10 ms·

Lyft Profiles

65 points by levpopov 12y ago

tswartz 12y ago
I believe this is a great step for Lyft to continue to differentiate themselves from Uber. In SF they are perceived as the 'friendly' service, but when I've talked to friends in other parts of the country they don't seem to view them differently than Uber. I hope the profiles are limited in what they ask so users aren't turned off of the service because they feel that they have to share too many personal details.
- viscanti 12y ago
  This is tricky to pull off. Too much data and it's just creepy. Too little data and it might as well not be there.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
kevando 12y ago
I love this. It indicates that Lyft truly has a big vision, just beyond ride sharing. I bet Fred Wilson blogs about this tomorrow.
natrius 12y ago
Viewing this as a branding exercise is missing the whole picture. UberPOOL and Lyft Line will revolutionize transportation by convincing drivers to pick up passengers during their commutes to and from work to pay their gas, maintenance, and then some. They'll convince riders to get in cars with strangers for prices that make owning more than one car in a household unreasonable, even in the suburbs. Doing that requires far more people to get comfortable sharing small spaces with strangers. Profiles are a step in that direction. EDIT: Either I missed it the first time, or they added a big chunk to the article about Line. Regardless, the branding angle is far secondary to Line.
- TeMPOraL 12y ago
  > by convincing drivers to pick up passengers during their commutes to and from work to pay their gas, maintenance, and then some Which is yet another case of capitalism replacing what was a common courtesy with a business transaction. I have very conflicting feelings about this.
  - tnorthcutt 12y ago
    When has it been a common courtesy to pick up strangers on your way to work? A courtesy, yes. But a common one? (I'm actually genuinely interested - was this common at some point in history?)
    - technotony 12y ago
      It's common in San Francisco: http://sfcasualcarpool.com/ http://sfcasualcarpool.com/
    - TeMPOraL 12y ago
      In post-soviet countries like Poland it was (less so now, but still popular). At some point we even had "hitchhiker's booklets" with coupons you would leave drivers who took you, and they could then use in lotteries. Hitchhiking was a strong tradition in Central/Eastern Europe, and - in some parts of the continent - still is.
    - mccr8 12y ago
      Apparently it is a thing in DC, known as "slug lines": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slugging http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slugging The idea is that by picking up people, you can drive in the HOV lanes.
  - calbear81 12y ago
    I am pretty happy that Lyft is betting on carpooling as that was the original vision that they had for Zimride (where Lyft was born) and I feel it sets a very clear distinction against the vision Uber has. Lyft is carpooling with friendly strangers, Uber is everyone's private driver (cheaper taxi). The challenge with the free/common courtesy model is that casual carpools are just not getting enough cars off the road. Lyft is solving the two biggest challenges I see in carpooling 1) convenience of having the app route you to people who are close enough to your route and can be dropped off without adding too much time and 2) making you feel more comfortable picking up strangers. Adding money to the equation to encourage more drivers is fine with me as it reduces car traffic and pollution.
JoeAltmaier 12y ago
Why does the driver matter when choosing a cab? Lots of room for profiling etc. Another way to subtly discriminate e.g. avoid women drivers or anybody who likes ethnic music. Choosing someone who you 'get along with' is a code phrase for excluding everybody different.
- philwelch 12y ago
  That's not how Lyft works. You hail a Lyft in the app and you get whatever driver shows up.
  - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
    According to the article, they'll be providing profiles for drivers. What point in that, except to browse them? Its going to change soon, according to the author.
    - philwelch 12y ago
      You read the profile of your driver while they're on their way so you have something to talk about during your ride.
- dcre 12y ago
  Users don't choose the driver, though. In these services the only way to do that would be to cancel the ride and ask for a new one immediately. Users who want to discriminate against their drivers have enough information already — name and photo — to do that. Not to mention that Lyft can detect the behavior easily and take corrective measures if necessary, such as making it clear that they know users are doing that. But I doubt that'll happen.
  - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
    Its supposed to be all about getting a driver with topics of conversation in common. They're adding profiles for drivers, that's clear in the article. What use adding them if you can't see them? Of course the customer can see them. And choose between them. Did I read the same article?
mrb 12y ago
"If a user has connected their Facebook account, the Lyft app can show if drivers and passengers have mutual friends in common." I see so many possibilities around adding a social dimension to ride-sharing services. What if the app would in fact try to preferably connect you with a rider who has mutual Facebook friends with you? What if the drivers and passengers could check a box indicating they were single and would like to use rides as a way to have an informal, inexpensive, casual date? What about matching people based on common business interests (looking for an employee or employer)? People-to-people contact during a ride finally makes social "real", unlike Facebooking while sitting in front of your laptop alone in your apartment. The potential is really immense. One day, Uber and other ride-sharing companies being valued so high won't look so ridiculous.
