Which would you prefer- Taxi ,Uber, Lyft?

I use both Uber and Lyft. Don't care for traditional taxis any longer. I wonder if some older people prefer yellow cabs because of familiarity over the years? Furthermore, if a senior only has a flip phone, I guess it would be hard to summons a Uber/Lyft. Some seniors who use a smart phone may like making calls/texting but uncomfortable going through the steps to hire a Uber/Lyft.

Car service in rural areas wouldn't be financially viable for a Uber/Lyft gig driver. Too few people, not enough demand. But I don't know why anyone living it these areas would be surprised anyway. They are already limited to maybe a single mini grocery/bodega. No real supermarket. Along with maybe a small health clinic with the nearest hospital possibly 30 to 50 miles away. So they get the benefit of peaceful remoteness which comes with a lack of many amenities that are available in small and large city centers.

Finally, in any business there will be problems. These are magnified by the media. What would be interesting to know if how many rides daily are without incident versus those with problems?
 

Lyft. I have had bad experiences with Uber relating to my credit cards. I have only had two negative experiences with Lyft and they took care of my issues right away. Taxi's have pretty much become non existent where I live.
 
I've taken Uber several times with no problems. This was in Atlanta and Houston. They were all very friendly and chatty, especially when my sister was with me. She can charm the horns off a buffalo, until someone tries to cross her.

The last time I took a taxi was from a New Jersey airport to a hotel, when our midnight connecting flight to flight to Boston was cancelled (storms). The driver was a menace on the road and took us the very long way to the hotel.

The cabbies in Boston were no better. After the first few trips, I just waited until my husband came home. I figured that was a life-saving decision. OTOH, I may have been a bit particular because I was visiting my newborn triplets in the NICU. It was a very stressful time.
 
officerripley said:
I think at least one reason that happens is that, like most things unfortunately, it's run by men. And since I've found that every. Single. Man I've known IRL and a lot I've interacted with online, no matter how old they are, think that as long as they live, they are ninja-behind-the-wheel-road-warriors ("I've still got the eyesight and reaction-time of a 20 year old!"); and since they think they're going to be able to drive forever, I guess they think everybody else is too.
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Here in the Land of Pickup Trucks, the drivers are nearly all road warriors. I've wanted a pickup truck for a long time, but there has never been any justification for spending that much money. I spend a lot of my time on the road wondering how so many people can afford to buy one. Ours is not a town full of wealthy people. The older people who drive them are much better drivers, and so are the drivers whose wives are in the passenger seat.
 
That really depends. When I was traveling on business and reached a particular city, I would typically take an Uber to get to a restaurant to meet an account or co-worker for dinner. There were a few times when the location was wonky and the driver would be a block down the road. Anyway, he would always call me and it worked out. I've even taken an Uber locally to pick up my car when it was in the shop. The exception was when I visited New York City, because taxis are so prevalent.

I do find that in some airports Uber drivers are not allowed to get as close as taxi drivers. I also had the same issue when disembarking a ship in Ft. Lauderdale in March. I was at Terminal 23, and the Uber driver was only allowed to park at Terminal 26. I took a taxi, but frankly taxis in Ft. Lauderdale are so old and run down I would take an Uber any time. I've also had taxi drivers whose credit card machines weren't working or who insisted on cash. It has been a crap shoot with taxis, but Uber has been pretty consistent. I call them with an app on my phone, they have my credit card info and I have never been overcharged.

And BTW, I actually had a taxi driver taking me from LaGuardia to my hotel in NYC break down. He called another taxi and transferred me and my luggage over. So, taxis are typically the last means of transportation I would take.

I used to take private cars to the airport when we traveled for vacation, but that was when I was working. Now, we park at The Parking Spot, take them to the airport and have the driver load/unload our luggage. It's all about economizing these days.
 
