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.

 

Would You Go Carless?

June 23, 2016

About 4 months I ago, I finally got rid of my 1995 BMW 325ic. I always knew that day would arrive and in many ways, it happened in the best way possible. Instead of breaking down in the middle of the highway or slowly eating away my bank account in small repairs, it simple failed the CA smog test and would have cost me more to repair than the car was worth. Since I couldn’t legally drive it, and it made no financial sense to fix it, my decision was easy. I sold it to a mechanic I met as my Uber driver and decided to go carless.

As with getting rid of cable TV, I’ve never regretted it. (The fact that I’m thinking of moving back to NYC helped too.) But kids, before you try this at home, here are several things you’ll want to ask yourself:

How much does you car really cost you? It’s not just the car payment. Think about the cost of insurance, gas, and maintenance and repairs too. I bought mine in cash so I didn’t have a payment, didn’t drive much, and had a no-frills high-deductible insurance plan. However, I still spent about $85 a month in gas and $35 a month in insurance plus a decent amount in repairs each year.

What’s your life like? What’s your commute to work? Where do you tend to go?

In my case, there are several reasons why I don’t drive much and am able to get along well without a car. When I’m not traveling, I work from home so there’s no need for a commute. I also live in a neighborhood in which I can walk to 3 grocery stores, countless restaurants of every cuisine you can imagine, and even my doctor, dentist, and eye doctor. Your mileage (pun intended) may vary.

How will you get around without a car? We all need to go places that aren’t walkable from time to time. Do you have a spouse with a car? How is public transportation in your area? What other options do you have?

My girlfriend has a car, but I can’t always rely on that. San Diego is also notorious for not having the best public transportation system so I tend to use Car2Go and ride sharing apps like Lyft and Uber. Car2Go allows you to rent little smart cars (gas and insurance included) for short trips and is generally the cheapest option if you park it in a home area (generally urban areas of major cities). If you’re not in a rush, you can also minimize the cost of Lyft and Uber rides by choosing the Lyft Line and Uber Pool options, which give you a lower rate in exchange for possibly having to share your ride with other people going in the same general direction. This is particularly beneficial in longer, more expensive rides as it can cut the cost almost in half (a recent ride went from about $26 to $16) and I’ve only had to share a ride a couple of times.

The best rewards of being carless aren’t financial though. It’s the lack of stress worrying about navigating through traffic (versus playing on my phone as a passenger), looking for parking, and dealing with car problems. Knowing you’re doing your part to literally save the world doesn’t hurt either.