The ride sharing services Uber and Lyft both make it easy to grab a ride with your phone, get you where you’re going in minutes, and automatically pay for the trip without needing cash or card on hand. We decided find out which one is the best way to catch a ride.


The Contenders

Ride sharing services make traversing urban sprawls as simple as tapping your phone a few times. They’re usually cheaper than hailing a cab, and because so many independent drivers work for each service, it’s a lot quicker to grab a ride. Ride sharing also makes it easy to catch a ride to the train station, or have a night on the town without worrying about who the designated driver is. Heck, using ride sharing services on your next trip might even be cheaper than renting a car. We’ve chosen to look at these two major players in the ride sharing market:

There are other similar services out there, like Sidecar, but they’re shifting their focus to deliveries and we wanted to keep the focus on the two most popular and most widely available.


Availability

In general, ride sharing services are only available in metropolitan areas where the population can support the required supply of drivers and demand of rides. Some states have been slow to revise their laws regarding the services, but overall it seems like ride sharing is here to stay.

Currently, Uber is available in 58 countries and 300 cities worldwide. You can see a list of every area in North America where Uber is available here. Lyft is currently available in 65 U.S. cities, with plans to expand both domestically and internationally.

Winner: Uber

Numbers don’t lie. For the time being, Uber is in more places, and odds are you’re more likely to find an Uber driver in your area than a Lyft driver. While Uber and Lyft compete in most of the same markets inside the U.S., Uber is the only way to go if you live outside of the U.S.




Pricing

The price point for each service is probably the number one deciding factor for most people, but finding the “cheapest” is complicated. Depending on the service and the time of day, things can get messy. Furthermore, pricing varies from city to city depending on local regulations. One thing is for sure, though: Uber and Lyft are both cheaper than taxis.


A substantial report from the What’s the Fare blog found that, outside of “Surge Pricing” (Uber) or “Prime Time,” (Lyft) standard Lyft rides were generally cheaper than Uber rides in the cities of Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. However, a different data comparison made in Chicago found Uber to be cheaper overall (with the caveat that Uber had some cut some price rides as specially timed “sales”). Both services have occasional sales and specials, however, so it’s good to take advantage of them when they’re available.


Fortunately, the rate differences from both comparisons are pretty small, and the heated competition between the two services keep rates about the same. Outside of peak hours, you’re generally looking at about $1.00-$1.50 as the base charge, and around $1.50 per mile after that. Rates constantly change, however, and it all depends on the supply and demand of where you are, so there’s no way to say unilaterally that one service has a better pricing than the other.

Winner: Lyft

Peak hours change everything. Lyft’s “Prime Time” pricing caps out at three times the normal base rate during peak hours. Uber’s “Surge Pricing,” however, can reach as high as eight times the base rate. Plus, we’re willing to bet that if you’re trying to head out on a Saturday night, or need a ride home from the bar after it’s closed, you’re going to run into surge pricing, just because, well, everyone else is looking for a ride too There are countless Surge horror stories out there about outrageous Uber bills, but if you search for stories around expensive Lyft rides, they’re few and far between. Because of that and the pennies on the dollar you might save in some areas, Lyft is going to squeak by as the pricing winner.




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Using the Service

Both services use an app that you can download for free for iOS and Android. On a basic level, both apps function well and offer most of the same features:

Request a ride at your GPS location

Plug in your destination address

Watch drivers in real time via GPS

See how long until your driver arrives

Give drivers a rating after the trip

The big differences in service come with the different tiers of rides available. Uber has seven different tiers of service:




Pool : Your driver will take you and one other passenger where you want to go, but they might pick up another passenger along the way.

: Your driver will take you and one other passenger where you want to go, but they might pick up another passenger along the way. UberX : The car will only seat you and your passengers for the trip (four people total).

: The car will only seat you and your passengers for the trip (four people total). Select : Similar to UberX, but the cars are high end sedans that must have leather seats.

: Similar to UberX, but the cars are high end sedans that must have leather seats. Black Car : High end town cars and professional drivers.

: High end town cars and professional drivers. SUV : UberX with more seating (up to six).

: UberX with more seating (up to six). LUX : Top of the cars like BMWs, Mercedes, and Porsche.

: Top of the cars like BMWs, Mercedes, and Porsche. Access: Wheelchair accessible service.

Lyft has only three:



Line : Similar to Uber Pool. You may or may not be sharing your ride with another passenger or two.

: Similar to Uber Pool. You may or may not be sharing your ride with another passenger or two. Lyft : Similar to UberX. Seats four and you’re not sharing the ride with someone else.

: Similar to UberX. Seats four and you’re not sharing the ride with someone else. Plus: Vehicles have room for six, leather interior, and access to Spotify Premium in-car so you can listen to whatever you like during your ride.


This might seem like Lyft is missing something, but most people will only use Pool and UberX, or Line and standard Lyft, most of the time. Signing up for both is quick, and requires the typical combo of name, phone number,email, and the creation of password. You also need to enter your payment info. Uber and Lyft both accept Paypal in addition to major credit cards.



