Why Uber May Not Always Be Your Best Ridesharing Choice

February 23, 2017

It’s been a few years since I wrote about my first ridesharing experience. The industry has exploded since then, but many people still just think of Uber when it comes to ridesharing. That’s unfortunate because if you live in a major city, there may be better options available to you. Here are my pros and cons for the Uber alternatives I’ve experienced:

Via

Pros: This service tends to offer the low cost rides so it’s usually my first choice.

Cons: It’s limited to NYC, Chicago, and DC and you may have to share your ride with other people going in the same general direction.

Lyft Line

Pros: Like Via, Lyft Line is a shared ride with other passengers, which lower the cost. It tends to be about the same price as Uber Pool, with the lower price depending on your location and whether one or the other is charging surge prices at the time. However, Lyft has stricter standards for drivers than Uber and they might be more motivated to provide superior customer service by the prospect of tips.

Cons: While it’s in quite a number of large cities, there are still places where it’s not available like my current home city of White Plains.

Gett

Pros: Gett tends to be the lowest cost option for a single ride so I tend to use it for  those times when I’m in a rush and don’t have time to share with other passengers. They also don’t do surge pricing, which is when Uber and Lyft charge higher prices during particularly busy times.

Cons: While it’s a global company in cities worldwide, the only US service area is NYC right now and cars may not always be available (especially during said busy times).

Juno

Pros: This is a new company that’s still in Beta mode in New York so they’re offering a 30% discount to new users. Costs are otherwise similar to Uber but with no surge prices. Their claim to fame is being better for drivers so they may be able to attract more, which means more availability for riders.

Cons: They’re limited to NYC right now and tend to be a little more pricey than Gett.

Lyft

If you don’t want to share a ride and Gett and Juno aren’t available, I compare regular Lyft and Uber prices on Google Maps. The pros and cons are the same as with Lyft Line above except that the rides aren’t shared so the prices are a bit higher.

As you can see, things have come a long way from my first Lyft ride 4 years ago. Depending on where you live, you may not have all these options now (except when you travel) but that’s likely to change as ride sharing continues to grow in popularity. Sticking to Uber may soon be as quaint as sticking to traditional taxis.