Uber vs. Lyft
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: George Pacheco
So, you need to hitch a ride, but don't want to go with a traditional cab. Which app are you gonna choose? Welcome to MojoTravels, and in this instalment of "Versus," we're going to be pitting the two titans of ride sharing, Uber and Lyft, against each other in a head-to-head battle. Which company will come out on top? Stay for the ride to find out!
Uber vs. Lyft
So, you need to hitch a ride, but don't want to go with a traditional cab. Which app are you gonna choose? Welcome to MojoTravels, and in this installment of "Versus," we're going to be pitting the two titans of ride sharing, Uber and Lyft, against each other in a head-to-head battle. Which company will come out on top? Stay for the ride to find out!
Round 1: App
Booking a ride through Lyft is a stripped down and relatively painless process. It uses the customer's GPS to verify their location, so the basic instructions are simply to open the app, search or type in the destination, and choose your ride. Payment methods and basic tweaks and changes to the user's account can all be made in-app, as well, making the whole experience easy for just about anyone.
The Uber app is a bit more hands on, but operates in a similar fashion. The user requests a ride, and Uber gives them an ETA for when the closest driver is going to arrive. That car's plate number, model and driver name are listed, so there are no surprises, with the rider's destination being chosen before or during the trip. Some customers have complained about bloat within the Uber app, however, particularly when it comes cross-promotion for other services, such as Uber Eats.
The company does pride itself on upfront pricing, however, making the cost clear to customers as they book their ride. Lyft has followed suit with this transparency, as ride fees in the past have historically been saved until the end of the trip. The company also doesn't give customers an ETA until after a ride has been booked, but adds in the option of picking up a friend along the way.
So this round is close, but we gotta give this one to Lyft, just for the sheer ease of the process.
Winner: Lyft: 1 / Uber: 0
Round 2: Driver Compensation
So we've already mentioned what it's like to use these apps as a rider, but what about as a driver, keeping in mind we’re not fully taking on the gig economy and a living wage in general in this video.
Well, working for Uber offers the most sign-up incentives, paying up for drivers who decide to use the service to make a little extra money. On the flipside, many of the company's drivers have complained about how much Uber takes on commission, so much so that it impacted their decision to go on strike in May of 2019. Hourly, Uber drivers average around thirteen to fourteen dollars, while those who choose Lyft can expect to hover around seventeen.
Both companies offer tipping options for their drivers, with neither taking a cut, although Lyft riders statistically tend to tip more often, and in larger amounts. Additionally, it should be said that Uber actually discouraged this common practice for a long time, and it wasn't until June of 2017 that the company finally offered in-app tipping for their drivers.
Lyft and Uber also implement prime time rates at the busiest hours of the day, both of which offer bonuses for drivers. Uber gives drivers a multiplier for their earnings during times of high volume, such a bad weather or a big concert getting out. Meanwhile, Lyft gives their drivers identified Power Zones, which offer a higher rate to their driver up front, without worrying about a multiplier. Uber drivers who are driving high end model cars are enjoy higher earnings, although this can't quite compete with Lyft's up front and easy-to-understand driver model.
Winner: Lyft: 2 / Uber: 0
Round 3: Vehicle Variety and Support
Lyft was only a couple years late to the ride sharing party, but time has not exactly been on their side. The company debuted in 2012, three years after Uber, but today is available in considerably fewer places. The company is gaining ground, but Lyft services are only available in forty-six American and Canadian states. Meanwhile, Uber operates in almost 60 countries and hundreds of cities, making it the de facto rideshare options for many on the go.
Uber serves much of the world's business class, and works in a professional manner all the way. The company offers everything from standard sedans to ultra-cool SUVs, with plenty of options when it comes to spaciousness and price points. More importantly, Uber possesses more wheelchair accessible options than Lyft, although the company's car requirements do vary by location.
Lyft is a more fast and loose sort of company, by way of comparison. They perform the same driver background checks as Uber, and hold standards to driver's vehicles, requiring them to be undamaged, with four doors and a working air conditioner. Lyft drivers don't tend to specifically cater to with business travelers though, and this shows in their friendly and often vocal customer service. This can be fun if you're in the mood to talk, but not so much if you're stressing about a big meeting or corporate presentation.
So, with that, Lyft finally takes their first "L" in this contest.
Winner: Uber: 1 / Lyft: 2
Round 4: Branding and Innovation
It isn't just enough for both Uber and Lyft to offer rides to their customers. Innovation is absolutely key in taking things to the next level, and neither company possesses any shortage of ideas.
