Lyft vs. Uber in Sac? (San Francisco, Sacramento: neighborhood, taxi, taxes)

[xenxes]

Anyone with experience using these services here? From downtown/midtown/e. sac to SMF?

I learned not to use them in NYC due to the premium upcharge, ends up costing more than a yellow cab and a lot of the drivers are untrained, get lost, etc (which also end up on my bill). Wondering if that's different in a smaller city.

[shelato]

I haven't used either of them in Sac, but I did use Uber in San Francisco and uber was cheaper than taking a cab there. I don't know if when you lived in NYC you had a smart phone, but now with smart phones you often have a pretty good idea of what routes the driver should be taking and you can quickly address problems if your driver doesn't appear to know how to get to where you need to go. My concern in Sacramento is just whether there is enough people participating in either service so you don't have to sit around too long waiting for someone to show up. In San Francisco, there were plenty of people driving for these services, in Sacramento I just really don't know.

[wburg]

UberX is cheaper than a Sacramento cab, the cars are usually cleaner and get you there just as fast. I find it quick and convenient, but have taken it from the train station rather than the airport, and live in Midtown rather than a distant neighborhood, so I'm kind of the ideal market for this kind of service--or conventional cabs.

[fbt263]

Originally Posted by shelato

I haven't used either of them in Sac, but I did use Uber in San Francisco and uber was cheaper than taking a cab there. I don't know if when you lived in NYC you had a smart phone, but now with smart phones you often have a pretty good idea of what routes the driver should be taking and you can quickly address problems if your driver doesn't appear to know how to get to where you need to go. My concern in Sacramento is just whether there is enough people participating in either service so you don't have to sit around too long waiting for someone to show up. In San Francisco, there were plenty of people driving for these services, in Sacramento I just really don't know.

Plenty of ubers around, especially in the downtown grid. Never have waited more than 5 min. Fares/service better than taxi. Still haven't used Lyft.

[xenxes]

Just got a 3 AM UberX ride from Med Ctr to SMF, took car 8 mins to get here and about 20 mins to get to the airport. Total came out to only $28 including taxes & fees. Wonderful experience.

FYI UberX does NOT include gratuity in the payment menu for Sacramento (they have default 20% in most other cities I've been in), so I tipped my driver in cash. If you have a good driver don't short change them.

So my conclusion is for smaller cities where it's relatively easier to navigate, these crowd sourced driver services are awesome, for NYC it's not (at least for me).

[wburg]

I thought that Uber drivers were specifically prohibited from accepting cash, including tips?

One thing I noticed taking Uber in LA vs. Sacramento: LA rates are cheaper, but then LA cab rates are also cheaper.

[NickB1967]

I drive Lyft in my spare time. (If driving around town for clients and errands keeps me on the road so much, why not make some extra money, I figured). Lyft seem to have a good busiiness model all in all.