Much like the drivers, I simply want what Uber is offering and have no loyalty to the company itself. If Lyft wants to come to Toronto and offer the same thing without being Uber, I'll gladly switch.
I really dislike this line of thinking. It's profoundly cynical and sees change as impossible.
Corporations do bad things. I can comment on that and refuse to do business with some of them and not others. I don't have to uproot my whole life and become a mountain ascetic to earn the moral purity necessary to acknowledge a single evil.
We can address one bad thing without addressing every bad thing at once.
https://a16z.com/2017/09/25/government-relations-local-lyft/
As many drivers in the lyft reddit point out, lyft just want you to believe it's more ethical, when it is far from the truth. It's also sad some people here draw conclusion from talking to drivers, often lyft drivers only, without considering there is huge survival bias.
Lyft was the first company to operate in Miami, and Miami was the first market where drivers could face criminal charges. Uber avoided operating in Miami for this very reason and when it saw inaction in enforcement, they informed the Miami government that they would also enter the market if they continue to not enforce the law. I don't know about you, but putting drivers in a position where they could face criminal charges and jail time is far worse than anything I've seen Uber do. With civil liabilities, these companies can support the drivers with legal help, but with criminal liabilities, neither company can offer their drivers a get-out-of-jail free card.
The idea that one company is more ethical than the other is a farce.
That said, given a choice b/w Uber and Lyft I most certainly choose Lyft every time.
It's unsustainable and hopefully Lyft can weather it.
Leaked financials show that Lyft is selling at a far greater loss than Uber. Based on Q2 leaked figures, Uber's losses relative to gross bookings was -8% and Lyft's was 13.5%.
> “At the end of the day, I’m available to the highest bidder.”
Almost always Lyft's estimated time of arrival is way off the charts.
> John Zimmer, Lyft’s president and co-founder says 5,000 Torontonians downloaded the app this year with no service available.
> Uber has become part of Toronto’s transportation scene, with almost 50,000 drivers — many part-time — and new services including food delivery.
> Kristine Hubbard, Beck Taxi’s operations manager, expects Lyft’s entry to worsen Toronto gridlock. “It’s another reason to encourage cars to cruise the streets of our city — many of them who come from outside it — who otherwise wouldn’t be there.”
But Beck Taxi are also the face of everything that's wrong with taxis in Toronto, so most people here don't take their position very seriously, and they do not have much goodwill from the population (or from taxi operators in a lot of cases).
That said, in the last few months whenever I talk to my Uber driver about "how things are going", the majority of them complain about slowing business, and making less money and getting less rides..
It seems like, anecdotally speaking, the downtown area in particular is pretty saturated with drivers, and while this is great for riders (I almost never wait more than 2-3 minutes no matter where I am), it's probably less great for drivers.
Uber could use some competition in Canada as well (outside of our generally terrible taxis).
A large part of Uber's ability to act without regard for public scrutiny was the fact they were frequently the only horse in town for most cities. The tech press in SF is often isolated from this reality.
This competition from Lyft is a great counter balance for Uber, without having to rely on the heavy-handed counter-weight of government-backed last-era taxi conglomerates/unions.
Uber could use some competition in Toronto as well (outside of our generally terrible taxis).
>"It’s new, it’s fresh. It’s like waiting in line for the new iPhone — I’ve got to have it,” he said with a laugh. He also likes the company’s mission statement and driver incentives. “At the end of the day, I’m available to the highest bidder.”
Are Lyft's incentive better than Uber? Or is that they are better because they are the underdogs? AFAIK many drivers service all ride share apps at any given time.
You just get out of the car at the end. Next time you open the app you either rate and tip or just rate.
I've never used Lyft but i think it works just like uber. this is what i found on their site
How Much Does a Lyft Ride Cost? Depends on where you’re headed and when. There is a base charge and a cost per mile and per minute, with extra added on when your pickup point is in Prime Time, which happens during higher-than-normal demand to encourage drivers to get on the road. For price estimates of rides in your city, check out the Lyft city page. Oh, and never worry about carrying cash — payment happens seamlessly through the app.