For example, both the UberPool and Lyft Line features allow riders to pick up a friend along the way, or carpool, while Uber has been testing another feature known as the Express Pool. Here, the rider choose to get out of the car early, and walk a little way to their destination. This saves driver time, as well as money.
Both companies have also expressed a dedication to exploring self-driving technology, although a fatal accident involving one of Uber's self-driving cars in 2018 means that this idea will be slow going. This isn't the only scandal to rock Uber, either, as the company has consistently struggled with a negative public image. Uber has been accused of feuding with cabbies and of not properly handling complaints from drivers, many of whom have moved over to Lyft. Additional accusations have included a hacking scandal, the alleged tracking of Lyft drivers, as well as harboring a culture of sexual harassment.
Lyft has reacted swiftly to fix their comparatively smaller breach scandals, making it harder for users' data to be compromised. Still, a New York labor group accused Lyft in 2017 of stealing tip wages, so it isn't as if the company is out in the free and clear. Furthermore, Lyft just doesn't implement enough new features to keep up with Uber's idea-train, including driver ratings and a luxury tier system for drivers looking to move up their ride. Uber's bold thinking evens up this context at two rounds apiece.
Winner: Uber: 2 / Lyft: 2
Round 5: Price
At the end of the day, the battle between Uber and Lyft will pretty much come down to one, all important thing: price. The rates of both companies are actually quite competitive. Both charge around one dollar to start, a dollar fifty per mile and twenty-five cents per minute.
We've already mentioned Uber's surge pricing and Lyft's Prime Time for drivers, but riders also need to be cognizant of these times, as it affects their bottom line. Both companies hike their prices during these peak hours, with Lyft adding a percentage to their base rate, adding five dollars to what would've been a ten dollar ride, for example.
In comparison, Uber's surge pricing is a multiplier, and is dependent on location and demand. Here, if the surge multiplier is 1.8, a ten dollar ride would now cost eighteen. Uber does show this price to its users up front, however, eliminating sticker shock at the conclusion of the ride. Still, this means that a New Year's Eve Uber ride can quickly turn super expensive if you're stuck, say, in Times Square at 12:01 a.m., and have to go clear across town.
So, yeah, no one likes paying more for a ride, but saving a bit of green will always go the extra mile in choosing which rideshare app is gonna get your business. That means that Lyft wins this deciding round, and the battle, with a final score of three to two.
But hey, this was a really close one, overall.
Winner: Lyft: 3 / Uber: 2
So, you need to hitch a ride, but don't want to go with a traditional cab. Which app are you gonna choose? Welcome to MojoTravels, and in this installment of "Versus," we're going to be pitting the two titans of ride sharing, Uber and Lyft, against each other in a head-to-head battle. Which company will come out on top? Stay for the ride to find out!
Round 1: App
Booking a ride through Lyft is a stripped down and relatively painless process. It uses the customer's GPS to verify their location, so the basic instructions are simply to open the app, search or type in the destination, and choose your ride. Payment methods and basic tweaks and changes to the user's account can all be made in-app, as well, making the whole experience easy for just about anyone.
The Uber app is a bit more hands on, but operates in a similar fashion. The user requests a ride, and Uber gives them an ETA for when the closest driver is going to arrive. That car's plate number, model and driver name are listed, so there are no surprises, with the rider's destination being chosen before or during the trip. Some customers have complained about bloat within the Uber app, however, particularly when it comes cross-promotion for other services, such as Uber Eats.
The company does pride itself on upfront pricing, however, making the cost clear to customers as they book their ride. Lyft has followed suit with this transparency, as ride fees in the past have historically been saved until the end of the trip. The company also doesn't give customers an ETA until after a ride has been booked, but adds in the option of picking up a friend along the way.
So this round is close, but we gotta give this one to Lyft, just for the sheer ease of the process.
Winner: Lyft: 1 / Uber: 0
Round 2: Driver Compensation
So we've already mentioned what it's like to use these apps as a rider, but what about as a driver, keeping in mind we’re not fully taking on the gig economy and a living wage in general in this video.
Well, working for Uber offers the most sign-up incentives, paying up for drivers who decide to use the service to make a little extra money. On the flipside, many of the company's drivers have complained about how much Uber takes on commission, so much so that it impacted their decision to go on strike in May of 2019. Hourly, Uber drivers average around thirteen to fourteen dollars, while those who choose Lyft can expect to hover around seventeen.
