4 ms·

Out of curiosity, why do you prefer Lyft?

aetherson 10y ago
I am not the person you're replying to, but I used to switch back and forth between Lyft and Uber and use whichever was cheaper at the moment. But Uber kept sending me drivers who were like 0.5 miles away or more, in SOMA at rush hour, and after the second time I waited ten minutes and then the driver canceled, I decided I was willing to pay a small surcharge to get a drive in less than 5 minutes and for it to, you know, actually happen. I should probably try out Uber again to see if they've resolved their problems with driver supply. This was SOMA (5th & Bryant) at like 5:15-6:00pm, several times over the course of a month.
- trevyn 10y ago
  When you suspect there's going to be an issue with timeliness, just call both an Uber and a Lyft, and whichever one gets there first wins. ;) The cancellation fee only kicks in after 5 minutes.
  - chickenfries 10y ago
    How terrible it would be to be a driver if everyone acted like this...
duaneb 10y ago
They aren't Uber and they exist.
- kafkaesq 10y ago
  Quite a compelling reason actually, to a first-order approximation.
mattnewton 10y ago
It used to seem to be the drivers of Lyft tended to be more doing it part time and fun to talk to, versus the much more business oriented and cold Uber community made up of former taxi drivers and truckers. I always assumed this had to do with the branding and the way they targeted potential drivers. I liked the Lyft feel a lot more. But lately they both seem to be a mix of both communities to me, so I don't know if that has changed or if it was even a real effect to begin with.
- pzh 10y ago
  My experience has been that pretty much every Lyft driver I've met also drives for Uber.
joatmon-snoo 10y ago
https://www.cnet.com/news/uber-executive-considered-investigating-and-attacking-journalists/ https://www.cnet.com/news/uber-executive-considered-investig... http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-employees-stalked-celebrities-ex-employee-claims-2016-12 http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-employees-stalked-celebr...
TAForObvReasons 10y ago
Not parent, but years ago after hearing that Uber employees were sending fake Lyft requests I decided I didn't want to support a company that would engage in those types of shady practices
potatolicious 10y ago
Have talked to a number of drivers who seem to like Lyft a lot better than Uber. For one thing, Lyft takes less of a cut and passes more to the driver. More than one driver I'ved talked to complained that Uber was in the habit of delaying earned payments to drivers. Some complained that Uber was in the habit of under-paying and making drivers spend time to fight for money they've already earned. They do not seem to have similar experiences from Lyft. In general, all else being equal (and the products are pretty close to equal), I'll prefer siding with the working stiff than multi-billion dollar multinationals.
LeoPanthera 10y ago
I prefer Lyft because every driver I've spoken to who drives for both (which is almost all of them) says that Lyft treats them better. Also the app is much nicer. The Uber app drives me crazy.
callahad 10y ago
Lyft allows for in-app tipping, and has a more humane contract with its drivers, as outlined in this Wired article: https://www.wired.com/2016/01/lyft-drivers-settle-suit-but-still-arent-employees/ https://www.wired.com/2016/01/lyft-drivers-settle-suit-but-s... Specifically, Lyft can only deactivate drivers for cause, and it has a clear appeals process through binding arbitration, for which Lyft foots the bill. I'm not fond of clauses that require arbitration or which prohibit class action suits, but at least Lyft allows for and pays the costs of that arbitration.
uberduber 10y ago
I used to slightly prefer Lyft but now greatly prefer Uber. In the beginning, Lyft only drivers were generally a bit more personable and Lyft Line passengers were generally always outside waiting and happy about sharing a ride. I've mostly been taking Uber recently due to their low prices. However, last month Lyft had a Line promotion and I got to take about 60 rides. The vast majority of the drivers were clearly fired Uber drivers and the experience was way worse. Dirty cars, unable to follow navigation, bad driving, no English, and one driver was just a straight up weirdo. They are clearly passing anyone at the in person interview now. And they all had high ratings of 4.7-4.9. I've had similar bad experiences on Uber but they are much less frequent and the drivers were almost always rated 4.3-4.6.

