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Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

nytimes.com

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Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#401

Post by zenlikethat »

freyr wrote: post #72
smileysteve wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The key points are - 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 comp…

> Lyft has in app digital tipping (drivers keep 100% of tips). One of the reasons I don't like Lyft. How about this system: pay the drivers a fair wage up front, so they don't need to subsist on the generosity of strangers. If they get great ratings, you can give them a bonus.

You don't have to tip, it's just an option to do it in-app.

"pay the drivers a fair wage up front" => If Lyft charged more they'd have fewer customers. Uber didn't even bother with tips and takes a higher cut, so drivers make less on Uber already, I don't see what's wrong with optional tipping.

Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#402

Post by LoonyBalloony »

driverdan wrote: post #399
foxfired wrote: post #127

Here is how I see it. I rely on those rides to go to work every single day and here what it (would) costs me. Uber: $250 a month.(Majority) Lyft: $500 a month (Whenever Uber is too expensive) Bus : $100 a month (1h:15 for 6 miles and 3 buses... No) Politics and all internal conflicts aside, there is a need for these services whether we like it or not. When I need to make a decision in the morning I take whatever is t…

For $850/m you could buy a really nice electric bike and motorcycle with a lot of money left over. Why do you take Uber and Lyft?

The weather may not permit that option. Although I see people riding bicycles through winter in the city I live in, thats a risk I wouldn't take myself.

Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#403

Post by mercutio2 »

Doctor_Fegg wrote: post #318
aianus wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why can't you work in a car? You're guaranteed to have a seat, for one, unlike public transport.

Motion sickness. If I read in a car (whether paper or screen) then I feel like crap for the rest of the day, basically. It's not at all uncommon. Plus the train has tables, 240V sockets, wifi (which selects the best from several different providers, so better coverage than my phone), all of that. There are seats available from our station on pretty much every train, and the journey time is more reliable than the car.

I'm a huge fan of trains and hate cars, but the motion sickness bifurcation you describe is unusual, so I would avoid trying to use motion sickness to carry water in pro-train arguments.

The vast majority of people who experience motion sickness in cars will also experience motion sickness in trains.

It took years for me to really understand why so many people don't love trains like I do: motion sickness makes the freedom, relaxation, and ability to focus on work I experience not universally shared.

Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#404

Post by albedoa »

c0ntrarian wrote: post #358
wcummings wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"Yes, but poor people use public transportation to come from bad neighborhoods to good neighborhoods to rob us! We must ban all expansion of public transportation!" This is why the (Boston) red line doesn't extend to Arlington.

I am sorry, good sir, but I must vehemently disagree with your reasoning. Arlington is not such a bad area, especially when compared to Dorchester, to which the Red Line does connect. In addition, the Red Line links through Mattapan cough Murderpan via trolley. So, I consider your comment thoroughly debunked.

Arlington resident here. Your comment in no way debunks the parent. The commenter did not say Arlington is a bad area. If I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, you either misread or do not understand.

Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#405

Post by [deleted] »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #128
lightcatcher wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I give about 30% of my Lyft drivers a tip, and I'm glad Lyft includes the option in their app. I've occasionally wanted to tip an Uber driver but then not had cash on me. I don't think it's reasonable to expect ride share companies to pay their drivers a fair wage when they are in fierce competition with each other and self-driving cars are on the horizon. I agree "mandatory" tipping like in US restaurants isn't a gr…

> I don't think it's reasonable to expect ride share companies to pay their drivers a fair wage It's always reasonable to expect companies to pay their people a fair wage.

[deleted]

Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#406

Post by zenlikethat »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #128
lightcatcher wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I give about 30% of my Lyft drivers a tip, and I'm glad Lyft includes the option in their app. I've occasionally wanted to tip an Uber driver but then not had cash on me. I don't think it's reasonable to expect ride share companies to pay their drivers a fair wage when they are in fierce competition with each other and self-driving cars are on the horizon. I agree "mandatory" tipping like in US restaurants isn't a gr…

> I don't think it's reasonable to expect ride share companies to pay their drivers a fair wage It's always reasonable to expect companies to pay their people a fair wage.

You can "expect" this all day but as long as you keep throwing your dollars to companies that try to pay their workers as little as possible (like Uber) they will continue to squeeze them as much as they can.

Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#407

Post by devy »

mtw wrote: post #377
foxfired wrote: post #127

Here is how I see it. I rely on those rides to go to work every single day and here what it (would) costs me. Uber: $250 a month.(Majority) Lyft: $500 a month (Whenever Uber is too expensive) Bus : $100 a month (1h:15 for 6 miles and 3 buses... No) Politics and all internal conflicts aside, there is a need for these services whether we like it or not. When I need to make a decision in the morning I take whatever is t…

The solution is reliable public transport. The way i see it, Uber is half price because it is sustained by VC money and ever-decreasing pay for drivers. Taxis or Ubers are in theory your own private vehicle or limo. It should be special occasions. Because you're late to the meeting. Or have to go the airport. Or because you had a drink too much. Having a private vehicle for everyday transport is a luxury and it shoul…

I totally concur with the OP and the solution is NOT public transit. Public transit is designed to maximize the service to cover majority of the population but NOT 100% of the use cases and population due to the limited funding and resources governments are allowed to allocate to public transit.

I've been to 20 out of 30 world's mega cities. None that I've seen has a "reliable public transportation" that covers all the edge cases like what OP raised and yet have more than decent availability and punctuation. NYC's the closest and best of the bunch with 24/7 MTA subway/bus services together with LIRR/Metro North rail services. However, there are tons of pockets of places where public transit doesn't reach or VERY inconvenient to get to. This is true for tourists and visitors as well as regular commuters.

I've been a commuter riding America's third largest public transit system NJ Transit bus/rail for almost 14 years. And I have many many stories to tell you that public transit is far from perfect and it NEVER WILL BE. But for the 80% of the time when it functions well and punctuate it gets the job done. When it doesn't, I picked the lowest fair of ride for hail service, be it Uber or Lyft or anyone else who can help me get my commute's last-mile problem done. That's the consumer's perspective.

Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#408

Post by lqdc13 »

LoonyBalloony wrote: post #402
driverdan wrote: post #399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For $850/m you could buy a really nice electric bike and motorcycle with a lot of money left over. Why do you take Uber and Lyft?

The weather may not permit that option. Although I see people riding bicycles through winter in the city I live in, thats a risk I wouldn't take myself.

Bicycling in the winter is fine. I've ridden across a frozen lake on my commute to school on a mountain bicycle for two winters every weekday.

Motorcycling in the winter on a street motorcycle with summer tires, on the other hand, is extremely dangerous.

Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#409

Post by tetraca »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #373
wcummings wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you live in a congested city taking the train can be faster than Uber for some trips. I don't like paying $15-$20 for the privilege of sitting in traffic when the same trip would have cost me $2-$3 on public transit.

But there is a convenience factor to consider. Trains run on a schedule; they get crowded, you may have to stand; they depart from and arrive at predetermined locations. They may travel faster and more efficiently, but do they actually get you to your destination quicker? Do you spend effort planning your schedule around the train? In my experience Uber is vastly superior than all other available transportation optio…

In my experience it's only preferable to: 1. parking/driving downtown, which is more expensive and 2. not being late for work because I lack the will to get up some days. The express bus line here will pick me up reasonably close to my house and drops me off across the street from my building, and can drive in exclusive lanes, such that Uber/Lyft often takes longer and significantly more expensive. I do not live in a dense enough area to really care about how packed the bus is and I certainly don't care about whether I need to sit or stand.

Re: Lyft Is Said to Seek New Funding as Its Rival Uber Stumbles

#410

Post by Jemmeh »

driverdan wrote: post #399
foxfired wrote: post #127

Here is how I see it. I rely on those rides to go to work every single day and here what it (would) costs me. Uber: $250 a month.(Majority) Lyft: $500 a month (Whenever Uber is too expensive) Bus : $100 a month (1h:15 for 6 miles and 3 buses... No) Politics and all internal conflicts aside, there is a need for these services whether we like it or not. When I need to make a decision in the morning I take whatever is t…

For $850/m you could buy a really nice electric bike and motorcycle with a lot of money left over. Why do you take Uber and Lyft?

They were showing the comparative cost, not total cost. Using Uber all month, it's $250. If they used Lyft all month -instead-, it's $500. Bus -instead- it would be $100.

On top of payments, when you factor in insurance and parking fees(stupidly expensive in some cities), taking Uber/Lyft can work out cheaper.

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