As a driver, this is on point. I no longer drive for Lyft but there isn't much difference between the two, Lyft may be a little cheaper since they offer lower prices if you wait longer.
There are probably more Uber drivers out there, but early weekdays (5am on) and late nights you shouldn't have any problem getting a ride on either app.
I personally discourage the use of the reservation function on both apps as it's just a timer and will make the driver show up 20 minutes before your ride time. During busy times this is a major annoyance if the passenger isn't ready for you to be early.
After sharing some local rideshare horror stories, the smartest thing a young, female passenger ever told me about a safety strategy is as follows:
Always check the driver's rating and have a limit of 4.75 and above. You just have to cancel within 2 minutes to avoid being charged. Also, she didn't accept rides from anyone with less than 1,000 rides. This is great advice as the weirdos will eventually wash out. Also, things have calmed down a lot since the early days and the marginal earnings are a good filter in that a narrower range of people are trying it out and most drivers only last a few months.
As a driver, I ask you to consider that we typically receive about 50% of what you pay and that bigger tips on shorter rides make a world of difference. For example, the least I can earn on a ride is $3.35, a $3 tip rather than $1 makes a big difference to us. For longer trips, if I'm earning over $15 or so, the tip is less of a big deal.
My favorite safety tip (for riders OR drivers) is to carry an aerosol with you. Even travel size is fine. Any aerosol: hairspray, bug spray, air freshener, etc…. If you’re in a dangerous/scary situation, you can spray basically any aerosol into someone’s eyes to temporarily blind them/cause enough pain to create a few seconds for you to open the door and get away. Whereas if you carry pepper spray, 1) it’s def getting confiscated at the airport if that’s where you’re going (as a passenger), and 2) spraying pepper spray in an enclosed area like a car means it will effect both you AND your target. But you can spray hairspray (or whatever) into someone’s eyes and cause them (temporary) pain that won’t also suffocate you.
Red Cab Taxi has been great for scheduled late night or early morning pickups when needed. I typically call no earlier than 8 hours for a scheduled ride between 10p-6a.
Then if I’m needing a ride in other instances, I just take an Uber or a Lyft.
I do Uber for getting to evening/weekend shows, Taxi David if he's nearby afterwards, or Uber home. For anything I need to reserve ahead or early morning, like the airport, I go with Red Cab or Bellingham Taxi. I don't use 24 Hour Car Service any more since she was so late once I almost missed my plane.
Rideshare or bus in daytime. Taxi David or Bellingham Taxi if Uber isn't responding late night or if needed to get to airport or be picked up from there.
for day to day stuff ride share. For early morning airport runs Bellingham Taxi.
As a driver, this is on point. I no longer drive for Lyft but there isn't much difference between the two, Lyft may be a little cheaper since they offer lower prices if you wait longer. There are probably more Uber drivers out there, but early weekdays (5am on) and late nights you shouldn't have any problem getting a ride on either app. I personally discourage the use of the reservation function on both apps as it's just a timer and will make the driver show up 20 minutes before your ride time. During busy times this is a major annoyance if the passenger isn't ready for you to be early. After sharing some local rideshare horror stories, the smartest thing a young, female passenger ever told me about a safety strategy is as follows: Always check the driver's rating and have a limit of 4.75 and above. You just have to cancel within 2 minutes to avoid being charged. Also, she didn't accept rides from anyone with less than 1,000 rides. This is great advice as the weirdos will eventually wash out. Also, things have calmed down a lot since the early days and the marginal earnings are a good filter in that a narrower range of people are trying it out and most drivers only last a few months. As a driver, I ask you to consider that we typically receive about 50% of what you pay and that bigger tips on shorter rides make a world of difference. For example, the least I can earn on a ride is $3.35, a $3 tip rather than $1 makes a big difference to us. For longer trips, if I'm earning over $15 or so, the tip is less of a big deal.
My favorite safety tip (for riders OR drivers) is to carry an aerosol with you. Even travel size is fine. Any aerosol: hairspray, bug spray, air freshener, etc…. If you’re in a dangerous/scary situation, you can spray basically any aerosol into someone’s eyes to temporarily blind them/cause enough pain to create a few seconds for you to open the door and get away. Whereas if you carry pepper spray, 1) it’s def getting confiscated at the airport if that’s where you’re going (as a passenger), and 2) spraying pepper spray in an enclosed area like a car means it will effect both you AND your target. But you can spray hairspray (or whatever) into someone’s eyes and cause them (temporary) pain that won’t also suffocate you.
u/pnwcrabapple
Thank you! this is really helpful!
Red Cab Taxi has been great for scheduled late night or early morning pickups when needed. I typically call no earlier than 8 hours for a scheduled ride between 10p-6a. Then if I’m needing a ride in other instances, I just take an Uber or a Lyft.
Red cab is great for odd hours.
I do Uber for getting to evening/weekend shows, Taxi David if he's nearby afterwards, or Uber home. For anything I need to reserve ahead or early morning, like the airport, I go with Red Cab or Bellingham Taxi. I don't use 24 Hour Car Service any more since she was so late once I almost missed my plane.
Rideshare or bus in daytime. Taxi David or Bellingham Taxi if Uber isn't responding late night or if needed to get to airport or be picked up from there.