- Swizec 12y ago
  > could check a box indicating they were single I can't remember the exact quote, but it's something like the longer your site is live, the likelier it is to have turned into a dating site.
  - Jacqued 12y ago
    Maybe you were thinking about chat ? (https://twitter.com/lukew/status/411233184529911808 https://twitter.com/lukew/status/411233184529911808) Once you're chatting, dating is not that far anyway :)
- edgyswingset 12y ago
  I simply don't see the potential. My anecdotal experience has been that the target demographics for these apps simply aren't as social as investors think they are. Is there room for growth? Probably. Billion-dollar growth? Not even close. I like the idea of profiles for a personalized taxi service, but not because of the possibilities for social connections.
  - themagician 12y ago
    There is definitely a kind of person who's interested in the social aspect of ride-sharing. In fact, there's always been—the people who hitchhike and those wiling to pick them up. You're right though. It's a small group. These features are for a very small percent of the total user base. Neat though.
javabank 12y ago
I personally wouldn't feel comfortable putting up a profile for a service such as Uber or Lyft. I especially wouldn't feel comfortable for my SO to have a profile - she already feels uncomfortable using these services by herself (though safer than a taxi, sexual assault incidents do happen). I'm not sure if this is a step in the right direction. The drivers in my area aren't people I would want to connect with or share personal info... Instead of sharing personal info, why can't we know when the driver started driving for Uber or Lyft? Some have just started and have 5.0 ratings even though they may have only completed a handful of rides...
thewhizkid 12y ago
Not a fan of this. 99% of the time I just want to get from A to Z, not become besties with my Lyft driver.
- pavel_lishin 12y ago
  I agree. Also, my Facebook Friends aren't always my actual friends. I might not want to get into a long conversation about Aunt Bridget with my Lyft/Uber driver - I don't know what their feelings about her are, and they don't know what mine are. I might hate her guts, and they might be her best friend.
- olegious 12y ago
  I find that sometimes after work I don't want to talk to anyone, but minutes after getting into a Lyft, I feel happier because the driver has energized me with their personality and conversation.
  - thewhizkid 12y ago
    Sure...but I'd rather not expose my Facebook information to a stranger. I can just...talk.
iblaine 12y ago
This is a good move by Lyft. Uber has cornered the market for taking someone from point A to point B. Lyft needs to give customers the perception that there's more to the industry than being a low cost taxi. Not sure if it will pay off...not sure if Lyft has much of a choice...but seems logical for them to go down this path.
- larrys 12y ago
  I wonder how many people actually want to make happy talk when they are in a cab. I don't as one example.
  - thebouv 12y ago
    I don't even want to talk to my friends in the car. Get from point A to point B, listen to the radio, be quiet. Rest of my day is noise.
nostromo 12y ago
Thought experiment: if Lyft had a fleet of autonomous cabs called Lyftbot that was 10% cheaper, but not social, would anyone pay more for the "social experience" of a human cabby? This feels like a feature from 2010 when every interaction was destined to become social. Social shopping, social search, social everything... until it wasn't. I love Lyft and use it all the time. But it's there to get me to a destination. I enjoy chatting with the driver, but that's incidental. I hope they don't mess it up by forcing it to be more social than it need be -- let's call it "pulling a Google+."
- therobot24 12y ago
  > would anyone pay more for the "social experience" of a human cabby? Only if i had just moved to the area or was in another country so i could talk to the driver - but this is no different than if i were in a traditional cab. But otherwise i agree, the point of the most of these lyft/uber/cab rides is the destination, anything else is just fluff.
- pavel_lishin 12y ago
  I would pay 10% more for a deaf-mute introvert cabbie. 20% more for a completely automated car.
jbryant1221 12y ago
I've heard in a recent interview that the work force will be over 50% freelance by around 2020. Looks like even the cab industry is going that way.
therobot24 12y ago
Has anyone ever used something like the "MichiVan" from vRide? It's been around for quite some time as a work carpool service. I'm curious how it compares with Lyft/Uber in terms of cost.
RyLo 12y ago
I'm a fan of the branding moves Lyft has been making recently. Will these moves be enough to supplant Uber as my preferred ride-share service? Probably not. I don't see the introduction of profiles hindering Lyft's progress as some have suggested, but I don't see this as being a huge leap forward to gain ground on Uber either. If anything with more information about my driver the greater obligation and guilt I will feel to tip them more. I am now emotionally invested in my driver's wellbeing. This is an obligation that I don't feel when choosing Uber, but I can still engage in the same conversations with the driver should the mood strike.

