Difference Between Uber and Lyft

Key Difference – Uber vs Lyft
 

Uber and Lyft are two popular ride-hailing services available in many major cities. Both these services can be used via a smartphone. Once you have signed up for an account of Uber or Lyft, all you have to do is download the app and submit a trip request. The key difference between Uber and Lyft is that Lyft offers lower prices and is friendlier, whereas Uber offers a lot of vehicle options and is better with innovation. Let us take a closer look at both these ridesharing companies and see what they have to offer.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Uber 
3. What is Lyft
4. Similarities Between Uber and Lyft
5. Side by Side Comparison – Uber vs Lyft in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Uber?

Uber was launched in San Francisco, California. It operates globally in many cities.  If you want to use the services of Uber as a passenger, you will first need to sign up and create an account. After you have registered, you can download and install the application on your Android, iPhone or Windows Phone. After you have created the account and installed the application, you will need to launch the app. Once you have logged in, you will need to set up a preferred payment method which can be a PayPal account or a valid credit card. You will be charged from this payment method when you ride.

To use Uber service, you will only need to open the application and make sure you are at your pick up location. You can then select the car service that you desire from the options provided and tap on the set pick up location and confirm by tapping on the Tap to request. Uber provides car service like UberX, UberXL, Uber SUV and UberBLACK.

UberPOOL – This is the cheapest option available. Passengers going along the same route can share rides.

UberX – A budget option where an everyday car that can fit in 4 people will come and pick you up.

UberXL – An SUV or minivan with seating for up to 6 people will come and pick you up.

UberSELECT – This is a 4 door luxury sedan with seating for up to 4 passengers.

UberBLACK – This features high-end luxury vehicles with seating for up to 4 passengers.

UberSUV  – This is the most expensive Uber service where a high-end SUV with seating for up to 6 passengers will pick you up.

What is Lyft?

Lyft is based in San Francisco and is a network transportation company. Lyft operates in over 300 US cities and provides over 18 million rides a month (Oct 2017). Users will need to download the Lyft mobile app and signup with a valid phone number and enter the payment form they want to make. Then users can request for a ride from a nearby driver. After confirmation, the app will show the drivers name, rating, and photo of the driver and the car. Driver and passengers can also add personal information like music preferences to encourage conversation during the ride. After the ride, the rider will have the opportunity to provide a gratuity which will also be billed with the riders preferred payment method.

There are four types of rides that are provided by the application. They are Lyft Line, Lyft, Lyft Plus, Lyft Lux, Lyft Premier.

Lyft Line  – This is the cheapest option available in Lyft. Passengers going along the same route can share rides.

Lyft – This is the budget option of Lyft where an everyday car with room for 4 passengers comes to get you.

Lyft Plus – This offers a regular vehicle with room for up to 6 passengers.

Lyft Premier – This offers higher quality vehicles than other Lyft options. This includes seating up to 4 passengers.

Lyft provides insurance of US 1 million commercial liability policy. There are also additional coverages available.

What are the Similarities Between Uber and Lyft?

• Both Uber and Lyft are popular ride-hailing apps.
• The process of requesting a car is pretty much similar in both services.
• The driver’s details will be sent to the passenger before he gets in the car.
• The passenger can rate the driver and the overall experience at the end of the ride; the driver can also rate the passenger.
• Both these services cost more during rush hours. In Uber, this is called surge pricing, and in Lyft, this is called prime time.

What is the Difference between Uber and Lyft?

Summary – Uber vs Lyft

The choice between Uber and Lyft ultimately comes down to which company you would prefer and what you are looking for. Some may prefer Uber and others may prefer Lyft. But with both, you can expect a reliable ride.

Image Courtesy:

1. “UBER (1)” By Sandeepnewstyle – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Lyft logo” By Lyft – Lyft Press Kit (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

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