Both companies offer tipping options for their drivers, with neither taking a cut, although Lyft riders statistically tend to tip more often, and in larger amounts. Additionally, it should be said that Uber actually discouraged this common practice for a long time, and it wasn't until June of 2017 that the company finally offered in-app tipping for their drivers.
Lyft and Uber also implement prime time rates at the busiest hours of the day, both of which offer bonuses for drivers. Uber gives drivers a multiplier for their earnings during times of high volume, such a bad weather or a big concert getting out. Meanwhile, Lyft gives their drivers identified Power Zones, which offer a higher rate to their driver up front, without worrying about a multiplier. Uber drivers who are driving high end model cars are enjoy higher earnings, although this can't quite compete with Lyft's up front and easy-to-understand driver model.
Winner: Lyft: 2 / Uber: 0
Round 3: Vehicle Variety and Support
Lyft was only a couple years late to the ride sharing party, but time has not exactly been on their side. The company debuted in 2012, three years after Uber, but today is available in considerably fewer places. The company is gaining ground, but Lyft services are only available in forty-six American and Canadian states. Meanwhile, Uber operates in almost 60 countries and hundreds of cities, making it the de facto rideshare options for many on the go.
Uber serves much of the world's business class, and works in a professional manner all the way. The company offers everything from standard sedans to ultra-cool SUVs, with plenty of options when it comes to spaciousness and price points. More importantly, Uber possesses more wheelchair accessible options than Lyft, although the company's car requirements do vary by location.
Lyft is a more fast and loose sort of company, by way of comparison. They perform the same driver background checks as Uber, and hold standards to driver's vehicles, requiring them to be undamaged, with four doors and a working air conditioner. Lyft drivers don't tend to specifically cater to with business travelers though, and this shows in their friendly and often vocal customer service. This can be fun if you're in the mood to talk, but not so much if you're stressing about a big meeting or corporate presentation.
So, with that, Lyft finally takes their first "L" in this contest.
Winner: Uber: 1 / Lyft: 2
Round 4: Branding and Innovation
It isn't just enough for both Uber and Lyft to offer rides to their customers. Innovation is absolutely key in taking things to the next level, and neither company possesses any shortage of ideas.
For example, both the UberPool and Lyft Line features allow riders to pick up a friend along the way, or carpool, while Uber has been testing another feature known as the Express Pool. Here, the rider choose to get out of the car early, and walk a little way to their destination. This saves driver time, as well as money.
Both companies have also expressed a dedication to exploring self-driving technology, although a fatal accident involving one of Uber's self-driving cars in 2018 means that this idea will be slow going. This isn't the only scandal to rock Uber, either, as the company has consistently struggled with a negative public image. Uber has been accused of feuding with cabbies and of not properly handling complaints from drivers, many of whom have moved over to Lyft. Additional accusations have included a hacking scandal, the alleged tracking of Lyft drivers, as well as harboring a culture of sexual harassment.
Lyft has reacted swiftly to fix their comparatively smaller breach scandals, making it harder for users' data to be compromised. Still, a New York labor group accused Lyft in 2017 of stealing tip wages, so it isn't as if the company is out in the free and clear. Furthermore, Lyft just doesn't implement enough new features to keep up with Uber's idea-train, including driver ratings and a luxury tier system for drivers looking to move up their ride. Uber's bold thinking evens up this context at two rounds apiece.
Winner: Uber: 2 / Lyft: 2
Round 5: Price
At the end of the day, the battle between Uber and Lyft will pretty much come down to one, all important thing: price. The rates of both companies are actually quite competitive. Both charge around one dollar to start, a dollar fifty per mile and twenty-five cents per minute.
We've already mentioned Uber's surge pricing and Lyft's Prime Time for drivers, but riders also need to be cognizant of these times, as it affects their bottom line. Both companies hike their prices during these peak hours, with Lyft adding a percentage to their base rate, adding five dollars to what would've been a ten dollar ride, for example.
In comparison, Uber's surge pricing is a multiplier, and is dependent on location and demand. Here, if the surge multiplier is 1.8, a ten dollar ride would now cost eighteen. Uber does show this price to its users up front, however, eliminating sticker shock at the conclusion of the ride. Still, this means that a New Year's Eve Uber ride can quickly turn super expensive if you're stuck, say, in Times Square at 12:01 a.m., and have to go clear across town.
So, yeah, no one likes paying more for a ride, but saving a bit of green will always go the extra mile in choosing which rideshare app is gonna get your business. That means that Lyft wins this deciding round, and the battle, with a final score of three to two.
But hey, this was a really close one, overall.
Winner: Lyft: 3 / Uber: 2
