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Lyft adds a new app for drivers

businessinsider.com

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Re: Lyft adds a new app for drivers

#81

Post by cdrark »

criddell wrote: post #74
cdrark wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That works until there is any sort of an accident and the driver's insurance doesn't cover them operating their vehicle as a business. Part of the commission that gets paid goes to providing insurance.

Is it different than when I give a friend with a truck $50 to help me get mulch from Home Depot to my house on a Saturday morning?

If that friend got into an accident while driving to Home Depot for you, would you pay their insurance deductible? If they got hurt would you pay their medical bills? Would you do the same for your off the books taxi driver?

Re: Lyft adds a new app for drivers

#82

Post by giarc »

kcanini wrote: post #73
giarc wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference with Homejoy was that many people on their site already had existing cleaning companies. They were using Homejoy for customer acquisition. Once that customer was acquired, there was no need for Homejoy. Once Homejoy was out of the picture, the cleaners regular liability insurance would still be in play. Obviously there were some cleaners that did not have a business. The difference with Uber/Lyft is th…

> The difference with Uber/Lyft is that these drivers don't have a business outside of the app. Doesn't this discredit Uber's argument that drivers are independent contractors?

Perhaps - but that's outside the scope of this specific discussion about sidestepping the app and paying under the table so to speak.

Re: Lyft adds a new app for drivers

#83

Post by criddell »

cdrark wrote: post #81
criddell wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it different than when I give a friend with a truck $50 to help me get mulch from Home Depot to my house on a Saturday morning?

If that friend got into an accident while driving to Home Depot for you, would you pay their insurance deductible? If they got hurt would you pay their medical bills? Would you do the same for your off the books taxi driver?

If you get hurt while helping a friend, would you really ask them to compensate you? I wouldn't unless they were somehow responsible. Accidents happen.

Re: Lyft adds a new app for drivers

#85

Post by radlad »

SilasX wrote: post #66
sanderjd wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity, what are the ethical concerns? The arrangement is not being made by the middleman company. I don't see how it is unethical to not pay them for something they did not do. Point (B) doesn't make sense to me. Why do you have to accept and then cancel? You just get the driver's phone number and talk to them directly. In fact, if this is not common already, I think it undermines the contention of these c…

>Out of curiosity, what are the ethical concerns? The arrangement is not being made by the middleman company. I don't see how it is unethical to not pay them for something they did not do. Their service was connecting drivers and riders -- allowing them to find each other for the transaction. They connected you. That was their service. (They provide other related intermediary services, but the "finding" function is t…

> AFAIK, they don't give you any way to contacting each other until the ride is accepted. Am I mistaken here?

You're not mistaken, but the implication from the parent was that the rider had ridden with the drive before...

> I know many people around where I live who use local Uber drivers whom they trust to schedule early-morning rides to the airport and things like that.

Re: Lyft adds a new app for drivers

#86

Post by s73ver »

kcanini wrote: post #71
cdrark wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That works until there is any sort of an accident and the driver's insurance doesn't cover them operating their vehicle as a business. Part of the commission that gets paid goes to providing insurance.

I imagine that when reporting it to the police/insurance agency, many (most?) drivers would omit the fact that they were driving for business purposes when the accident occurred. Not saying this is legal/ethical, just that it would come to mind in that situation.

Driver probably would. But would the passenger?

Re: Lyft adds a new app for drivers

#87

Post by s73ver »

rjuyal wrote: post #21
jngreenlee wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So this is of course anecdotal but the only time I use Lyft (I avoid Uber) when it's very important I get somewhere in time, like catching a plane early in the morning. Given the nature of Taxis, it would take a lot before I would trust Taxis with this. Edit: The last time I booked a taxi it was 2-3 years ago for a 4am ride to PDX. I booked two to be safe, only one came anyways.

I am a frequent user of Uber. I don't use Lyft at all. I don't see any reason to use Lyft over uber. It's price estimation is wrong. Uber says $39 for airport, Lyft says $35 - $46 for airport. Estimated time of arrival is also wrong. Uber says it will take 4 mins for driver to come while Lyft will say drive will reach in one minute. I mean I can see on the map there is no way driver can reach in one minute. Whenever…

I use Lyft over Uber mainly because Lyft's business doesn't seem to be as corrupt and gross as Uber's.

Re: Lyft adds a new app for drivers

#88

Post by carb »

jngreenlee wrote: post #22
rjuyal wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am a frequent user of Uber. I don't use Lyft at all. I don't see any reason to use Lyft over uber. It's price estimation is wrong. Uber says $39 for airport, Lyft says $35 - $46 for airport. Estimated time of arrival is also wrong. Uber says it will take 4 mins for driver to come while Lyft will say drive will reach in one minute. I mean I can see on the map there is no way driver can reach in one minute. Whenever…

The culture of Lyft (which will merge with the culture of Uber over time I believe) has been more friendly, more conversational where I live. I always sit up front and talk with the person, learn what else they do, how long they've lived in the area. When I try this with Uber (esp in SF), they often show me a thumb pointing towards the backseat instead!

That's a surprising experience, I take an Uber at least 2-3 times a week in the bay area and I sit up front almost every single time, unless I have a package with me. I have never been asked to sit in the backseat, even after >700 Uber rides.

Re: Lyft adds a new app for drivers

#89

Post by lda »

criddell wrote: post #75
cfreeman wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in Portland almost every driver uses both apps so I don't find a difference in driving. I prefer Uber simply because there's less expectation of tipping and the price is about the same.

> there's less expectation of tipping What on earth gave you that idea?

There is no tipping expectation with Uber, no matter what disgruntled drivers on reddit say.

Re: Lyft adds a new app for drivers

#90

Post by dnautics »

arthens wrote: post #18
Kiro wrote: post #8

So this is of course anecdotal but the only time I book taxis is when it's very important I get somewhere in time, like catching a plane early in the morning. Given the nature of Uber/Lyft it would take a lot before I would trust them with this.

Are taxis more reliable than lift/uber where you live? My experience in Australia is the opposite. I never had a uber (no lift here) not showing up , while booking a taxi is almost like a lottery. Few years back our office manager booked 4 cabs for 6pm of the following day because we had a work function to go to. The first cab showed up at 6.50 after countless calls to the taxi company, the other never did. We ended…

it's a death spiral. If you call for more than one taxi and drop them, it incentivises taxis to drop their pre-booked clients and pick up people on the road instead, which incentivises people to call for more taxis than they need, etc.
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