I've been taking Ubers and Lyfts for a few years, since my husband died and have never had a problem. I wouldn't take a taxi again. Before I get into an Uber or Lyft, I get info on who's driving me, that drivers license plate number, his or her rating and there are safety features within the apps to allow riders to share info about their ride with whomever they choose. There is also a feature that allows a rider to alert 911 if they feel the ride has gone off course or the driver is up to no good. When you get into a taxi you don't know who's driving and there may be no accountability or way to track you if things go sideways. Add to that, I watched a Criminal Minds episode about a taxi driver who pumped something to knock out his riders (which didn't affect him because of the partition cabs have). He then murdered those victims. It scared me so much that I didn't watch Criminal Minds again for a few years and certainly made me re-evaluate just jumping into a cab.
 
oldman said:
I have had good luck with Uber. They kept me informed of where the driver was and when I could expect their arrival. I get a little map on my phone showing my area and it shows the driver’s location and my location. Price difference, I don’t know, but I like helping out a person that is trying to earn their way.
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That's been my experience as well. I can see exactly where the driver is on the little map, quite entertaining! My daughter installed the app on my phone a few years ago and it is very easy to use. Of course, I only use it on rare occasion, as I did last week when I took my car in for routine service.
 
Nosy Bee-54 said:
They are already limited to maybe a single mini grocery/bodega. No real supermarket. Along with maybe a small health clinic with the nearest hospital possibly 30 to 50 miles away. So they get the benefit of peaceful remoteness which comes with a lack of many amenities that are available in small and large city centers.
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We live within 1 mile of a Walmart and 2 miles of a full size hospital. Still no Lyft or Uber. They need more population to be viable than you think. We actually have Lyft and Uber drivers who live in the area, but they get a lot more rides in Salt Lake or Ogden, so that is where they hang out. We can try to call a Lyft or Uber on the apps, but there is almost never a car within range.
 
BTW...I usually check the prices for Uber and Lyft before deciding which one to go with. Most of the time I find that Uber is cheaper and may come faster. But Lyft has this "wait and save" feature. If you're willing to wait up to (say) between 5 and 15 minutes you get a discounted rate. A couple of times I chose that option and the ride came within 2 or 3 minutes...still at the discounted price.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
BTW...I usually check the prices for Uber and Lyft before deciding which one to go with. Most of the time I find that Uber is cheaper and may come faster. But Lyft has this "wait and save" feature. If you're willing to wait up to (say) between 5 and 15 minutes you get a discounted rate. A couple of times I chose that option and the ride came within 2 or 3 minutes...still at the discounted price.
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I do the same thing checking both to see what the price is. My trips are mainly to and from the airport or cruise port. A car is always within 2 to 3 minutes.
 
Have used Uber a few times in Denver to get to the airport. Seemed fine. I'm another that lives in the boonies, and drive everywhere I need to go, though I don't go any more often than is necessary. Generally once a week or less.
 
Moon Rat said:
There’s another choice. Private car.
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You mean like a limousine? Aren't those horribly expensive? Because that's the only kind of private car service we have around here, are limousines. And I haven't checked recently but I've heard we no longer have Uber or Lyft so I guess it's back to the few cab companies that are left which only take cash.
 
I only use taxis. I leave the rest to the younger generation starring at their smartphones all day. I believe they use those phones to call uber and whatever else is out there these days. Guess I'm not "trendy" but that's alright with me!
 
Packerjohn said:
I only use taxis. I leave the rest to the younger generation starring at their smartphones all day. I believe they use those phones to call uber and whatever else is out there these days. Guess I'm not "trendy" but that's alright with me!
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I surmise that you use a flip phone. I can tell you like what you would call the "good old days," since your favorite show is Gunsmoke.
 
I lived in a small Minnesota town for most of the past 7 years. We had one taxi company that did its best to keep up with the demand. Uber and Lyft didn't operate there, because there wouldn't be enough money for them.

I move to the "big City" in December of 2021. I only tried Uber once, when I got out of the hospital. I couldn't make the call because my phone couldn't make a Wi-Fi connection at the hospital. For some reason people had a hard time using Wi-Fi and cellphones in and around that hospital. These days I just stick with the same taxi company.
 
Packerjohn said:
I only use taxis. I leave the rest to the younger generation starring at their smartphones all day. I believe they use those phones to call uber and whatever else is out there these days. Guess I'm not "trendy" but that's alright with me!
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I'm in your generation PJ...or at least in the ball park, I imagine. I don't stare at my phone all day but prefer Ubers & Lyfts. We don't call them, we use their apps to "order" the rides, send messages if need be. Sometimes the driver will call if there confusion about the pick up spot. Also, no need for cash...the payment method is saved within the app and even tips can be done via the app. Bonus: I get between 3% and 5% cash back on my rides, plus accumulate points that can be used toward rides. Anyway....as long as you're comfortable with what you use..that's all that counts.
 

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