Why Some New York Drivers Prefer Lyft to Uber | Hacker News Reader

Why Some New York Drivers Prefer Lyft to Uber

nymag.com

39 pointsprostoalex11 comments

The title of the story on the site is "We Asked 10 Black-Car Drivers If They Prefer Working for Lyft or Uber — Here's Why Lyft Won By a Landslide"

The actual reason Lyft "won by a landslide" is that the method used to find those ten drivers was: hail current Lyft drivers then ask them if they've also worked with Uber. (The fact that somebody who has used both is currently working with Lyft means they like Lyft enough to stick with it; anyone who liked Uber a lot better would probably not still be using Lyft)

It is the most blatant example of sampling bias I've ever seen in the introduction to an article

I hadn't known that Uber doesn't users allow to tip from within the app. Tax-issues, aside, it's a bummer that they don't. I found the opportunity to tip drivers with Lyft quite welcoming; after all, people tend to tip in most places in the service industry - so why not for these rides which cost me significantly less than a regular taxi ride - as well?

I agree with you as regards consistency, but I would welcome a move away from tipping culture. If a taxi ride is going to cost x+10%, just charge me x+10% in the first place. Same for restaurants, barbers, etc.

With Lyft I suppose it makes sense since they are, supposedly, sharing rides rather than a taxi (though it sure feels different from rideshares on Zimride or Craigslist). Even so, tipping is annoying and confusing.

I lived in New Zealand for a few years, and the almost total lack of a tipping culture there rocked. Service didn't suffer. If anything, service was better because maybe the employees were less inclined to engage in excessive tip-seeking behavior (e.g. ultra-attentiveness, flirting). I talked to some kiwis who found the notion of tipping for service mildly offensive--like casting off some coins to the peasants based on your judgement of them.

So let me get this straight.

- Lyft has social pressure to tip. Uber doesn't.

- Lyft doesn't aggressively penalize drivers who can't communicate with passengers. Uber does.

- Lyft has fewer riders / drivers, making the experience more personal. Uber is mechanical / efficient.

If I was a driver, I'd drive for Lyft. But as a rider, I'll take Uber.

I think the article was indicating that Uber penalizes drivers for communication problems even if it's the passenger's language barrier. Or should every cab driver be expected to be fluent in every language that a tourist to NYC might have as their first language?

I've taken a personal record number of UberX rides, 3, in the last week. I prefer not taking them if I can help it, but safety trumps politics sometimes.

Regardless, each driver I met was absolutely fantastic; very friendly and professional. The one complaint all of them had when I asked their opinion of Uber: The GPS is horrible.

One guy was going to make the switch to Lyft JUST because the Lyft maps use Google, and apparently it is simply just that bad.

I did witness this myself while on a work trip this past weekend - Uber GPS led them off the highway and then back onto the highway adding an extra 5 miles for no apparent reason.

I had a similar experience once with Uber. We were going to a hotel and the GPS led the driver off the freeway then back on the freeway going the opposite direction, then said "you have reached your destination". In the middle of the freeway. Sure we were right next to the hotel I was going to, but you can't get to the check-in desk by pulling off to the side of I-95.

I've never used Lyft before and I don't know what GPS Uber uses. Just an anecdote. I've had my personal GPS do stupid things like that too.

I've never taken Lyft or Uber, but are the drivers required to go where their GPS tells them? Or do they just not know the route?

Being used to traditional taxis myself, I find the need for these full-time drivers to be so dependent on GPS a bit surprising.

It's a suggestion, but if the driver takes a longer route and the customer complaints, it will impact the driver's rating (and earnings). Learned it the hard way after an UberX driver tried to get onto a bridge with tons of "Under Construction" signs, as his GPS wasn't aware the bridge was being repaired.

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