quality of Uber drivers slipped in the Phoenix area? (credit card, taxis)

[azriverfan.]

Is it just me but has anyone else observed that Uber has slipped in quality in terms of drivers. It seems like literally anyone can drive for Uber. I've personally observed in my opinon a huge drop off in terms of driver quality. The last 3 or 4 drivers I've had have been unimpressive. Their cars were dirty and old looking. The drivers didn't get out of their cars to help with bags or pull into the driveway. When the service first emerged, it seemed like drivers took pride in what they did and were friendly and cared what you thought about them. Now, it seems like typical taxi service but worse at times in my opinion. I'm referring specifically to the Uberx (the cheapest service). I've had better luck with their more expensive services but it's significantly more expensive.

Has anyone had better luck with Lyft in the Phoenix area or it is the same? I read somewhere from drivers who drove for both services that Lyft interviewed drivers in person and tried to hire more female drivers.

[adriver]

Anyone CAN drive with uber. You want full quality service, go to the professionals and pay for it.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Uber and Lyft are going to be terrible, as they have been cutting driver compensation to get those "cheap prices" you love so much. I don't know about you, but I am motivated by $. I had a job that decided to cut my pay by 30% and still expected the same work load out of me; I put in my notice the day it happened. So when Uber cut driver rates from $1.50/mile down to the $0.70/mile that most are getting now, you should expect the good drivers to quit and find something else.

You get what you pay for, people work to make money, not for charity, unless they are independently wealthy and just work for "something to do", but that is rare. If I became wealthy, I would retire.

[ScottsdaleMark]

Additionally, as the economy has improved, you have less and less people desperate enough for money to work for what can often be sub-minimum wage earnings in the end. I know Uber is advertising like crazy for drivers, I hear their ads all the time, but ultimately they may be forced to raise prices, one would think, in hopes of having enough drivers to meet their needs.

Say what you will about taxis or traditional car services, but those guys and gals are professionals who drive people around 50-60+ hours a week and know the drill. With an Uber or Lyft, who knows if you're getting someone who's a professional or someone who's only had a handful of fares in their life and are going to quit in two weeks anyway when they realize they're not making any money. It's the cheapest option for a reason.

It sounds like you should give Lyft a try if you're looking for a cheap service that may be better than Uber. From what I've read, they seem to try to be the friendlier alternative but I imagine their coverage/amount of drivers is a lot less than Uber.

[Bungle]

I haven't noticed a change in Uber one bit. Yeah it might vary slightly from driver to driver and some go more out of their way to get that 5 star rating but they get me from point A to point B when I go out for drinks. That's all I care about. They're still miles ahead of a typical taxi service in my opinion. I can't imagine getting back into one of those yellow death traps after waiting for 45 minutes for it to show up only to tell me his 'credit card machine is down...cash only'. As long as Uber exists and doesn't drastically change their business model I will be using them.

I highly encourage you to use their rating system and provide as much feedback as you can if you're experiencing poor service.

[DetroitN8V]

I haven't had a bad experience and use them frequently. I know that their wages continue to get cut and people rarely tip them, so I get them not wanting to help with bags and go out of their way. Still, from a value perspective you can't beat the service. The last ride I took was an Uber-X that picked me up in a new, loaded Camry. He was an IT guy in between jobs. Nice guy, clean car, no issues.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by adriver

Anyone CAN drive with uber. You want full quality service, go to the professionals and pay for it.

The "professionals" were less than professional and it's a big reason people left for Uber and Lyft. They were tired of waiting 30 minutes for them to show up, running up the meter, expecting big tips and lying about their credit card machines being broke. I will never resort to taking taxis again but will likely pay for the higher level tier with Uber or Lyft. I may try Lyft and will let everyone know.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

I haven't had a bad experience and use them frequently. I know that their wages continue to get cut and people rarely tip them, so I get them not wanting to help with bags and go out of their way. Still, from a value perspective you can't beat the service. The last ride I took was an Uber-X that picked me up in a new, loaded Camry. He was an IT guy in between jobs. Nice guy, clean car, no issues.

I agree it's cheap but there comes a point where it can get scary. I have no proof of this but I suspected my driver last night was drunk. He had slurred speech, smelled of alcohol, and rambled continuously. It was too late by the time I realized it. I basically had to back seat drive for him and keep him awake. His car was filthy too and his appearance was disheveled. That was worse than any cab experience I've had. I don't paying for the higher end Uber to avoid that but I won't take cabs because they offer both poor service and high fees.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

Uber and Lyft are going to be terrible, as they have been cutting driver compensation to get those "cheap prices" you love so much. I don't know about you, but I am motivated by $. I had a job that decided to cut my pay by 30% and still expected the same work load out of me; I put in my notice the day it happened. So when Uber cut driver rates from $1.50/mile down to the $0.70/mile that most are getting now, you should expect the good drivers to quit and find something else.

You get what you pay for, people work to make money, not for charity, unless they are independently wealthy and just work for "something to do", but that is rare. If I became wealthy, I would retire.

Remember there are different tiers so we don't want to disparage the entire companies. However, you pay for it. I took an Uber SUV from the airport. Yeah the service and ride was excellent in a Cadillac ESV. It was also $70 one way. By comparison the Uberx is about $18. That's a big difference in fare. The next level Uber is about $30-35 which is the price of a cab. So I may just elect to take that.

But I think the UberX, in my opinon, has fallen to the point that it's no longer worth that cheap price. Sure you can get lucky and get the IT guy with the brand new clean Camry or you can get the drunk old man I had last night. If I were with a bunch of guys and we were going to bars or dinner so be it but if I'm traveling with family...no thanks. Pay for the higher serice IMHO

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

I agree it's cheap but there comes a point where it can get scary. I have no proof of this but I suspected my driver last night was drunk. He had slurred speech, smelled of alcohol, and rambled continuously. It was too late by the time I realized it. I basically had to back seat drive for him and keep him awake. His car was filthy too and his appearance was disheveled. That was worse than any cab experience I've had. I don't paying for the higher end Uber to avoid that but I won't take cabs because they offer both poor service and high fees.

That's scary! Hopefully you rated him as lowly as possible.