Lyft or Uber

[JustRalph]

I had an occasion to use Lyft the other day. I installed Lyft and Uber on my iPad and jumped right in w Lyft.

Any opinions on which is better? I Haven’t used Uber yet, but have an account.

[DeltaLover]

Google is your friend..


https://www.google.com/search?source...78.VzoYnnNz5ms


https://www.ridester.com/uber-vs-lyft
https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/make.../lyft-vs-uber/
https://rideshareapps.com/uber-vs-lyft-comparison/

And many more..

[MONEY]

The same drivers drive for Uber and Lyft, so the services are the equal.

With both Uber & Lyft, you can download an App onto your smartphone or computer to see
if there is a driver available nearby before you request a ride.

Drivers for Uber and/or Lyft do not earn enough money on those gigs to pay their living expenses.
After paying for gas and after Uber/Lyft takes their 35% cut, the drivers outside of the 610 Loop
earn about $7.00 an hour. Inside the Loop it's $10.00 an hour. Wear & tear on their cars, not included.

In general people in Houston don't tip.
My son can't find work so he drives for both Uber & Lyft and he has gone as much as two weeks
without a tip.

[PaceAdvantage]

Wow...I tip every single time...can't imagine he went that long without getting one tip?

I know they make it kind of easy not to tip...after all, you don't see the tip screen until you're out of the car, so it's easy to just screw the driver over without having to look him or her in the eye...but seriously...two weeks?

Wow.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by MONEY

The same drivers drive for Uber and Lyft, so the services are the equal.

With both Uber & Lyft, you can download an App onto your smartphone or computer to see
if there is a driver available nearby before you request a ride.

Drivers for Uber and/or Lyft do not earn enough money on those gigs to pay their living expenses.
After paying for gas and after Uber/Lyft takes their 35% cut, the drivers outside of the 610 Loop
earn about $7.00 an hour. Inside the Loop it's $10.00 an hour. Wear & tear on their cars, not included.

In general people in Houston don't tip.
My son can't find work so he drives for both Uber & Lyft and he has gone as much as two weeks
without a tip.

What kind of work is he looking for......? What part of town?

[MONEY]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Wow...I tip every single time...can't imagine he went that long without getting one tip?

I know they make it kind of easy not to tip...after all, you don't see the tip screen until you're out of the car, so it's easy to just screw the driver over without having to look him or her in the eye...but seriously...two weeks?

Wow.

I too am a tipper.

I keep my son's records.
Yesterday he worked for six and a half hours.
He earned $52.00 in for 11 fares and got a $2.00 tip.

60 % of the driving in unpaid because it is on the way to pick up the rider.
There is a $4.00 pick up/drop off fee that equaled $44.00

He drove 111 miles and got paid for only 40 miles at 90 cents per mile which was $36.00.
$36.00 + $44.00 = $80.00, minus the 35% uber fee = $52.00 .
Terrible

[MONEY]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

What kind of work is he looking for......? What part of town?

He's an oil tanker truck driver with all of the necessary endorsements.
The last company he drove for was paying only $150.00 a day for 16 to 18 hours work daily.

Everything from the hours that drivers had to work to the condition of the trucks was illegal.
Oil prices were down and jobs were scarce so all of the oil companies were overworking and underpaying the drivers.

He resigned late last year and was blacklisted.
No other company will hire him until at least January.

Thanks for asking.

[Track Collector]

About 2 1/2 months ago I became a DRIVER for Uber.

I work in an area much small than Baltimore and/or DC. Uber here has some presence, but I think Lyft is almost non-existent.

Not sure of the hourly rate because I do other things at the same time I am "on the grid" waiting for potential jobs.

Putting lots of miles on my vehicle. Uber only tracks and documents the miles I put on my vehicle once I pick up a passenger and take them to their destination. From what research I done on the internet, I should also be able to claim the miles incurred while in route to pick up the passenger, so I am tracking those miles as well. And, I track my hours while "trolling" in search of potential jobs. (Trolling is important/critical because Uber jobs requests with few exceptions are first sent to the driver closest to the passenger's pick-up location.).

I am only looking at Uber as some extra income. One thing a really enjoy is the flexibility of working pretty much when and how much I want to, and Uber has not contacted me even once when I have been off the grid for a week here and there due to personal matters. The Uber driving dovetails very well with the other "on-call" income opportunities than come my way. In a few months when tax time rolls around I'll see if the financial benefits are worth my time and vehicle wear. One thing is clear, and that is I will need to file the Uber activity as a business using a schedule C if I have any hope of making it reasonably worthwhile.

One interesting thing (to make sure all passengers get prompt service) is that as an Uber driver, I only know about how far I have to go to pick up a passenger before I accept a job (and that acceptance period is something like 6-8 seconds!), but I have no idea of how far their final destination is until I arrive at the pick-up area. Uber has recently made an improvement to their App to advise drivers in advance of a "Long Trip" which is defined as 45 minutes or longer from the time of pick-up to the drop-off location. Long trips are typically desired as they pay more, but at least a driver can decline if they were already near the time they planned to go off the grid.

Strangely enough, I had never used Uber or a service like them before deciding to become a driver.

Before seeing this, I had considered starting a thread to see if anyone else on the forum was driving for Uber!

[kingfin66]

I have never used one of these services; however, for some reason I am under the impression that Uber and Lyft were cash-free businesses where tipping is not encouraged? Perhaps I have this wrong, or maybe the model changed. I want to make sure that I do what is expected if I ever use the service.

