Uber vs Lyft: Which should I use?
Are you planning on travelling to the USA any time soon? Chances are you’re going to need a way of getting around when you get there! Uber is rapidly growing in popularity and many of us in Australia are familiar with the way it works. Similarly, they are a hugely popular option within the USA promising cheap fares, convenience and a safe way of getting around. If you’re not familiar with Uber, it is a convenient, inexpensive and safe, app based taxi service. Hire a private driver to pick you up and take you to your destination with a few taps on your phone. You can see how far away they are, and the nearest driver is often picking you up within a few minutes. Not only is this an on-demand service, but it is all GPS tracked, meaning you can watch the driver and designated route on a map the entire time. You receive the drivers name and vehicle registration number upon booking along with the type of vehicle, and all vehicles need to be modern and clean. Both the driver and the passenger then have the opportunity to rate each other upon completion of the service so it promotes a very high standard of service and friendliness from both parties to ensure a 5 star rating, which means lots more pick up requests for the driver.
The best part about it is that no money changes hands at any point of the service. When setting up your Uber account, you assign a credit card which is automatically charged upon completion of the ride. You are given a ride estimate before accepting a driver and it will be pretty much spot on (maybe within a dollar or two). So no need to be carrying cash or be slugged with ridiculously high taxi credit card surcharges!
I was made aware of Lyft from a friend before heading to the USA and decided to give it a go. It is the exact same concept, but currently only operating in the USA as far as I am aware. The biggest plus for me was the fact that when setting up my Lyft account, it would accept my prepaid travel card as the form of payment which was loaded with US Dollars. When trying to do the same with my Uber App, it wouldn’t accept the pre-paid card. For me, this meant that I was avoiding extra currency conversion fees charged by my bank in turn, making Lyft the cheaper choice.
Both companies offer choices when it comes to the type of ride you want, from a premium vehicle service to a ride sharing service. In all services the cars are always late models and in excellent condition, but they range from standard cars right up to premium luxury cars for special occasions. While we were away we just needed to get from A to B in the cheapest possible way, so we always chose the Lyft Shared Rider Service. This means that if you are a party of one or two, and there is another rider who needs to be picked up on or close to your route and going in the same direction, you can share a ride with a reduced cost. What I loved about this was the opportunity to meet some other people who were often locals. If you don’t pick anyone else up, then you still pay the reduced fare so it was definitely worth doing. We only shared a ride probably 50% of the time. If we were travelling to and from the airport though we chose private ride options to ensure we had enough room for our luggage!
Because you require WiFi or an internet connection to operate these apps, and to avoid high roaming changes, I would recommend booking a transfer from your very first arrival airport to your hotel on your first day. From here, ask your hotel reception where the closest T-Mobile Store is and get yourself straight down there to organise a local sim card so you have internet access at all times. They have heaps of cheap options and they will get it set up for you, then you’re free to go!
Happy Travels!
A x