Tell me about Uber and Lyft- UPDATE in #29

[liz]

My family and I will be heading to DC soon and we plan on using Uber or Lyft to get around. I've never used either service. Does anyone have any info, advice? Any preference for one company over another? How do the services work?

[lizzywednesday]

My DH drives for Uber, so that's what we used while we were in DC.

I don't have an attachment to either company, to be honest, but only because Lyft wasn't covering the area where we live until recently.

[pinkmomagain]

I lost my Uber virginity this weekend, lol. My DH and my oldest DD mocked me for not knowing how to use it, but why would I have any type of need when I live in suburbia with my own car? Anyways, used it in Baltimore and it's super easy, and pretty genius. My DD goes to school in DC and uses Uber all the time.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I've only used Uber but no particular loyalty.
My dh hates it (and Airbnb). He's gone on Uber with me several times but he's philosophically opposed. Me? I think it rocks. I love seeing who's coming, where they are, how much it'll be, rating my driver...
We use it in DC all the time. I'd advise getting the Lyft app too though. Last time we used Uber in DC (November), a big old rain storm arrived and surge pricing was nuts. Lyft's price was lower. Thankfully BIL has both apps.


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[liz]

Ok, so it's as easy as downloading the app? I assume you need to input a credit card? Do you tip? Also, someone just told about price surging. Does an increase in activity on the app increase prices?

[SnuggleBuggles]

Ok, so it's as easy as downloading the app? I assume you need to input a credit card? Do you tip? Also, someone just told about price surging. Does an increase in activity on the app increase prices?

Yes. You'll need a credit card and you have to upload a picture of yourself.
Surge pricing is all supply and demand. The surge is indicated before you commit to the fare.
You don't need to tip. I usually do though.


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[pharmjenn]

Yes. You'll need a credit card and you have to upload a picture of yourself.
Surge pricing is all supply and demand. The surge is indicated before you commit to the fare.
You don't need to tip. I usually do though.


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I used it in Vegas last fall. I don't think I put a photo in though, do you know if that is required? We just watched for the car described. I have a new phone and haven't put the app on it yet, so can't see what things I had on my profile.

[DualvansMommy]

I used uber first time last fall; it was great! Don't recall having to upload a pic of myself in my app though. I've no loyalty to either, uber just happens to be the more common one in my area. Love the fact I can pay by cc, cuz the few times I've used private car hire for the airport drop offs, I hated having to remember making sure I take out cash to pay the driver. It isn't like I often had 100/120 bucks cash laying around in my house often!

I also love you can track the driver on your map in the app. Hated having to call the taxi/driver to be told 15 mins but often isn't, and no real idea of where they really are. Very useful if you're the usually the anxious type tapping for that ride, like my DH is!


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[SnuggleBuggles]

I really don't remember the photo being optional when I downloaded the app 1.5 years ago.


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[liz]

Oh, anyone do a ride share? (sorry if this is wrong lingo). A woman I work with mentioned her daughter does this to lower the price. My coworker has never used uber or lyft, she's just relaying stuff her daughter mentioned.

I assume we'll need to order a minivan since there's five of us. Is that what uber xl is?

[SnuggleBuggles]

Oh, anyone do a ride share? (sorry if this is wrong lingo). A woman I work with mentioned her daughter does this to lower the price. My coworker has never used uber or lyft, she's just relaying stuff her daughter mentioned.

I assume we'll need to order a minivan since there's five of us. Is that what uber xl is?

Uber Pool is only in some markets. Mine isn't one. :)
Yes, UberXL is what you'll need. UberX is up to 4 passengers, UberXL is up to 7 (sometimes 8). The app will explain all and show what's available.


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[AnnieW625]

we have done Uber X, and Uber Pool. I don't know how much cheaper Uber Pool is, but I used it at night when I was by myself and I felt safer because there was another person besides the driver in the car. I have never used Lyft, but it works on the same principle. Make sure if you want to use Uber or Lyft to leave the airport that the airport allows it; my local medium sized airport only allows Uber Black, taxis or personal vehicles for pick up so you can't order an uber from the airport grounds.

Neither DH nor I had to upload a photo to Uber; I downloaded it about 8 months ago, and DH just downloaded Uber yesterday and he said it didn't require a photo either.

[candaceb]

last time I told someone to use it, the code MOHEGANSUN gave $30 in credit on Uber. It was $20 when I used it last year.
There are always codes for lyft too - just google. We got handed a card on a street corner in Chicago that was good for 5x$10 credits on lyft.