65 points by levpopov 12y ago

I believe this is a great step for Lyft to continue to differentiate themselves from Uber. In SF they are perceived as the 'friendly' service, but when I've talked to friends in other parts of the country they don't seem to view them differently than Uber. I hope the profiles are limited in what they ask so users aren't turned off of the service because they feel that they have to share too many personal details.

viscanti 12y ago
This is tricky to pull off. Too much data and it's just creepy. Too little data and it might as well not be there.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

kevando 12y ago

I love this. It indicates that Lyft truly has a big vision, just beyond ride sharing. I bet Fred Wilson blogs about this tomorrow.

natrius 12y ago

Viewing this as a branding exercise is missing the whole picture. UberPOOL and Lyft Line will revolutionize transportation by convincing drivers to pick up passengers during their commutes to and from work to pay their gas, maintenance, and then some. They'll convince riders to get in cars with strangers for prices that make owning more than one car in a household unreasonable, even in the suburbs. Doing that requires far more people to get comfortable sharing small spaces with strangers. Profiles are a step in that direction. EDIT: Either I missed it the first time, or they added a big chunk to the article about Line. Regardless, the branding angle is far secondary to Line.

TeMPOraL 12y ago
> by convincing drivers to pick up passengers during their commutes to and from work to pay their gas, maintenance, and then some Which is yet another case of capitalism replacing what was a common courtesy with a business transaction. I have very conflicting feelings about this.
- tnorthcutt 12y ago
  When has it been a common courtesy to pick up strangers on your way to work? A courtesy, yes. But a common one? (I'm actually genuinely interested - was this common at some point in history?)
  - technotony 12y ago
    It's common in San Francisco: http://sfcasualcarpool.com/ http://sfcasualcarpool.com/
  - TeMPOraL 12y ago
    In post-soviet countries like Poland it was (less so now, but still popular). At some point we even had "hitchhiker's booklets" with coupons you would leave drivers who took you, and they could then use in lotteries. Hitchhiking was a strong tradition in Central/Eastern Europe, and - in some parts of the continent - still is.
  - mccr8 12y ago
    Apparently it is a thing in DC, known as "slug lines": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slugging http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slugging The idea is that by picking up people, you can drive in the HOV lanes.
- calbear81 12y ago
  I am pretty happy that Lyft is betting on carpooling as that was the original vision that they had for Zimride (where Lyft was born) and I feel it sets a very clear distinction against the vision Uber has. Lyft is carpooling with friendly strangers, Uber is everyone's private driver (cheaper taxi). The challenge with the free/common courtesy model is that casual carpools are just not getting enough cars off the road. Lyft is solving the two biggest challenges I see in carpooling 1) convenience of having the app route you to people who are close enough to your route and can be dropped off without adding too much time and 2) making you feel more comfortable picking up strangers. Adding money to the equation to encourage more drivers is fine with me as it reduces car traffic and pollution.

JoeAltmaier 12y ago

Why does the driver matter when choosing a cab? Lots of room for profiling etc. Another way to subtly discriminate e.g. avoid women drivers or anybody who likes ethnic music. Choosing someone who you 'get along with' is a code phrase for excluding everybody different.

philwelch 12y ago
That's not how Lyft works. You hail a Lyft in the app and you get whatever driver shows up.
- JoeAltmaier 12y ago
  According to the article, they'll be providing profiles for drivers. What point in that, except to browse them? Its going to change soon, according to the author.
  - philwelch 12y ago
    You read the profile of your driver while they're on their way so you have something to talk about during your ride.
dcre 12y ago
Users don't choose the driver, though. In these services the only way to do that would be to cancel the ride and ask for a new one immediately. Users who want to discriminate against their drivers have enough information already — name and photo — to do that. Not to mention that Lyft can detect the behavior easily and take corrective measures if necessary, such as making it clear that they know users are doing that. But I doubt that'll happen.
- JoeAltmaier 12y ago
  Its supposed to be all about getting a driver with topics of conversation in common. They're adding profiles for drivers, that's clear in the article. What use adding them if you can't see them? Of course the customer can see them. And choose between them. Did I read the same article?

mrb 12y ago

"If a user has connected their Facebook account, the Lyft app can show if drivers and passengers have mutual friends in common." I see so many possibilities around adding a social dimension to ride-sharing services. What if the app would in fact try to preferably connect you with a rider who has mutual Facebook friends with you? What if the drivers and passengers could check a box indicating they were single and would like to use rides as a way to have an informal, inexpensive, casual date? What about matching people based on common business interests (looking for an employee or employer)? People-to-people contact during a ride finally makes social "real", unlike Facebooking while sitting in front of your laptop alone in your apartment. The potential is really immense. One day, Uber and other ride-sharing companies being valued so high won't look so ridiculous.

