In 2015, Josh Waldrum from The Zebra did an experiment to see if it was possible to give up your car and depend solely on rideshares to get around. Two years later and after much controversy, I wanted to give Uber and Lyft another chance. I wanted to see what they had done to reassure us that they are providing a safe, reasonable, responsible environment for their drivers and their riders.
Click to see the full infographic ›
For one month, I looked at the major differences between the two, including cost, app technology, drivers’ perspectives, and riders’ perspectives and documented as much data and as many personal stories as I could.
But if you’re just here for the stats, I won’t take it to heart — too much.
So, tl;dr …
| Uber | Lyft | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Per Mile | $3.30 | $2.86 |
| Average Tip | $3.60 | $4.59 |
| Advertised Wait Time vs. Actual Wait Time | 4.4 vs. 5 minutes | 4.15 vs. 4.25 minutes |
| Driver Satisfaction | 65% | 75% |
| Ratio of Male-to-Female Drivers | 19/1 | 16/4 |
| Average Vehicle Safety Rating | 4.165/5 stars | 4.463/5 stars |
My name is Taylor Covington, and I work for The Zebra, the leading car insurance comparison marketplace in the U.S. I’m a real-deal millennial: I prefer puppies to people, I don’t buy diamonds, and I eat only avocado toast. So, I’m perfectly suited to test the next evolution in rideshare services. Plus, I’m a native Austinite. I ride the bus to work every day, I know how to fold a burrito to keep the meaty insides from falling out, and I bleed burnt orange (HOOK ‘EM!). Believe me, when I say the Austin public transit system is rather “outdated,” I know what I’m talking about.
Uber and Lyft left over a dispute with the City of Austin in 2016, despite a much-needed alternative to our bus and metro system. In their absence, a series of rideshare companies willing to comply with local ordinances had filled the open market. So when the two rideshare giants came back in May 2017, considering all the recent Uber scandals, no one really knew what to expect.
When it came to my assessment of the two companies, I went in with an investigator’s toolkit: an open mind and an eye for detail. Here is what I found:
Uber vs. Lyft: How much do they cost?
Over the course of one month, I spent $503.36 on rides. Over a total of 111.22 miles, the average cost per mile was $4.53 including tips. The average cost per trip in total was $12.58.
I’d also like to note that I knowingly tipped more than the socially accepted 20% — about 45% for Uber and about 51% for Lyft. Partly because Uber and Lyft take 25-30% out of the drivers’ fares and partly because $2 more out of an $8 fair won’t break the bank, I felt that a bigger tip offset most of the drivers’ expenses, including gas and any extra goodies (i.e. water, candy, gum, etc.). Both Lyft and Uber recommend a $3 tip per five miles.
When it came down to it, I still spent $40 more on Lyft than I did on Uber, but with an average tip costing me $1 more. As we’ve explored before, tipping with Uber and Lyft has always been kind of a weird thing. While Lyft launched its app with a tipping option, Uber only recently added the option but many users felt compelled to tip with cash.
I spoke with drivers who claimed that only 25% of people tip, either with cash or in the app. But another lucky driver said he found that 60% of people tip. One driver believed offering candy and water was critical to a higher tip, yet someone else claimed that a decent conversation was a big indication of whether or not that rider would tip.
Individuals may have better experiences with one company over another, but there was not enough anecdotal evidence to determine whether Uber or Lyft drivers received better tips. However, no matter the driver or the company, drivers were quick to say there was no pressure to tip.
| Uber | Lyft | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per trip | $11.58 | $13.59 |
| Cost per mile | $3.30 | $2.86 |
| Average tip | $3.60 | $4.59 |
| Total amount spent | $231.52 | $271.84 |
Uber vs. Lyft: How fast are they? – an app comparison
Map Technology
As a driver, both Uber and Lyft allow you to choose among Google Maps, Waze, or any other third-party navigation app when dropping off a passenger. Earlier this year Uber made updates to its in-app navigation system hoping drivers would make the switch to its own service. However, the drivers I spoke with claimed that Uber’s locator tool was straight-up wrong and still opted to use a third-party app. Lyft, on the other hand, doesn’t have a built-in navigation system, though they do recommend using Google Maps or Waze.
