John Boyle

jboyle@citizen-times.com

Lyft, a competitor to ride service Uber — and local cab companies — is entering the Asheville market.

Founded in 2012, Lyft bills itself as "the fastest-growing ride-share company in the U.S.," and is available in more than 200 cities. Like Uber, Lyft is driven by a smart phone app that lets riders arrange rides via the Internet.

In a press release, Lyft noted it began serving the Asheville area and Hickory on Thursday. It will also be able to take passengers to and from Asheville Regional Airport, which has been a bone of contention with local cab companies that contend they have to pay $300 per vehicle for a permit, as well as more expensive insurance premiums.

"Honestly, in a general sense, we feel the harder we try to do things right, the harder they try to do things wrong," Ben Queen, president of Yellow Cab, which operates 26 cabs under the Yellow Cab, New Bluebird, A-Red and Beaverlake names, said in reference to the ride-sharing companies. "When I look at a city ordinance, or the city tells me I need to do something, I say, 'OK, I'll do that.' They say, 'How can I get around that?' It's just really not fair."

Uber, founded in San Francisco in 2009, came to Asheville in 2014, creating a stir among cab companies that complained about lost fares and an uneven playing field. Generally speaking, Uber and Lyft charge lower rates than cab companies, although their rates fluctuate during peak demand times.

While the ride-share companies maintain their drivers are screened and insured, the cab companies say the levels and standards are different. Unlike Uber, Lyft allows its drivers to accept tips.

The app-based companies tend to offer cheaper fare rates than cab companies, and they've become extremely popular, especially with younger users. That has resulted in lost business for traditional cab companies, especially at night when revelers don't want to drive home drunk.

"There's been a significant decrease in our night business," Queen said, "What really gets me is this takes away from guys we've had for years; it takes money off their table. These people (Uber and Lyft drivers) are doing it for extra money, but they're taking food off working the man's table. Somebody suffers when you gain, especially in this sense."

Uber and Lyft contend they allow a lot of drivers to make extra money with flexible schedules. Lyft has over 315,000 drivers on the road nationwide.

The two app-driven companies likely will compete with one another, and that might drive down surge-fares for busy times. Local cab companies' fees are set by the city, and Queen said they charge $2.50 to get in the cab and $2.50 a mile.

The competition between Uber and Lyft is the only possible silver lining Queen sees.

"If you're going to call a cab, you're going to call a cab," Queen said. "So we're hoping they'll compete against each other, and that can only help us. That's the hope."