and it really does feel like getting
a ride from a friend. One of the parts I hated most about taxi's was paying at
the end because they don't take CC's where I live (or if they do they hide the
CC terminals) and so I always had to pay in cash and would often over tip (by
rounding up to the nearest bill I had) just to get the ride over with faster.
With Lyft I find myself wanting the ride to keep going and I genuinely enjoy
talking to every Lyft driver I have ever had. I don't think I have ever had a
conversation with a taxi driver that wasn't forced or awkward.

I get that a lot of people don't drive for Lyft as their main job (as do taxi
drivers) and so it may be easier for them to be talkative and upbeat but it
really does make all the difference. I gush about how much I love Lyft to all
my friends and now they all use it and similarly love it. Everytime Lyft comes
up in conversation everyone will talk about how great it is and how they love
to use it.

Uber is now in my city but as I said I only used it once and I won't even
begin to try to compare the experiences because the data set is way too small
(hell, 25 rides with Lyft is probably too small as well). But from what I have
seen from the outside looking in it's much more "professional" (I don't say
that as a good thing) and buttoned up. I love how laid back Lyft drivers are
and after reading this blog post it appears that Lyft as a company is this way
as well. I wish Lyft the best of luck and will always try to get a Lyft driver
before I fall back on Uber.

~~~
binaryqueen
I find this really interesting. I prefer Uber at-least in LA. I have used both
Uber and Lyft pretty consistently in the last year. My problem with lyft has
been my extreme experiences that come at the expense of "being a friend". I
have had rides from LAX with drivers asking me very private information like
my religious beliefs. There was another guy who was talking about his
relationships and hinting at his sex life. It was bizarre and funny in the way
he said that he does not like to talk but lyft emphasizes on this social
experience (and in my head I was like, dude please shut up.. i wont mind) I am
sure these incidents can happen with Uber but so far I have never been creeped
out even if I thought the drivers were rude or even reckless etc.

With lyft, I tend to sit on the passengers side; which kind of increases my
sense of dread when I get weird drivers.

I hear this quite frequently on how awesome it is that Lyft emphasizes this
social experience. But in my personal experience it has a (slight?) downside.

~~~
joshstrange
That is interesting. I would bet that Uber/Lyft are not homogenous across the
US (or other other countries for that matter) but it may also come down to the
fact that I am normally very open even with strangers. I feel awkward when
there is silence and I won't fill it with awkward talking but I still don't
like it. This is one of the big reasons I don't like taxis, I don't know how
best to explain it but I guess the best way is I feel like I'm being rude if I
just get in the car, tell them where I want to go, then stay silent the whole
ride. I may be alone, or in the minority, for this but yeah... I also love to
talk so that's why I quite like the Lyft friendly, sit-in-the-front-seat
experience.

Thanks for chiming in with your experience! I'd like to hear what other people
have to say about this as well.

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delecti
This seems to objectively match my customer experience as well, though my
subjective experience is different.

I wish Uber didn't feel like such a scummy bunch of people, because I'm not a
particularly friendly/talkative/social person. I like that when I got into an
Uber it seemed expected to not really interact with my driver. It's not that
I'm "above them" or anything, though I certainly can see how their chauffeur
atmosphere would appeal to those who appreciate that, it's just that they're a
stranger, and I find that intimidating.

I'll probably keep using Lyft though, because all else being equal I'd rather
be uncomfortable with my ride than uncomfortable with my decisions as a
consumer.

~~~
username223
They have to pretend that you're car-pooling, rather than just hiring a taxi.
I don't like lying to people, so I prefer to tell them that I'm paying them to
drive me from A to B.

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hisabness
i was banned from Llyft and never given a reason except that "we take safety
seriously". i remember always being an upstanding rider, but may have been a
bit light in the tip category. tried to contact the company to see why i was
banned but have been stonewalled. hopefully they don't start banning poor
people, or some other group just because.

wish they would provided more transparency and have contacted the utilities
commission in my state to share my concern.

~~~
MacsHeadroom
You're not supposed to tip your driver. Sounds like you made somebody feel
uncomfortable.

~~~
ladybro
Lyft offers the option to tip, if I'm not mistaken.

~~~
Major_Grooves
I would presume, if they were smart, that they would not show how much tip you
make per trip, rather per week, so you can't get annoyed at individuals.
Doesn't work of course if they only give one ride, but do drivers ever do
that?

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LewisJEllis
Great copy from Uber: "We use driver ratings to know who are great partners
are"

~~~
jsprogrammer
I also enjoyed how they admitted that they mislead drivers and riders by not
displaying a rating lower than 4.55 even though the email said the driver's
rating was less than 4.55.

~~~
etjossem
I thought I was the only one who caught that. Very sketchy.

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fibbery
This article was OK, but the inclusion of affiliate links in the middle of the
body copy made me feel like I was reading an ad in disguise...

~~~
inspiredworlds
Yeah it felt like an ad. I understand he wants to have some call to action in
there. But might have overdone it.

------
habosa
I have experienced exactly this in SF. It may just be that I am overly
friendly with strangers, but I opt for Lyft every time the prices are close
(I'll take 1.5x Lyft over 1.25x UberX every time). The drivers are nicer and
just generally more considerate. I've had drivers show me cool music and tell
me great stories.

Then again I have friends who hate Lyft for the same reasons. They want to sit
quietly in a black car and just get there. To each his/her own.

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georgeecollins
The thing that seems crazy to me is that drivers are worried that they will
lose their jobs to driverless cars. While I am sure this will be possible
someday, even if it were 100% technically possible today (and it isn't) it
would take a few years for all the driverless cars to be purchased.

I am sure someday it will happen. But if I were driving a car for a living I
think I would be more worried about a car accident, illness, a recession..

~~~
dougabug
When the CEO of the company you work for tells the world he can't wait to
replace you and your fellow workers, it seems reasonable to worry a little
bit. At a minimum, it's a bit disconcerting to be equated in value to a (not
so distant future) machine.

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somberi
At least here in NYC, I see the same drivers driving for both UberX and Lyft.
The only difference is that they have to attach the pink mustache in the front
if they are responding to a Lyft order. In their mind, and mine, once I am in
the cab, the company culture does not come afore as much as the human in the
car. If he is talkative, he is - Uber or Lyft. If I am talkative, I am -
wether Uber or Lyft. I have used both the services and I have had great
conversations.

I find Uber and Lyft as great ways of being introduced to new cities. The
drivers give me a shade of the city, that I might otherwise miss, just staying
in business hotels and talking to the hotel staff, and business partners. I
think of them as my "Lonely Planet" for X city.

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patcon
Reading this thread almost leaves me the impression there's room for a
rideshare service that matches riders and drivers based on Myers-Briggs
type...

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alokedesai
Great article, but the author seems way too desperate to get Uber and Lyft
credit

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cpkpad
From my seat in back, the difference is tipping. I hate tipping. Increase
fares 15% if you want, but not dealing with tipping was one of the nice things
about Uber.

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cpkpad
I hate dealing with tipping, so I almost always go with uber.