The process of requesting a ride is almost identical for both services, but some research suggests Lyft will get to you a little faster in some cities. The difference is a matter of minutes at most, however, and it’s highly dependent on your location as well as the random placement of where a nearby driver might currently be and which driver accepts your fare first. That being said, both services usually get to you within 10 minutes of requesting the ride during non-peak hours.




Winner: Uber

Uber offers more ride options (if you want them), but there also three other things that give Uber a small advantage over Lyft. First, while both apps will estimate the cost of your trip, Uber shows you the price of your ride in real time. This makes me anxious, personally, but it’s a nice touch for those who want to gauge the cost of getting somewhere along the way to your current destination. Second, the Lyft app allows you to tip the driver. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good thing for Lyft drivers, but the simplicity of Uber’s “we’ll take you here, that’s the price, end of transaction” might be considered simpler and less off putting by some. Third, Uber has a major advantage if you need a ride to a hospital or medical facility, especially if you’re disabled (Uber Access).




Being a Driver

To become an Uber driver, you’ll need to have a current driver’s license, proof of current insurance, and submit to a background check, DMV check, and criminal record check. You must also be 23 years of age. To become a Lyft driver, it’s the same process except you only have to be 21 years of age.




In terms of how much you can make as a driver, again, it varies by location. Aaron at idrivewithuber.com gives some insight as an LA-based driver, and also explains how the sytem works:



Let’s say for example someone takes a ride from West Hollywood to Downtown L.A. (which is approx. 8 miles and 30 minutes). Furthermore, let’s add a 1.3 surge. The calculation for the ride looks like this: (8 mi. x $1 + 30 min. x $0.18) x 1.3 surge + $1 Rider Fee = $18.42 This is the total amount charged to the passenger. What percentage do Uber drivers make? Uber takes a commission out of the $18.42. After a deduction of the $1 Rider Fee, Drivers keep 80% of the total fare price for a given ride. Uber takes 20% of the fare. So here is the math for our example after Uber’s commission: $18.42 – $1 Rider Fee – ($17.42 x 0.20) = $13.93 This is how much the driver is paid before any expenses. My rule of thumb (this may not be an accurate number for you) is that I spend about 10% on gas and other vehicle expenses and 10% on taxes on average (after all the deductions). Which in this case is calculated as follows: $13.93 x 0.80 = $11.14

It’s a similar system with Lyft. In that example, all things considered, the driver would be making over $20 an hour assuming they had another rider lined up. Not too shabby. Harry, the founder of The Rideshare Guy blog, drives for both Uber and Lyft full-time. He’s based in Chicago, and explains that, overall, he makes more money driving for Uber, but that Lyft actually pays higher rates in 38 markets (Uber is the highest paying in only 8 markets). He maintains an always-up-to-date Google spreadsheet showing the rates in 54 different cities.




Winner: Lyft

I’ve personally used Uber and Lyft countless times to get around, and I always ask my drivers the same two questions: “Do you drive for both companies?” and “Which do you like driving for more?” Most of them tell me that they do, in fact, drive for both because it’s efficient. Most also tell me that they like driving for Lyft more. They don’t usually go into too much detail, but in a roundabout way, they explain that Lyft is just “more on top of things.”


Multiple surveys have also shown that drivers are more satisfied driving for Lyft. One survey from The Zebra found 100% of drivers satisfied with Lyft and only 84% satisfied with Uber. In a separate survey from New York Magazine, nine out of ten drivers who drove for both also preferred Lyft. Lyft even uses their driver satisfaction rates as a point of advertising. Furthermore, some Uber drivers have been pretty underhanded when it comes to trying to poach Lyft fairs.

Surge pricing might allow a driver to make a higher rate with Uber overall, but you don’t get control over when it’s surge and when it isn’t, and you’ll probably be happier driving for Lyft. And if you don’t plan on driving during peak hours, Lyft is going to pay better rates anyway. Furthermore, the Lyft app lets riders tip the driver! Uber does not allow this within the app, and they discourage riders from giving tips; making the whole “should you or shouldn’t you” aspect of tipping your driver all the more confusing and controversial with Uber. Fortunately, you can drive for both without any sort of penalty, so you don’t have to choose. Lyft sounds like it takes better care of its drivers, but you can mix and match both to find the perfect combination for you.


The Showdown Champion: Lyft


Uber beats Lyft on availability by a longshot and barely slips by when it comes to usability, which might be most important to the end customer. Lyft on the other hand, can be a lot cheaper to use, and seems to have a better company culture when it comes to taking care of their drivers and their passengers.

It’s also important to note that both Uber and Lyft have had some issues with safety in the past. The web site Who’s Driving You? keeps a list of all the alleged assaults by Uber and Lyft drivers that you can peruse. Overall, Uber has a few more accidents, driver assaults on passengers, alleged kidnappings, and so on, so take that as you will.


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The bottom line is both services are near identical in a lot of ways, but if you have the option, Lyft seems to go the extra mile when it comes to taking care of customers and drivers alike. If you’ve only been using Uber, you might want to give Lyft a shot, and vice versa—there’s no harm in trying both and making your own call, but our research says you’ll be happier with Lyft. Which ride sharing service do you prefer and why?