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Comment by sokoloff | Hacker News Reader

In my experience (Boston metro), if I want to save a little money at the risk of a long delay or not getting a ride, I’ll use Lyft. If I want to actually get the ride, especially from the airport, Uber is way more reliable.

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This is crazy to hear. It's the exact opposite here in Vancouver. Uber cancels rides left and right, wait time estimates are always a joke. Lyft shows up every time, on time - and is the pricier option! It's surprising that two providers swap roles in different markets.

Makes sense to me. It's the same with restaurant delivery services.

In this case, I think it’s driven* by Uber’s surge pricing.

Most Lyft drivers are also Uber drivers. If Uber is on 2.5x surge from the airport, why would drivers accept Lyft rides? They should logically decline every Lyft ride offered until an hour after the last flight lands.

I think that’s what’s happening. Uber is quoting me $60-75 (normally $25-30) and Lyft is saying $28. Being frugal, I pick Lyft. Being sensible, Lyft drivers turn down the ride. Lyft tells me I have a ride coming, but eventually times out until I give up on them, conclude they are full of it, and refresh the Uber quote until I get one in the $35-45 range.

* - pun not originally intended, but left in place.

Yeah, that seems wildly broken. I'm quite certain Lyft has variable pricing here and it seems to function exactly the same as surge pricing (I was watching prices from both apps roller coaster when trying to leave a festival a few weeks ago). Maybe that's something Lyft has done differently between regions.

Airports are a different animal and I refuse to do them if I can help it. Uber drivers in the SF Bay Area compete aggressively for airport runs, so if that's any indication then I'm not surprised Uber is better for your airport. It's easy to break a rule at an airport and get a ticket, it's always a mad rush, and some passengers are cranky and get mad if you don't act like their personal driver in regards to luggage handling. Some drivers can't figure out there are much easier ways to make good money.

I think this depends on the local market. For me the reverse has usually been true in Seattle.

It blew my mind in San Francisco when uber and Lyft had huge wait times but I could hail a cab on the street no problem. The cab had free water in it too.

I've lived in the Bay Area for over a decade, and SF for 7 years, and I've never seen this. Cabs are painfully rare and even when you call, don't show up half the time.

They're talking about at the airport, just walk out and get on one, it's way more convient than uber at SFO. I fly to SF 7 times a year, and have been since 2015. There was a small window where cabs sucked but they're usually quite convient at sfo and closer / easier than rideshare, and usually around $48-53 to the financial

OK but that doesn't have anything to do with either of the points they were making? It's a completely separate thing?

I've never had an at all reasonable experience using any rideshare for an airport pickup, fwiw. End up on the phone with the driver trying to explain what terminal I'm at, how to identify the pickup zone, the entire concept of an airport really. When there's a taxi stand with a waiting professional driver right there it just does not make sense.

Depending on the airport, I've found Lyft and Uber drivers to be more professional than the taxi drivers. In Boston, the taxi drivers would angrily curse at me for my destination and then drive recklessly, hoping to get back to the airport before the flight finished disembarking.

Interesting. I also fly out/into Boston typically and have never had an issue with Lyft in either direction, and at all kinds of odd flight times, and also arranging rides for visiting friends, relatives, etc.. (I always use Lyft and have never signed up for Uber due to it's fractally exploitative business practices; if I can avoid such a company, I do).

So, it seems, as usual, YMMV.

In Boston? Just curious why use Lyft or Uber instead of the T?

not op, but as a student in cambridge, the T is very good for getting in and around boston, but getting to cambridge is a little bit of hassle. take the red line all the way to park street, and then take it back around almost in a loop to anywhere on the green line.

i don't know why i'm complaining though, it is still a fantastic public transportation system compared to many others.

The T is a hub and spoke system. If you want to go quickly between two spokes, Lyft or Uber can be much faster. And with a group, sometimes even cheaper than paying for individual T rides.

Coming home solo with a roller bag? I almost always take the T, but it’s a 30 minute walk after the red line ride.

For my most recent “Lyft accepted the ride twice and failed twice at 15 minutes each throw” experience on Friday, the T was already in bed for the evening (or about to be, meaning it couldn’t be counted on).

Getting to the airport? There’s too much variability from the T and I don’t like sitting at Logan for an extra 45 minutes when the T decides to operate smoothly nor stand and worry the extra 45 minutes when it decides to be crappy service. (That variability cost is on top of the 45-60 extra minutes the T takes over a car.)

Multiple bags or flying with the kids? Car service every time.

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