On a separate note, I understand the Uber is now helping Americans become even more lazy by offering a service called Uber Eats where Uber will pick up your food from a restaurant and bring it to you. I am being kind of sarcastic here as this is not any different from restaurants just doing the delivery on their own. It seems as though it is a great thing for restaurants. Has anyone used the service?

[kingfin66]

Originally Posted by MONEY

I too am a tipper.

I keep my son's records.
Yesterday he worked for six and a half hours.
He earned $52.00 in for 11 fares and got a $2.00 tip.

60 % of the driving in unpaid because it is on the way to pick up the rider.
There is a $4.00 pick up/drop off fee that equaled $44.00

He drove 111 miles and got paid for only 40 miles at 90 cents per mile which was $36.00.
$36.00 + $44.00 = $80.00, minus the 35% uber fee = $52.00 .
Terrible

Less gas also? That is a tough way to make a buck.

[Track Collector]

Originally Posted by kingfin66

I have never used one of these services; however, for some reason I am under the impression that Uber and Lyft were cash-free businesses where tipping is not encouraged? Perhaps I have this wrong, or maybe the model changed. I want to make sure that I do what is expected if I ever use the service.

Yes, Uber is a cashless system.

Tipping was probably not promoted because if one thought that it was expected (like in the restaurant business), the perceived cost of using the service might be less attractive and result in fewer customers.

To be viable, "Ride Sharing" businesses must do their best to have enough drivers available at any time a passenger might want a ride. This can be a challenge in that one of the selling points for working for them is the completely flexible work schedule which is totally determined by the Driver. As such, Uber and Lyft are always advertising for new drivers. To get an edge in this competition for drivers, Lyft began allowing driver tips thru their App, and Uber was forced to keep pace. So yes, I guess you could say the model has changed. I enjoy and appreciate receiving tips, but I do not have the expectation of receiving them.

I find it interesting that a small percentage of my tips are made in cash. I don't know if it is because the passenger is relatively new to the user service and doesn't know they can do so thru the Uber App, or because they erroneously believe that Uber takes a cut and would rather that I receive it all.

Driving for Uber has certainly been an interesting experience so far!

[kingfin66]

Originally Posted by Track Collector

Yes, Uber is a cashless system.

Tipping was probably not promoted because if one thought that it was expected (like in the restaurant business), the perceived cost of using the service might be less attractive and result in fewer customers.

To be viable, "Ride Sharing" businesses must do their best to have enough drivers available at any time a passenger might want a ride. This can be a challenge in that one of the selling points for working for them is the completely flexible work schedule which is totally determined by the Driver. As such, Uber and Lyft are always advertising for new drivers. To get an edge in this competition for drivers, Lyft began allowing driver tips thru their App, and Uber was forced to keep pace. So yes, I guess you could say the model has changed. I enjoy and appreciate receiving tips, but I do not have the expectation of receiving them.

I find it interesting that a small percentage of my tips are made in cash. I don't know if it is because the passenger is relatively new to the user service and doesn't know they can do so thru the Uber App, or because they erroneously believe that Uber takes a cut and would rather that I receive it all.

Driving for Uber has certainly been an interesting experience so far!

Have you looked into Uber Eats. A friend of mine said the his son is doing these deliveries for extra money and makes about $500 per weekend. He also said that he really has to hustle for it, doing the "trolling" thing and being available for many hours.

[Track Collector]

Originally Posted by kingfin66

Have you looked into Uber Eats. A friend of mine said the his son is doing these deliveries for extra money and makes about $500 per weekend. He also said that he really has to hustle for it, doing the "trolling" thing and being available for many hours.

I signed up for Uber EATS about a month ago, but in the two and a half weeks I was available for work I have not had a single EATS delivery request yet. I work in the Hagerstown area (city population about 40K), but Uber itself has only been available here about 18 months, so I think it is still in the growing stage here. During the mid-day there can be long periods of little to no activity. I work more during the evening and night hours because I tend to be a night owl, and because I get more transportation requests. Sometimes I sense I am one of few or even the lone driver available on the grid at that time.

I currently am ok with the conditions, as it is what it is. Sometimes I rest at my house (working on my laptop or watching a sporting event) while waiting on calls. I am sure Uber does not condone this, but I can be on my way to a new pickup within 60 seconds, which is negligible time when it comes to the customer. The Uber App for the customer (which is different than the one for the driver) notifies the customer when I am "close" to the pick-up point. They can even follow my pick-up progress on a map, and one time after accidentally turning too early, the passenger texted me to say "that I was gong the wrong way"! More than 50% of the time the customer is not ready and I have to wait for them to arrive and enter my vehicle.

For those who have thought about driving, the sign-up process is relatively quick. One needs their driver's license, car registration, and to obtain a vehicle inspection certificate. All can be uploaded to Uber using the camera function of your cell phone. While not known in advance, after a certain number of jobs Uber gave me a "promotion" bonus of $100 which more than covered for my vehicle registration costs.

I hope folks have not minded these longer post responses. I thought those who are not familiar with Uber might find them informational and/or interesting.

[kingfin66]

I definitely appreciate the responses. Uber is part of our culture now. It is great to hear the perspective of someone who is involved on the provider end of things. Keep them coming!

[JustRalph]

TC