In about 90 days (just in time for track season and late nights at outdoor bars) ride sharing services Uber and Lyft will be allowed to operate outside New York City in the state of New York. In case you haven’t been following, the fight for ride sharing in Upstate has been long and frustrating. But the fight is finally, finally over and you’ll be able to request a pick up and drop off right from your phone later this summer!
Ride sharing services have been allowed in NYC since 2011. Six years later, the rest of New York state will finally be allowed to hail rides on their smart phones with ride sharing services like Lyft and Uber!
5 Things You Need to Know About Lyft & Uber
1. Regular Pricing
You’ll hear fans of either ride service swear their favorite is cheaper, but one thing is for sure – the prices on Lyft and Uber make taking a taxi look like a luxury. With both Lyft and Uber you have the option of taking your own ride or sharing the fare with other people looking for rides along your route. It may take a little longer, but it’s definitely cheap if you’ve got the time. Note: Uber does not have tipping, but Lyft does.
2. Surge Pricing
If you’ve read the horror stories about huge premiums on regular ride sharing pricing on nights like Halloween or St. Patrick’s Day, you’re not alone. Ride sharing companies charge a premium when demand is high or supply is low. On the high demand end of things, this is because there’s usually a reason customers are willing to pay more (like rush hour or a sudden rain shower). When supply is low, premium pricing is designed to incentivize more drivers to get on the road and start picking up customers.
3. Safety
Both Uber and Lyft complete background checks and if something horrible does happen, you have a record of who your driver was, including their license plate. In many respects, using one of these ride sharing companies is much safer than taking a traditional taxi.
4. Wait Times
Wait times are going to vary depending on demand, the time of day, and where you are. As Uber and Lyft build their base of drivers in your area, wait times might be longer.
5. You Get Rated, Too
Sure, you get a chance to rate your drivers and tell the ride sharing companies how they’re doing after every ride. But did you know that you get rated, too? How you behave on rides may affect whether or not the next driver decides to pick you up. Uber and Lyft are different from traditional taxi services in that your driver is choosing to share their ride with you. This idea of sharing is built right into the platforms with passenger ratings that help drivers decide if they want to share their ride with you or not.
