While this is true, I feel like there are more 'average' folks looking to pick up extra income on the Lyft platform, as opposed to Uber. In US cities like SF, N

While this is true, I feel like there are more 'average' folks looking to pick up extra income on the Lyft platform, as opposed to Uber. In US cities like SF, NYC, LA, Seattle, Chicago, it seems like most of the Uber drivers I encounter these days are former taxi or livery drivers -- Uber is clearly their profession. It's apparent in their approaches to discussing the destination (particular landmarks, hotel names, business names, cross streets), and in sometimes in their driving style. And they're usually driving a car that optimizes for rideshare/taxi service type driving: Accords, Corollas, Camrys, Prius, etc. The conversation tends to be all business with a few pleasantries. On Lyft in the same cities, I always get a much more oddball mix of vehicles, with much more diverse conversation from the driver. I've had biotech founders looking to recruit and make beer money pick me up on Lyft rides going from the South Bay to the SF in the Bay Area, real estate agents and recruiters drive me in many cities, and many others that are clearly doing Lyft as a side gig rather than a profession. On the downside, this usually means that they're less aggressive drivers in terms of optimizing for speed and route efficiency, but it can make for a more interesting ride and better chitchat along the way. As a result, I almost always default to Lyft unless there's a huge price spread in Uber's favor.