Uber or Lyft: Which is Best? - Comments Page 1

Uber has always accepted Paypal on my account - now close to two years old.
Also, many more Uber rides available in my area.

You are asking about readers' experiences with Uber or Lyft, but I would also be interested to read the Uber or Lyft drivers' experiences. I hear that the low taxi fares mean that these drivers have a very modest income, to say the least, taking into account that the inventor of the system also wants his share of the cake.

I have recently signed up with Uber - Lyft isn't available in the UK where I live. I have only taken 2 rides - one in Chicago from Lakeview to O'Hare and one in London from Heathrow airport to my home around 40 miles away in Surrey, UK. I have to say both rides were excellent and I know the UK one was at about half the price of a London Taxi black cab and was in a Toyota Prius hybrid which meant far lower emissions than a London taxicab. My son who lives in Chicago, and formerly in New York, used to use Uber and now uses Lyft mostly but rates both services highly. I'll definitely use Uber again unless its banned in London as the London taxi mafia wishes!

When comparing only two objects (Uber and Lyft) the correct word is “better” not “best”. “Best” is used for three or more objects. ... Well, you did say grammar is important.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Okay, then should one use "bestest" when comparing FOUR or more objects? :-)

Most of the people I know have switched to Lyft from Uber if it is available in their area. It had nothing to do with service, but rather with Uber company policies, controversies, etc.

I've used Uber several times. I have yet to have a bad experience. Right now, Uber is offering a "flat fare pass" in some areas. You pay a nominal fee ($5 in Dallas), and for 28 days all rides that would cost less than $20 are only $6.95. Fares higher than $20 are $6.95 plus the over-$20 amount. (And fares less than $6.95 cost their usual price.) Since I mainly use Uber to get to work (normally $14-$17 depending on demand), this is a great bargain for me.

Quick addendum to my comment: The pass has a limited area, which excludes the Highland Park/University Park "bubble" and D/FW airport. But "limited" doesn't mean small: it includes all of Fort Worth as well!

Is Uber available in Rome, Italy?

I am a non-lyft, non-über driver, partly because I am too old to have a smart phone and they cost too much. I get the impression that they expect you to work all of the time, which I do not want to do. Ergo, I am tired of hearing about this topic.

I would add one point: When entering your pickup point, you can also just type in the name of the store/restaurant/bar where you are, you don't have to know the street address. For example, I can enter "Knickerbocker Grill" and it knows where that is. Much easier than asking the bartender or the host/hostess what street address you're at.

Also, in NYC, there is another app called Juno. (I have not seen it in other cities.) Juno takes a much smaller percentage from the driver (10% compared to the 25% Uber and Lyft take). The drivers have confirmed this to me. They tell me they love Juno the best and if a ride comes up on both Uber and Juno, they take the Juno ride every time. Much shorter wait times as a result.

One thing to remember. If you see someone you know across a busy street don't wave at them. You may be swarmed by cabs, etc.

I have used both and they are about the same in most cases, with slightly more Uber rides available.....maybe (as Bob notes most of my drivers are driving for both and like some things better about each) and Lyft may be slightly cheaper (they both offer special deal from time to time.)
When I was there in August Uber was not allowed to operate in Rome (they were also outlawed in Madrid, but changed the name to Uber X and changed some policies to be more in line with taxi regulations- since taxis have a flat rate to and from the airport [$30 for a relatively long trip] we just took a taxi) also it is illegal to flag down a taxi in Rome- you must either call or pick one up at a taxi stand.
I mostly use Lyft because.....politics.
I would spend a little more to use a taxi, but they are so unreliable in Portland and SF and surly when you call them on running up the fare by driving the long way around.

Bob, a comparison of the insurance landscape as it relates to coverage for injured passengers would make a good folllowup to this article. My instinct says that if there's a crash and you're injured, you're better off insurance-wise in a taxicab operated by a large, regulated company than in the car of an independent contractor who may or may not have informed his insurance company that he's driving commercially. Or maybe not; I've never used Uber or Lyft, so I know little about them...

I have used Uber in US, Australia and Malaysia without complaint. In South East Asia there is also GrabCar, which my local friends think is better than Uber.

Yes, Uber is available in Italy (Rome - not sure about other cities)

Uber also uses PayPal and also allows stops along the way. One improvement that both need to have is the ability to have two or more rides going at the same time. Say you want to put your son in an Uber/Lyft and send him on his way and then you want one for yourself....Can't do it......Yet.

One exception to the price advantage for Uber/Lyft is during those surge periods. In DC, our daughter got a regular cab for us when all the clubs were closing and said - from her own experience - that the price would be much lower, since the cabs don't jack up rates when demand is high.

I have used primarily Uber and have been exceptionally satisfied. Both are great services. Prompt!!!

Regarding Joe's comment: Anyone interested in becoming an Uber or Lyft driver needs to check their auto insurance policy. Mine specifically prohibits using my car to carry passengers on my personal policy. I would have to get a different policy to do so. (State Farm in Georgia, US)

"When comparing only two objects (Uber and Lyft) the correct word is “better” not “best”. “Best” is used for three or more objects. ... Well, you did say grammar is important."
-Captain J

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Captain J,

Thank you for that. I've learned something today.
-Bob.

Uber's company policies scare us off. One ride we did in NYC cost exactly the same as the taxi. In Seattle we use Yellow Cab's App and have found it as good as you describe Uber's although I'm not sure about the address problem you had in a mall. If the driver hasn't been sure of anything they called us.