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While I think now is probably the time for lyft to strike while the iron is hot, I appreciate nytimes' candor in acknowledging neither Lyft nor Uber has demonstrated a "financially viable business". The road ahead is undoubtedly not easy for Lyft.
> neither Lyft nor Uber has demonstrated a "financially viable business Self driving cars
Forgive me if this is me being dense, but from an outsider's perspective I don't understand what makes Lyft any better than Uber. Neither company properly categorizes their drivers (as employees), both have a rather sizeable cut from fares, both depended on being basically illegal cabs--except for Uber Black, which uses licensed black car services--to get started, and neither has a financially viable business model.…
- CEO never blackmailed journalists
- No major revelations of sexual harassment
- ~~No major revelations of political support~~
Related to core business
- Surge Limit has prevented complaints about emergency pricing vs Uber.
- Lyft takes a lower commission capped at 20%/25%
- Lyft has in app digital tipping (drivers keep 100% of tips). Uber's tip policy encourages cash, which is an often cited complaint of taxis.
- Major investment / partnership with GM (mentioned in an Uber thread that Car Makers will need a cheap / reasonably priced app)
Forgive me if this is me being dense, but from an outsider's perspective I don't understand what makes Lyft any better than Uber. Neither company properly categorizes their drivers (as employees), both have a rather sizeable cut from fares, both depended on being basically illegal cabs--except for Uber Black, which uses licensed black car services--to get started, and neither has a financially viable business model.…
Lyft differentiates itself by throwing slightly more scraps to the drivers and not being Uber. It's shit, but cabbies aren't exactly working with a full benefits package and stock options either. I agree that Lyft is only marginally better than Uber, but it's hard to know where to go when basically every service industry seems to exist to exploit workers for profit. Do you just walk everywhere? Go live in the woods?…
No argument there. I completely agree (with the caveat that some small niches or niche companies seem to be "playing fair" but they're, by far, the exception than he rule).
> Do you just walk everywhere? Go live in the woods?
I intentionally didn't mention it, but since you asked: I don't use either service because of my objections to them. Where I live, public transit and bicycle infrastructure is pretty good--at least compared to most of North America--so if I can't get there by train, bus, bike, rented or friend's car (when going as a group), or my own two feet, I just don't go. I 197% recognize that this is a choice that many people don't get to make, but I don't think it invalidates the question of "why is Lyft seen as so much better than Uber?"
Lyft and Uber, from a birds-eye view, do the exact same thing ; and furthermore, neither is profitable, so the entire market is built upon potential future sales bases. Lyft is here valued at, generously, $7 billion. Meanwhile, Uber's valuation is reported variously, but a general Google search suggests its well in excess of $50 billion. This exceeds any expectation of market craziness. Are these investors talking to…
Lyft was selling slow expansion (they're still a US-only operator, and even within the US operate in relatively few markets) and most likely positive cashflow.
Uber was selling rapid global expansion, where each new city could be scaled up via Uber playbooks. Then it started selling itself as "last-mile logistics provider" for things like food deliveries and clothing. Then as a leading developer of self-driving vehicles, later complemented by self-driving trucks, later complemented by self-elevating passenger-carrying robotic drones.
You have to give Uber credit, they do address a broader TAM, even if their underlying core business doesn't seem that different from Lyft or Gett or Wingz or Hailo or MyTaxi or Didi or GrabTaxi or Ola or Yandex.Taxi.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In a lot of places, Uber/Lyft is a significantly better experience. The cars show up when you call them - reliably and quickly. The drivers don't long-haul you to rip you off. They go places taxis won't to pick you up. They're generally cheaper and cleaner. Ten years ago, taxis were terrible. Even in San Francisco. Now there's Uber and Lyft.
The question wasn't really why are they better than taxis, but why is Lyft considered a more ethical business than Uber, which has faced criticism, especially recently.
Anecdata I know...
Forgive me if this is me being dense, but from an outsider's perspective I don't understand what makes Lyft any better than Uber. Neither company properly categorizes their drivers (as employees), both have a rather sizeable cut from fares, both depended on being basically illegal cabs--except for Uber Black, which uses licensed black car services--to get started, and neither has a financially viable business model.…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The question wasn't really why are they better than taxis, but why is Lyft considered a more ethical business than Uber, which has faced criticism, especially recently.
That's what I was getting at, thank you. I understand that taxis are regarded as horrible but I don't get why Lyft is seen as "the better way" (either by investors or customers) when Uber is increasingly reviled. Lyft has the same systemic flaws as Uber but does so behind a pink mustache and a CEO that seems a bit more restrained. Neither company took the opportunity to "fix" a broken taxi system by ensuring that bot…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The question wasn't really why are they better than taxis, but why is Lyft considered a more ethical business than Uber, which has faced criticism, especially recently.
Admittedly one of the first reasons I preferred Uber to taxis was that I didn't have to deal with tipping but Lyft does at least offer the option whereas Uber drivers are left with whatever scraps the company decides to throw them that week.
https://hbr.org/2016/05/ubers-new-tipping-policy-is-a-mistak...
An uber driver even offered square for tip.
While I think now is probably the time for lyft to strike while the iron is hot, I appreciate nytimes' candor in acknowledging neither Lyft nor Uber has demonstrated a "financially viable business". The road ahead is undoubtedly not easy for Lyft.
> neither Lyft nor Uber has demonstrated a "financially viable business Self driving cars