[HannaAddict]

We only use Uber Black. Town cars with real drivers vs people in their own cars. Convenient and professional. Accidentally used plain citizen in his Prius when Uber first added the regular people driving category and it was awful! Never again. Have used Lyft once too and not a fan. For slightly more money we prefer licensed town car drivers who opt in with Uber Black.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

We only use Uber Black. Town cars with real drivers vs people in their own cars. Convenient and professional. Accidentally used plain citizen in his Prius when Uber first added the regular people driving category and it was awful! Never again. Have used Lyft once too and not a fan. For slightly more money we prefer licensed town car drivers who opt in with Uber Black.


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I can't imagine it really matters. It's luck of the draw on personality. I'm sure there are Uber Black drivers that aren't so great. I look at the rating on the drivers when we get matched. I've never had a bad experience. Just one "meh" experience. The cars have always been clean and fine. We know you like fancy stuff from your posts though. :) ETA- I admit that I didn't realize there were trained drivers. I thought it was just about car type. Learn something new everyday.


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[HannaAddict]

I can't imagine it really matters. It's luck of the draw on personality. I'm sure there are Uber Black drivers that aren't so great. I look at the rating on the drivers when we get matched. I've never had a bad experience. Just one "meh" experience. The cars have always been clean and fine. We know you like fancy stuff from your posts though. :) ETA- I admit that I didn't realize there were trained drivers. I thought it was just about car type. Learn something new everyday.


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I like trained drivers who aren't random people who sign up. Uber was originally only town cars or professional SUV company drivers and the business plan was allowing those types of drivers who are commercially insured to drive for Uber in off time. It isn't just about being "fancy" but value. I have had a couple of crummy Uber Black drivers (one was an unsafe bad driver and I contacted the company, one was just an idiot). But there is a huge different in the two products and since the OP was asking about Uber, she probably didn't know there was an actual difference and there is whether it is of value to you or not. Snarky comments even with a :) , ah, what I love about this board.


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[essnce629]

I've never heard of Uber Black, but have used Uber and Uber XL many times with no issue. DH has used them multiple times as well on his own, to and from the airport.

ETA: Actually we did have a problem one time! We ordered an XL to get us home from the airport after our trip to New Orleans and the SUV that came was a regular small SUV. It didn't have 3 rows, so couldn't fit the 5 of us (my mom was with us) and all our luggage. The guy also took forever to arrive. We had to cancel once the guy arrived and order another car.

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[mom2binsd]

Yes. You'll need a credit card and you have to upload a picture of yourself.
Surge pricing is all supply and demand. The surge is indicated before you commit to the fare.
You don't need to tip. I usually do though.


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I use it all the time, never uploaded a photo. Just make sure when they pull up, they should ask, are you SALLY?, don't get in a car if they don't know you're name. Surge pricing occurs around special events like New Years eve, after a concert or sporting event, but if you wait a bit, the price will drop. It's super easy. I have only used Uber.

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[AnnieW625]

I can't imagine it really matters. It's luck of the draw on personality. I'm sure there are Uber Black drivers that aren't so great. I look at the rating on the drivers when we get matched. I've never had a bad experience. Just one "meh" experience. The cars have always been clean and fine. We know you like fancy stuff from your posts though. :) ETA- I admit that I didn't realize there were trained drivers. I thought it was just about car type. Learn something new everyday.


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:yeahthat: other than some stinky air freshener smells and a driver who got lost on me once (I was in the car already and we we were picking up a pool person at an apartment) I have had good luck with Uber. If I was a sahm in need of extra income I would totally be an Uber driver because I could work my own hours, not have to sell stuff to other moms/friends or have to work retail. I have a nice new Subaru Outback; yes lots of Prius, Civics, and Sentras, but it is 50% less than a local taxi for me and imho the taxi drivers in my area all smoke and the cars often smell nasty.

a friend of my mom's hired a very reputable limousine company about 16-17 yrs. ago to drive her from LAX to her home in Eastern Orange County so a 50 mile/1 hour drive and well she said it was the scariest ride of her life especially once they arrived near her home in a hilly residential community. Turns out the driver ended up killing people in a mass 2002 shooting at LAX:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Los_Angeles_International_Airport_shooting


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[div_0305]

We used both apps for the first time this past December. I preferred Lyft--drivers seemed better and it was cheaper. But that could just be luck of the draw. I'd probably start with Lyft when I need one again and price compare the same trip on Uber before picking one over the other. Uber CEO is on my bad side (it's not the political forum so I won't go further), so if prices were similar, I'd go with Lyft. It was so cheap and convenient compared to a taxi to/from airport, and I could rate the drivers after, too.
ETA: neither app asked for a photo.