User Experience Design
The UX (user experience) for the Uber app is extremely informative. The receipt saves the name, year/model of the car, as well as the license number — plus provides much more information about your driver before and during the pick up. You can see how many rides your driver has given and what previous riders have said about them in reviews. As a young female, this information gave me comfort that I was with a) the correct driver, and b) he or she was well-vetted and generally, a safe person to be around.
As a rider for Lyft, on the other hand, you can’t see the year/model of the car once your driver picks you up. You match the car model, license plate, and driver with the information provided in the app. But once you have been picked up, the vehicle information is never seen again, not even in your receipts, though your receipts do list how your fare was calculated, the name of your driver, along with a profile picture.
Recently, Lyft began using Amps — small, colored devices that sit behind the windshield. Their light changes to match the color on your phone. This is designed specifically to ensure you are getting in the correct stranger’s vehicle, but I still maintain that Uber’s system is much more comprehensive.
| Uber | Lyft | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised wait time | 4.4 minutes | 4.15 minutes |
| Actual wait time | 5 minutes | 4.25 minutes |
Uber vs. Lyft: What’s better for drivers?
Driver Satisfaction
Despite reported claims that Uber has a higher percentage of requested riders, and thus drivers could make more money, I found that Lyft had higher driver satisfaction. Maybe that’s due to the excellent incentive programs Lyft provides, as one of my drivers believed. Often times, Lyft will match a driver’s pay after X number of rides in Y number of days. But these programs pop up like taco trucks in a hipster neighborhood, so there’s a lot of opportunity but not a lot of consistency.
Interestingly enough, more Uber drivers than Lyft drivers (about 10%) that found it possible to entirely sustain a living as a driver alone.
Insurance Comprehension
Both rideshare companies offer insurance for their drivers AND require a personal auto insurance policy. There’s a lot of confusion surrounding when and where personal rideshare insurance begins and ends. More on rideshare insurance:
“With the app active, but without a pick-up request, you would be covered by Rideshare Insurance PLUS Uber and Lyft Insurance. Although both Uber and Lyft offer coverage during this period, they only offer liability protection to other vehicles or passengers. In essence, your vehicle has no protection. So, with your rideshare insurance, your personal auto policy extends your personal auto policy to your vehicle.”
This is a clear improvement of driver education since the last time we conducted this study, with only 36% of Uber drivers and 20% of Lyft drivers understanding how rideshare insurance works. So, cheers all around.
Meet Your Driver
As for the type of person who is a successful driver, there really is no perfect mold. Many times, I was absolutely floored by the variation in drivers’ stories. An Iraqi man and his family came here to escape war in the Middle East. In his home country, he was a civil engineer. But in the U.S, where his degrees did not give him the qualifications to continue his practice, he said he felt fortunate to find a job where he could set the hours in order to spend the most amount of time with his family. I had another driver who had been in the food service industry for more than 30 years and drove for rideshare companies part time to make up for slow days in the restaurant. When he found he was making the same amount driving as he did as a waiter, he quit the restaurant business to drive full time because he liked a job with less emotional and physical stress.
The male-to-female driver ratio was shocking. Across both companies, I had seven male drivers for every one female driver I had. Females tended to drive in the late afternoon, while males drove at all hours of the day and night. Fortunately, none of them had ever had sketchy experiences with passengers, but one woman did keep a can of pepper spray in her car “for who knows what.”
Additionally, Uber and Lyft creates job opportunities for the hearing-impaired members of our community. I had two drivers who were hearing impaired. Interestingly enough, both were Uber drivers, but only one time of two did the app tell me that the driver coming to pick me up was deaf. The other time I had no prior notice, and it was only when I got into the car did I see a handwritten sign that said: “I am a deaf driver. Please be patient!”