I am not the person you're replying to, but I used to switch back and forth between Lyft and Uber and use whichever was cheaper at the moment. But Uber kept sending me drivers who were like 0.5 miles away or more, in SOMA at rush hour, and after the second time I waited ten minutes and then the driver canceled, I decided I was willing to pay a small surcharge to get a drive in less than 5 minutes and for it to, you know, actually happen. I should probably try out Uber again to see if they've resolved their problems with driver supply. This was SOMA (5th & Bryant) at like 5:15-6:00pm, several times over the course of a month.

trevyn 10y ago
When you suspect there's going to be an issue with timeliness, just call both an Uber and a Lyft, and whichever one gets there first wins. ;) The cancellation fee only kicks in after 5 minutes.
- chickenfries 10y ago
  How terrible it would be to be a driver if everyone acted like this...

duaneb 10y ago

They aren't Uber and they exist.

kafkaesq 10y ago
Quite a compelling reason actually, to a first-order approximation.

mattnewton 10y ago

It used to seem to be the drivers of Lyft tended to be more doing it part time and fun to talk to, versus the much more business oriented and cold Uber community made up of former taxi drivers and truckers. I always assumed this had to do with the branding and the way they targeted potential drivers. I liked the Lyft feel a lot more. But lately they both seem to be a mix of both communities to me, so I don't know if that has changed or if it was even a real effect to begin with.

pzh 10y ago
My experience has been that pretty much every Lyft driver I've met also drives for Uber.

joatmon-snoo 10y ago

https://www.cnet.com/news/uber-executive-considered-investigating-and-attacking-journalists/ https://www.cnet.com/news/uber-executive-considered-investig... http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-employees-stalked-celebrities-ex-employee-claims-2016-12 http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-employees-stalked-celebr...

TAForObvReasons 10y ago

Not parent, but years ago after hearing that Uber employees were sending fake Lyft requests I decided I didn't want to support a company that would engage in those types of shady practices

potatolicious 10y ago

Have talked to a number of drivers who seem to like Lyft a lot better than Uber. For one thing, Lyft takes less of a cut and passes more to the driver. More than one driver I'ved talked to complained that Uber was in the habit of delaying earned payments to drivers. Some complained that Uber was in the habit of under-paying and making drivers spend time to fight for money they've already earned. They do not seem to have similar experiences from Lyft. In general, all else being equal (and the products are pretty close to equal), I'll prefer siding with the working stiff than multi-billion dollar multinationals.

LeoPanthera 10y ago

I prefer Lyft because every driver I've spoken to who drives for both (which is almost all of them) says that Lyft treats them better. Also the app is much nicer. The Uber app drives me crazy.

callahad 10y ago

Lyft allows for in-app tipping, and has a more humane contract with its drivers, as outlined in this Wired article: https://www.wired.com/2016/01/lyft-drivers-settle-suit-but-still-arent-employees/ https://www.wired.com/2016/01/lyft-drivers-settle-suit-but-s... Specifically, Lyft can only deactivate drivers for cause, and it has a clear appeals process through binding arbitration, for which Lyft foots the bill. I'm not fond of clauses that require arbitration or which prohibit class action suits, but at least Lyft allows for and pays the costs of that arbitration.

uberduber 10y ago

I used to slightly prefer Lyft but now greatly prefer Uber. In the beginning, Lyft only drivers were generally a bit more personable and Lyft Line passengers were generally always outside waiting and happy about sharing a ride. I've mostly been taking Uber recently due to their low prices. However, last month Lyft had a Line promotion and I got to take about 60 rides. The vast majority of the drivers were clearly fired Uber drivers and the experience was way worse. Dirty cars, unable to follow navigation, bad driving, no English, and one driver was just a straight up weirdo. They are clearly passing anyone at the in person interview now. And they all had high ratings of 4.7-4.9. I've had similar bad experiences on Uber but they are much less frequent and the drivers were almost always rated 4.3-4.6.