[jent]

I've used both and they are very similar. So, so much more easy and convenient than a taxi. Not sure if I've noticed a difference in driver quality. I think many work for both companies. I like Lyft because it allows you to tip in the app.

(Whether or not you should be tipping for a ride share as you do with a taxi is a separate conversation. I have decided that I prefer to tip, and Lyft makes that easy. Uber's position is that you can tip if you want to, but if you want to you have to take out your wallet and have exact change to give to your driver- it's just more awkward and annoying).

[3isEnough]

Hope OP doesn't mind if I hijack a bit with Uber questions - a few weeks ago we needed a ride to the airport at 6am, so I input the request on Uber the night before and by midnight no drivers had accepted it. When we woke up in the morning my MIL agreed to drive us to the airport, but when we were rushing around trying to get out the door we saw an Uber driver had just accepted our request and was halfway to our house. I couldn't figure out how to cancel it and didn't have time to mess with it (we're Uber newbies) so we left and the driver eventually arrived at our house.

1) Is there some time frame during which the Uber driver has to accept a request, after which the request dies? Or does it stay "alive" until we cancel it, meaning someone could always accept it a few minutes before our pickup time?
2) What if a driver accepts the request but we don't want that particular driver, can I reject him/her but keep the request alive for other drivers to accept?
2) Surprisingly, we weren't charged for the driver who came to our house. I fully expected to see a charge on my credit card but it never came. Do they typically charge for missed pickups?

TIA!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Hope OP doesn't mind if I hijack a bit with Uber questions - a few weeks ago we needed a ride to the airport at 6am, so I input the request on Uber the night before and by midnight no drivers had accepted it. When we woke up in the morning my MIL agreed to drive us to the airport, but when we were rushing around trying to get out the door we saw an Uber driver had just accepted our request and was halfway to our house. I couldn't figure out how to cancel it and didn't have time to mess with it (we're Uber newbies) so we left and the driver eventually arrived at our house.

1) Is there some time frame during which the Uber driver has to accept a request, after which the request dies? Or does it stay "alive" until we cancel it, meaning someone could always accept it a few minutes before our pickup time?
2) What if a driver accepts the request but we don't want that particular driver, can I reject him/her but keep the request alive for other drivers to accept?
2) Surprisingly, we weren't charged for the driver who came to our house. I fully expected to see a charge on my credit card but it never came. Do they typically charge for missed pickups?

TIA!

I've never tried to book in advance. I just open the app prior to leaving to see how close/ how many are around and plan accordingly. But, it looks like when you schedule ahead of time they don't actually pair you with someone then. It comes through as a new request during the pick up time you selected. So, no one would have accepted your "reservation" the night before because they didn't have it yet. https://www.uber.com/ride/how-uber-works/

I've been wondering the same about driver selection. I'll keep looking for that answer.


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[AnnieW625]

Thanks for the booking in advance question. DH booked someone for 5 am on Thursday morning to go to the airport vs. the 4:15 that Super Shuttle will pick him up so I should have him check to make sure someone has accepted his Uber.

[lizzywednesday]

...Uber's position is that you can tip if you want to, but if you want to you have to take out your wallet and have exact change to give to your driver- it's just more awkward and annoying...

From what I heard from DH, who drives for Uber, this may be changing soon to make tipping more Lyft-like. I'm sure he'd also find it more convenient - carrying cash is kind of a pain all around.

[lizzywednesday]

...
1) Is there some time frame during which the Uber driver has to accept a request, after which the request dies? Or does it stay "alive" until we cancel it, meaning someone could always accept it a few minutes before our pickup time?
2) What if a driver accepts the request but we don't want that particular driver, can I reject him/her but keep the request alive for other drivers to accept?
2) Surprisingly, we weren't charged for the driver who came to our house. I fully expected to see a charge on my credit card but it never came. Do they typically charge for missed pickups?

TIA!

(1) It's really my understanding that Uber is supposed to be an "on demand" service - as in, you put in your request at the time you need it, not in advance. There's sort of a timeframe in the DRIVER'S app - DH's sometimes pings for about 30 seconds before it drops (if I'm not paying attention to whether or not he's logged in, I'll hear it time out) - but I'm not sure if it varies with density of DRIVERS. Here, the market is kind of saturated, so he can actually let a few pings go unanswered - other drivers will pick them up and the customer won't be left high-and-dry.

(2) Theoretically, the drivers who are geographically closest are the ones who get to pick up your ping. You have little to no control over which driver gets your business. (I also know that my DH will ignore pings from low-rated riders or pings for rides that will cost him more $$ in gas than the fare will earn him.)

