Uber and Lyft are two very similar services. Both are “ride-sharing” apps you pull up on your phone to quickly get a ride somewhere from a driver using their own car. These two services have diverged a bit over the years, but there are still major similarities between them.
How Uber and Lyft Work
These ride-sharing services work in basically the same way. They allow drivers, who are independent contractors and not employees of Uber or Lyft, to pick you up when you book a ride in the app. You’re charged a standard fee with a base rate and a per-minute and per-mile fee. The cost generally adds up to much less than you’d spend on a traditional taxi for the same distance.
That’s not the only reason people prefer them to taxis. You can book them from your phone and see exactly where the driver is and when they’re arriving, which beats calling a taxi service and wondering when the taxi might arrive. The same app works in every city, or at least the cities where these services are available. Both apps allow you to select a pickup and drop-off location, see nearby cars, and track the car’s location as it arrives. At the end of the ride, both let you rate your driver and even tip them from the app if you like. Drivers rate riders on both services, too.
For the standard service–known as an “uberX” in Uber or just a “Lyft” in Lyft–the experience is about the same. Both allow you to book a larger SUV if you have more people or larger items that need transportation, a higher-end luxury car if you want that experience or a cheaper shared service known as “Uber Pool“–where you’ll ride with other people going in the same general direction for a small discount.
Uber and Lyft Are More Similar Than They Used to Be
Lyft has cultivated a more playful, driver-friendly image. Lyft drivers used to have a pink mustache affixed to the front of their car and fist-bumped their passengers (though they don’t do either of those things anymore). Uber acquired a take-no-prisoners, combative reputation for the way it expanded into cities that had regulations on the books that would prohibit it, fighting legal and political battles only after launching the service in a city.
At this point, though, Uber and Lyft are more similar than they are different. In our experience, you’ll often call an Uber or Lyft and get in a car only to see that the same driver is driving for both companies. One driver who only drove for Lyft told us that this is typical of drivers who are driving full time, while others (perhaps retirees looking for a bit of extra work) often stick with one service.
Both Uber and Lyft screen their drivers in basically the same way. Anyone can apply to be a driver, and Uber and Lyft both perform background checks with the driver’s social security number before approving them. Uber and Lyft use different background check companies, but the criteria for approval can vary based on the state.
They Cost About the Same
There isn’t much of a price difference between the two services, in our experience. Competition has driven Lyft and Uber prices down to be largely the same in many areas. There may be a price difference in certain cities, but you can check it yourself using some online tools. Use the Uber Fare Estimate and Lyft Fare Estimate tools for your city (or a city you’re visiting) and plug the same pickup and drop-off addresses into both to compare prices.
Both services charge more during peak, high-demand times. Uber calls this “surge pricing,” and Lyft calls it “Prime Time.” This is designed to encourage drivers to get on the road to perform more pickups at times when there are a lot of people who need rides.
Uber Is More Widespread Than Lyft
While these services are largely similar, there’s one big difference. Uber is available in 63 countries around the globe, while Lyft is mostly only available in the USA and Canada.
While Uber and Lyft are available in many (but not all) cities throughout the US, there may be gaps in drive availability. While a large city like San Francisco has a lot of drivers for both Uber and Lyft, smaller cities frequently have more Uber drivers than Lyft drivers, at least in our experience. Uber is still the bigger name here, and it can show.
If you like Lyft, don’t let this sway you from giving it a try. But you may want to have both the Uber and Lyft apps installed, so you can call an Uber if you find yourself somewhere where there aren’t many Lyfts available.
Both Uber and Lyft offer a more expensive service with high-end black cars and professional drivers. Uber has UberBLACK, while Lyft has Lyft Premier, Lyft Lux, and Lyft SUV. But, again, Uber was the first to launch this level of service. You may encounter cities where UberBLACK is available, but the Lyft luxury car services aren’t.
The Elephant in the Room: Uber’s Bad Behavior
It’s impossible to compare Uber and Lyft without talking about Uber’s bad reputation. This isn’t just about Uber’s internal culture or its violation of laws that seem designed to protect the taxi industry, either. In October 2016, hackers stole the personal information of some 57 million people from Uber’s servers. 50 million riders had their names, email addresses, and phone numbers stolen. That’s not too much information if you’re just a rider. However, 7 million drivers also had their information accessed, and the attackers acquired 600,000 driver’s license numbers.
Rather than responsibly disclose the hack, Uber paid the hackers $100,000 to delete the data and hid this attack for more than a year, in apparent violation of the law. Uber’s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over in September 2017, told Bloomberg that “None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it.” He also said that Uber is “changing the way we do business.”
While Uber has been attempting to improve its image and culture recently, it’s no surprise that many people have shunned Uber for Lyft given consumer-hostile behavior like that. For a time, Lyft was growing faster than Uber, but Uber is still overwhelmingly more popular in the US.
However, it’s worth noting that many of the things Uber is criticized for are things Lyft also does. Both services use independent contractors instead of employees, pay their drivers about the same, and have a version of “surge pricing” that charges more during busy times. Both services are working on self-driving cars to one day replace those drivers, too.
It’s Not Just About Car Rides
While Uber and Lyft both made a name for their ride-sharing services, they’ve branched out to other areas. The big one is Uber Eats, which has become nearly as popular as Doordash and Grubhub. It works essentially the same as those other services. Uber drivers act as the delivery drivers for restaurants. Lyft doesn’t have its own food delivery service, but the company’s “Lyft Pink” premium subscription includes free access to Grubhub+.
Uber also has an off-shoot service called “Carrier,” which allows you to request a driver through the Uber app to transport packages on your behalf. Lyft does not offer a similar service. Another service that both companies do offer is scooter rentals. In many cities throughout the USA, you’ll find Uber and Lyft-branded scooters lying around. They can be rented and paid for with the regular Uber or Lyft app on your phone.
Ultimately, the best choice between Lyft and Uber depends on your individual needs and priorities. If you’re looking for the widest range of services and availability, Uber might be the way to go. No matter which you choose, both companies offer a level of convenience and flexibility that’s hard to beat in today’s on-demand world. So next time you need to get somewhere, grab your phone and take your pick – the open road (and a whole lot more) awaits.
