Uber/Lyft For Seniors (beach, relative, retired, years)
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As my husband and I have gotten older - we don't care to drive the way we used to. For example - we're not fond of driving at night (especially because my husband needs cataract surgery - which is scheduled for next month). And have avoided it the last year or so.
We had a family get together last night that we couldn't avoid. So we decided to try Uber. It was a very pleasant experience. Courteous well-spoken drivers in nice relatively new clean cars who knew their way around town (or at least were expert GPS users). Pick up times were very reasonable - about 10 minutes. Especially considering we live in a pretty suburban area - not a big city. This is a far cry from the awful taxi service in our area. Crummy old often dirty cars where the drivers have to be hit over the head to turn on the A/C.
What really surprised us was the price. Very fair. $16 each way for a 14.5 mile trip. A comparable taxi ride would cost about $35 each way (before tips). I had heard bad things about "surge pricing". But we didn't have a surcharge last night. Although it was a Saturday night and it was raining cats and dogs. Don't know if that is unusual.
When I looked into things more - I found out that Uber has special services for people with disabilities - like UberAssist.
Overall - I think this technology may be one part of the solution of how to age in place. Especially when it comes to areas like ours that don't have any public transportation options.
So what do you think? Have you used Uber/Lyft? What was your impression? Note that the only requirements for using services like these are you need a smart phone and a credit card. Judging from the recent cell phone thread here - seems like many seniors already have and use smart phones. And I suspect most have at least one credit card too. Our impression was very favorable - and we plan to use the service again. Will try Lyft as well (both of our drivers last night worked for both Uber and Lyft). Robyn
P.S. Using the Uber app was *very* easy. My husband just got his first smart phone this week. And - although he ran into a small glitch on our trip out (pushed the wrong button) - the trip home was flawless.
I have used uber for a long time and did some uber driving for a few months earlier this year.
In general, competition that is regulated is good for consumers.
If you are willing to put in longish hours you could probably find it worth while to be a driver; however, given that I was doing it to and from my normal activities, it was not worth the additional wear and tear on my vehicle IMO.Each circumstance is different of course.
I find it a good service as a passenger with the advantage of no tip giving and handling cash.
I've never used either and they no longer provide service in Alaska. So, not an option for me.
For us, the solution is technology in the vehicles we buy. My car has HID headlights and my truck has LED headlights. Both are much better for night time driving than old fashioned halogen headlights. The difference is truly amazing. Both vehicles have backup cameras with dynamic guidelines displayed on an eight inch screen. That makes it much easier and safer to back up. Both vehicles have a memory feature for seat and mirror position, so we don't have to fiddle around readjusting everything when switching places. More and more cars are now available with collision warning and automatic emergency braking, as well as other safety features.
Seniors willing to adapt and get all these new safety and convenience features will be able to drive much longer than those who don't. Uber and Lyft are an option for some, but they're not available to a large segment of the population.
I have used uber for a long time and did some uber driving for a few months earlier this year.
In general, competition that is regulated is good for consumers.
If you are willing to put in longish hours you could probably find it worth while to be a driver; however, given that I was doing it to and from my normal activities, it was not worth the additional wear and tear on my vehicle IMO.Each circumstance is different of course.
I find it a good service as a passenger with the advantage of no tip giving and handling cash.
Regulated competition is never good for the consumer. The highly regulated taxi industry in Anchorage drove Uber and Lyft out of Alaska. And riding a cab in Anchorage is a disgusting and expensive affair. Because to be able to drive a cab for hire requires a permit that can cost between $50,000 and $100,000. Contrast that with the Matanuska Susitna Borough right next door. No regulations and getting in is much easier and cheaper. In the end, guess who pays for that expensive permit in Anchorage. Hint: it's not the cab operator.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Uber and Lyft are good options in metro areas (where there are also other options). I used them yesterday.
For us rural dwellers, someone should dvelope a 'volunteer/ neighbor / as needed / as available' uber driver /errand person type app for errands, appointments, parts runs, airport transit.... When available, sign in, when needed , take a look. So many times we may be in town running errands, only to meet our neighbor doing the same, how nice it would be to get a $5 Costco Chicken, or a $3 part dropped off by someone who was already in town.
Uber and Lyft are good options in metro areas (where there are also other options). I used them yesterday.
For us rural dwellers, someone should dvelope a 'volunteer/ neighbor / as needed / as available' uber driver /errand person type app for errands, appointments, parts runs, airport transit.... When available, sign in, when needed , take a look. So many times we may be in town running errands, only to meet our neighbor doing the same, how nice it would be to get a $5 Costco Chicken, or a $3 part dropped off by someone who was already in town.
Yes!!! The first time I was ever exposed to this was living in Santa Pola, Spain. I stayed in a condo close to the beach with very few natives and lots of transplants from all over. We didn't have a car but some of the neighbors did. And every time they went out, they asked us if we needed anything. They always told us in advance when they were going to Alicante(the largest close by city) So we could go if we wanted. It was always first come first served and everyone chipped in for fuel too. Most of the time, the car was full of people coming and going. It worked out well for everyone because fuel was very expensive there!
We used Lyft recently several times while in Seattle and found them wonderful! ESPECIALLY great for those areas with parking issues of either no parking available or very expensive and difficult to find close to where you want to go.
I've never used either and they no longer provide service in Alaska. So, not an option for me.
For us, the solution is technology in the vehicles we buy. My car has HID headlights and my truck has LED headlights. Both are much better for night time driving than old fashioned halogen headlights. The difference is truly amazing. Both vehicles have backup cameras with dynamic guidelines displayed on an eight inch screen. That makes it much easier and safer to back up. Both vehicles have a memory feature for seat and mirror position, so we don't have to fiddle around readjusting everything when switching places. More and more cars are now available with collision warning and automatic emergency braking, as well as other safety features.
Seniors willing to adapt and get all these new safety and convenience features will be able to drive much longer than those who don't. Uber and Lyft are an option for some, but they're not available to a large segment of the population.
Our car has those safety features too. But they don't much help us if we want to go out to dinner and have a few drinks. DUI is a big potentially very expensive no-no for us.
I wonder what % of the population has access to Uber/Lyft? I would guess at least a majority. Simply because more people live in urban and suburban areas than rural areas these days. I know it took a year or so for the services to catch on in the suburban area where I live. But - since we're out at the JAX beaches area - well there are plenty of restaurants - bars - places with lousy parking - and a fair number of residents too. Doubt we could support 500 Uber drivers - but 100 - working various hours - definitely.
And don't you have a place in Arizona somewhere? What about Uber there? My brother from the Phoenix area was here this weekend - and he and his family use Uber a fair amount (both in the Phoenix area and when traveling for business/pleasure). Robyn
I have had cataracts, which are not a big deal anymore. The last one I had was in 1997, I went in in the morning and was home for lunch.
Where in Florida do you live?
We had been exposed to Uber/Lyft for quite a few years. Especially when traveling. But never "took the plunge" until now.
I think it could make a fair amount of difference in terms of our lifestyle. One advantage I can think of for retired people is getting rid of a second car that is only used infrequently. My husband and I got rid of our second car maybe 5 years ago - simply because we almost never used it. Can't say we've had even 5 scheduling conflicts during that time - but some people might have more. Would take us 66 $15 Uber trips just to pay for the annual cost of car insurance on a second car. Robyn
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