(3) If your DRIVER cancels the ride, you may not be charged whatever the minimum ride charge would be.
If YOU cancel the ride, you are charged the minimum.

[3isEnough]

Thanks so much, that's really helpful info!

[jgenie]

We've only used Uber but we've had great luck with them. They are way better than our local taxi companies!!!


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[liz]

Update

We just came back from our DC trip. We checked before we left, and our airport had a $4 surcharge for Uber pickups. It was super easy to get a car. The driver even pointed out the huge Uber lot at the airport where drivers were waiting to be called up. Only issue, DH was in such a rush he didn't put in a first time user code :irked: so that was a lost chance to get $20 off. Also, DH put in a slightly different address for drop off, but the Uber driver talked him through how to change it on the phone and it adjusted the route and price instantly.

So, our experience with Uber in DC was... fine, but here's our experience. The closer to the city, the better the driver. It was our feeling that the drivers were extremely reliant on GPS and not really familiar with the area. Getting to the hotel was no problem. Once we got out of the city we got the sense that the drivers weren't familiar with the touristy spots we were going to. For instance, the Air and Space Annex is out a bit from DC. We took the Metro train as far as we could go and opted for Uber instead of waiting for the Metro bus to get us to the Annex. The driver had no idea what the Annex was and had never been there before. He was initially hesitant to pull into the lot because he thought he had to pay for parking. Getting an Uber on the way back from the Annex was not fun. Lyft was not in the area. Cell service was spotty so we had a tough time connecting to the Uber app. Once we got through to request, it took a while to get a driver to choose us. This driver had no sense of direction, ultimately making a huge loop to get back to the Metro train. His GPS told him we had arrived- while we were in the HOV lane on the highway mind you- so he pulled over and was ready to let us out :eek:. My son had to get on his phone and give him the correct directions to the Metro. The driver truly had no idea how to get any of the Metro stops and these were in his area. The driver then proceeded to charge us for the whole trip which was 3 times the agreed upon price. We eventually got the refund, but my DH was pissed.

Lastly, Uber XL is no gaurantee that it will fit a family of 5 or 6 as stated. We had one driver who picked up our Uber XL request and came in a two row SUV. We took it because we really needed to get somewhere, but looking back, we should have reported that.

[HannaAddict]

Update

We just came back from our DC trip. We checked before we left, and our airport had a $4 surcharge for Uber pickups. It was super easy to get a car. The driver even pointed out the huge Uber lot at the airport where drivers were waiting to be called up. Only issue, DH was in such a rush he didn't put in a first time user code :irked: so that was a lost chance to get $20 off. Also, DH put in a slightly different address for drop off, but the Uber driver talked him through how to change it on the phone and it adjusted the route and price instantly.

So, our experience with Uber in DC was... fine, but here's our experience. The closer to the city, the better the driver. It was our feeling that the drivers were extremely reliant on GPS and not really familiar with the area. Getting to the hotel was no problem. Once we got out of the city we got the sense that the drivers weren't familiar with the touristy spots we were going to. For instance, the Air and Space Annex is out a bit from DC. We took the Metro train as far as we could go and opted for Uber instead of waiting for the Metro bus to get us to the Annex. The driver had no idea what the Annex was and had never been there before. He was initially hesitant to pull into the lot because he thought he had to pay for parking. Getting an Uber on the way back from the Annex was not fun. Lyft was not in the area. Cell service was spotty so we had a tough time connecting to the Uber app. Once we got through to request, it took a while to get a driver to choose us. This driver had no sense of direction, ultimately making a huge loop to get back to the Metro train. His GPS told him we had arrived- while we were in the HOV lane on the highway mind you- so he pulled over and was ready to let us out :eek:. My son had to get on his phone and give him the correct directions to the Metro. The driver truly had no idea how to get any of the Metro stops and these were in his area. The driver then proceeded to charge us for the whole trip which was 3 times the agreed upon price. We eventually got the refund, but my DH was pissed.

Lastly, Uber XL is no gaurantee that it will fit a family of 5 or 6 as stated. We had one driver who picked up our Uber XL request and came in a two row SUV. We took it because we really needed to get somewhere, but looking back, we should have reported that.

Too many Uber choices now! We only do Uber Black and the SUV equivalent, so professional drivers even for SUV they are black Escalades or maybe a Yukon/Suburban but three rows. Uber started out with professional drivers only and we don't do the lyft style sign up drivers. Accidentally had a terrible GPS reliant non-professional driver when Uber first rolled them out and it was awful. Worth it to us when we take Uber to only use Uber Black/SUV as almost all have been very good. Have had one bad driver a couple of years ago, and Uber was responsive. Glad it sort of worked out for you.


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