New Year’s is always a mess. It starts with such high expectations and then the ball drops, it’s midnight, and you have no way to get home without spending a small fortune on a hard-to-find taxi or surging ride-hailing trips.
While it’s near impossib…
Category: Ride Hailing Apps
Ride-sharing drivers had it better in some ways this year
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Uber changed its logo and Lyft launched pink and purple e-scooters. It’s been a big year for the two big ride-hailing apps.
For the drivers who supply rides ordered via smartphones, Uber and Lyft might say things were pretty good in 2018. Both companies made a big push to improve the driver experience, from Uber’s new app to both Lyft and Uber’s reward programs. But pay has stagnated and driver rights haven’t improved much — issues that the companies don’t want to examine too closely.
In some cities like New York, London, and throughout Australia, the fight is on with local policymakers to reach the demands of the driver community. Drivers are looking to keep more of each fare and get recognized for their work. Read more…
More about Uber, Lyft, Ride Hailing Apps, Drivers, and End Of Year 2018
View More Ride-sharing drivers had it better in some ways this yearUber and Lyft IPOs will make a lot of people rich. But what about the drivers?
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If ride-hailing app Uber goes public next year its valuation could hit $120 billion. Its smaller rival Lyft: $30 billion. But will drivers benefit?
Flush with cash despite years of never earning a profit, the companies will be able to do things like finally pay out employees and acquire other businesses. As the hot new IPOs, they’ll also get good publicity, which can raise the visibility of Lyft and help Uber — with new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at the helm — gloss over past reports of harassment in the workplace, gender discrimination, and cut-throat tactics.
Outside of Uber and Lyft, would-be investors are champing at the bit. “There’s so much pent-up demand to invest in the ride-sharing businesses,” financial consultant Christopher Clapp at MorganFranklin said. They’ll be the first major companies in the sharing economy to go public, and what happens could affect the industry’s next round of IPOs, which will most likely include Airbnb. Read more…
More about Uber, Ipo, Lyft, Ride Hailing Apps, and Drivers
Lyft reveals surprising results from its ’Ditch Your Car Challenge’
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For 30 days in October and November, 2,000 people across 35 North American cities vowed to get around without driving their own vehicle — with a little help from ride-hailing app Lyft.
The Ditch Your Car Challenge offered personal driving alternatives, paid for by Lyft. More than 130,000 offered to participate in the challenge. In the end, only 1.5 percent of those were chosen to receive these credits for a month of commuting:
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$300 Lyft Shared ride credit or Lyft all-access plan (if Shared rides weren’t available in your city)
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$45 bike-share credit
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$100 Zipcar car-sharing credit
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$105 public transit monthly pass Read more…
More about Lyft, Driving, Ride Hailing Apps, Congestion, and Parking
Ride-hailing apps for kids promise to take over for carpool for busy parents
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Welcome to Small Humans, an ongoing series at Mashable that looks at how to take care of – and deal with – the kids in your life. Because Dr. Spock is nice and all, but it’s 2018 and we have the entire internet to contend with.
Last year a survey from a kid ride-sharing service found that nearly 40 percent of parents with kids between the ages of 6 and 17 spend more than 5 hours a week driving their kids to school and activities. With only 168 hours in a week, offloading that time to a car service can seem like a saving grace.
So several companies have stepped up to shuttle your kids around for you. Despite Uber and Lyft’s popularity, they and similar ride-hailing apps don’t allow unaccompanied minors. So that leaves parents depending on carpools, favors from other parents, or buckling in for another soccer practice run. That’s where so-called kid-friendly car services offer another way to get kids where they need to go — without parents involved. Read more…
More about Uber, Lyft, Ride Hailing Apps, Small Humans, and Tech
View More Ride-hailing apps for kids promise to take over for carpool for busy parentsRussian ride-hailing app comes to America with set-your-own-price scheme
A record-breaking cold night in Siberia back in 2012 spurred the creation of a more reliable ride-hailing service that spread through Russia and now that company is making its way to the U.S. First stop: New York City.
inDriver, a new Uber and Lyft r…
Lyft adds driver features because Uber and Lyft can’t stop one-upping each other
If you can’t keep up with every new feature ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft keep dropping, it’s not just you. The two have been one-upping each other nonstop in recent months with rider rewards programs, subscription plans, and even customer feedback…
View More Lyft adds driver features because Uber and Lyft can’t stop one-upping each otherUber’s rider loyalty program crushes Lyft’s with more rewards
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In the wake of a similar announcement from its chief rival Lyft, Uber announced a rider rewards program Wednesday to give loyal users perks for spending money in the app.
The program is almost exactly like the new Lyft Rewards program in that both track points you’ve accumulated in the app and give you rewards once you hit a certain milestone — and both are similarly named. But the two diverge from there.
Uber Rewards are here to give you perks.
Image: Uber
Uber’s new rewards program gives one point for every dollar spent on Uber Pool rides and Uber Eats orders. It also gives two points for ordering an UberX, UberXL, Select, or WAV ride, and three points for ordering Black and Black SUV rides. Read more…
More about Uber, Lyft, Ride Hailing Apps, Rewards Programs, and Tech
View More Uber’s rider loyalty program crushes Lyft’s with more rewardsLyft’s rewards program will offer perks for choosing Lyft over Uber
When you’re hailing a ride, you probably flip between the Uber and Lyft apps to see which one will give you the best deal. But what if one of them offered you rewards in exchange for your loyalty?
Lyft is banking on that idea with its forthcoming rew…
Uber launches program to reward high-performing drivers
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Driving for Uber isn’t always the most rewarding experience. Strangers puke in your car. Riders tip poorly. You might not break even if you’re leasing a car. A recent driver survey from ride-sharing guide Ridester showed the average hourly wage is not even $15.
So Uber has devised a reward program called Uber Pro to motivate and recognize hard-working and committed drivers — and it’s not just about cramming the most rides into a day. Uber wants to reward drivers who offer a high-quality experience and are dedicated to their driving duties.
On Thursday, Uber Pro debuted its pilot program in Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Denver, and New Jersey. Based on how it goes, Uber hopes to expand across the country and eventually internationally. Read more…
More about Uber, Ride Sharing, Ride Hailing Apps, Driver, and Tech
Uber officially launches $15 monthly subscription ride passes
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Ordering a car ride is becoming more like Spotify Premium or Amazon Prime. You pay in advance for something extra — in this case, guaranteed cheaper rides, even if there’s heavy traffic or bad weather.
Instead of paying per ride at whatever rate comes up, Uber is offering a monthly subscription service called Ride Pass that guarantees discounted rides and protection from surge pricing.
In Austin, Orlando, Denver, and Miami starting Tuesday, you can lock in discounted prices for UberX, Uber Pool, and Uber Express Pool rides for the monthly rate of $14.99. In Los Angeles, it’s $24.99 per month, but that will eventually include e-bike and scooter access. Uber estimates in a month you’ll save 15 to 20 percent on how much you’d normally spend on rides. You can cancel the monthly program anytime. Read more…
More about Uber, Lyft, Ride Hailing Apps, Subscription Services, and Tech
Lyft’s all-access subscription plan is now available to everyone
For anyone committed to the car-free lifestyle or those who prefer to ride-share multiple times per month, Lyft has a monthly subscription pass for you.
For $299, Lyft’s All-Access Plan gets you 30 rides every 30 days. Each ride can be up to $15 (you…