Can we get a round of applause for Lyft and Uber doing an excellent job of educating and supporting their employees?
| Uber | Lyft | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver satisfaction | 65% | 75% |
| Drivers who do drive for rideshare as a full-time job | 60% | 50% |
| Drivers who drive for both Uber and Lyft | 70% | 30% |
| Male-to-female ratio | 19/1 | 16/4 |
Uber vs. Lyft: What’s safer for riders?
During my rides, I also took note of the make and model of the cars being used by the Lyft and Uber drivers. After the experiment ended, I used the NHTSA safety ratings to calculate an average vehicle safety rating for both companies based on the safety ratings of my drivers’ vehicles. Both Uber and Lyft ended up with more than 4 stars.
But that’s just my surrounding physical safety — what about the person operating the two-ton metal deathtrap? Overall I felt extremely safe during my rides. I never got a “bad vibe” from any of my drivers. Most of them took the preferred route, and honestly, a lot of the conversations were enjoyable and educational. However, I will say the majority of my rides occurred in broad daylight during peak busy hours, so my experience might vastly differ from someone else’s.
As a woman, I know safety is a major concern for many women both riding in and driving for rideshare companies. There were a few times I had some “interesting” male drivers. One told me I was pretty, and that he was glad I didn’t have tattoos because “they make pretty girls ugly” (ultra-ironic because I do have two tattoos on my feet and my shoes merely hid them that day). I had another driver try to make me memorize the prayer for the Archangel St. Michael without any discussion about my personal religious beliefs first. All in all, I’d say most of my male drivers were delightful, and were driving to help support their families or earn some cash on the side as a stay-at-home dad. But the not-so-delightful experiences are important to mention. I did not personally feel threatened in any way, though some passengers might feel otherwise.
| Uber | Lyft | |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers who know about rideshare insurance | 65% | 65% |
| Average NHTSA safety rating on driver’s vehicle | 4.165/5 stars | 4.463/5 stars |
Uber vs. Lyft: Final Thoughts
Now comes the moment I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for: my opinion. For the sake of my ego, I’m just going to assume you all share the same enthusiasm for my thoughts as my mom.
Simply put, Uber and Lyft have improved quite a bit since 2015:
The average cost per mile has increased.
Driver satisfaction has increased.
More than half of the people driving for both Lyft and Uber do this as their primary job.
About 15% more drivers now drive for both Lyft and Uber.
At the end of 30 days, I walked away with a clear favorite: Lyft. Overall, I found that their drivers tended to be more pleasant to talk to, the company’s treatment of their employees was much better, and the general feeling of the company was more positive. As one driver so neatly put it, “Lyft really believes they are providing a service to the community.”
I learned a lot over a month of gathering facts and collecting stories. Hopefully after reading this lengthy article, you’ve made your own opinions and judgement calls. So, the next time you get into a Lyft or an Uber, you’ll be a little more confident when the driver looks over, smiles, and says, “Where to next?”
Scroll down to see our previous experiment on rideshare!
Uber vs. Lyft: 5 Things I Learned From Giving Up My Car
For 31 days, I ditched my car and relied on ridesharing instead — Uber vs. Lyft. Dozens of conversations and $113 saved later, this is my story.
To say that I like to drive would be an understatement. In my small Texas hometown, I learned to drive manual by fourteen, behind the wheel of of a gloriously crappy 1985 Honda Accord. I still remember the first time I let out the clutch successfully, the gears shifting smoothly into first, the gravel of an alley crunching beneath the tires. When my crazy college friends decided to make the 20-hour drive to Chicago from Austin, I upped the ante on their crazy and offered to drive the whole way—straight. I say this not to brag, but to explain that I am perhaps not the most likely candidate to volunteer to give up my car in the name of curiosity. But just a month into my new gig as Director of SEO at The Zebra, an Austin, Texas-based startup in the digital car insurance space, I did just that. So, which one was it? Who won in the battle of Uber vs. Lyft?
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