Swizec 12y ago
> could check a box indicating they were single I can't remember the exact quote, but it's something like the longer your site is live, the likelier it is to have turned into a dating site.
- Jacqued 12y ago
  Maybe you were thinking about chat ? (https://twitter.com/lukew/status/411233184529911808 https://twitter.com/lukew/status/411233184529911808) Once you're chatting, dating is not that far anyway :)
edgyswingset 12y ago
I simply don't see the potential. My anecdotal experience has been that the target demographics for these apps simply aren't as social as investors think they are. Is there room for growth? Probably. Billion-dollar growth? Not even close. I like the idea of profiles for a personalized taxi service, but not because of the possibilities for social connections.
- themagician 12y ago
  There is definitely a kind of person who's interested in the social aspect of ride-sharing. In fact, there's always been—the people who hitchhike and those wiling to pick them up. You're right though. It's a small group. These features are for a very small percent of the total user base. Neat though.

javabank 12y ago

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable putting up a profile for a service such as Uber or Lyft. I especially wouldn't feel comfortable for my SO to have a profile - she already feels uncomfortable using these services by herself (though safer than a taxi, sexual assault incidents do happen). I'm not sure if this is a step in the right direction. The drivers in my area aren't people I would want to connect with or share personal info... Instead of sharing personal info, why can't we know when the driver started driving for Uber or Lyft? Some have just started and have 5.0 ratings even though they may have only completed a handful of rides...

thewhizkid 12y ago

Not a fan of this. 99% of the time I just want to get from A to Z, not become besties with my Lyft driver.

pavel_lishin 12y ago
I agree. Also, my Facebook Friends aren't always my actual friends. I might not want to get into a long conversation about Aunt Bridget with my Lyft/Uber driver - I don't know what their feelings about her are, and they don't know what mine are. I might hate her guts, and they might be her best friend.
olegious 12y ago
I find that sometimes after work I don't want to talk to anyone, but minutes after getting into a Lyft, I feel happier because the driver has energized me with their personality and conversation.
- thewhizkid 12y ago
  Sure...but I'd rather not expose my Facebook information to a stranger. I can just...talk.

iblaine 12y ago

This is a good move by Lyft. Uber has cornered the market for taking someone from point A to point B. Lyft needs to give customers the perception that there's more to the industry than being a low cost taxi. Not sure if it will pay off...not sure if Lyft has much of a choice...but seems logical for them to go down this path.

larrys 12y ago
I wonder how many people actually want to make happy talk when they are in a cab. I don't as one example.
- thebouv 12y ago
  I don't even want to talk to my friends in the car. Get from point A to point B, listen to the radio, be quiet. Rest of my day is noise.

nostromo 12y ago

Thought experiment: if Lyft had a fleet of autonomous cabs called Lyftbot that was 10% cheaper, but not social, would anyone pay more for the "social experience" of a human cabby? This feels like a feature from 2010 when every interaction was destined to become social. Social shopping, social search, social everything... until it wasn't. I love Lyft and use it all the time. But it's there to get me to a destination. I enjoy chatting with the driver, but that's incidental. I hope they don't mess it up by forcing it to be more social than it need be -- let's call it "pulling a Google+."

therobot24 12y ago
> would anyone pay more for the "social experience" of a human cabby? Only if i had just moved to the area or was in another country so i could talk to the driver - but this is no different than if i were in a traditional cab. But otherwise i agree, the point of the most of these lyft/uber/cab rides is the destination, anything else is just fluff.
pavel_lishin 12y ago
I would pay 10% more for a deaf-mute introvert cabbie. 20% more for a completely automated car.

jbryant1221 12y ago

I've heard in a recent interview that the work force will be over 50% freelance by around 2020. Looks like even the cab industry is going that way.

therobot24 12y ago

Has anyone ever used something like the "MichiVan" from vRide? It's been around for quite some time as a work carpool service. I'm curious how it compares with Lyft/Uber in terms of cost.

RyLo 12y ago

I'm a fan of the branding moves Lyft has been making recently. Will these moves be enough to supplant Uber as my preferred ride-share service? Probably not. I don't see the introduction of profiles hindering Lyft's progress as some have suggested, but I don't see this as being a huge leap forward to gain ground on Uber either. If anything with more information about my driver the greater obligation and guilt I will feel to tip them more. I am now emotionally invested in my driver's wellbeing. This is an obligation that I don't feel when choosing Uber, but I can still engage in the same conversations with the driver should the mood strike.