Will Uber and Lyft Deliver?


I am heading to Vegas again in a few weeks, and I am excited about something…Uber and Lyft. Not the usual things that I would get excited about before a Vegas trip, but some of my experiences with cab drivers have been so awful that I am praying that these alternatives will deliver a superior (or at least, a more pleasant) experience.

And before you tell me to rent a car I must inform you that I don’t drive. (It is my gift to the world.) Here are a few examples of my 20 years of cab taking experience in Vegas.

I have been driven by cabbies who were going so fast that they have completely eliminated the need for a facelift due to the skin of my face being windswept back around my ears.
Drivers have sworn at me because they were convinced I wasn’t tipping sufficiently. One just cursed at me; another felt the need to deliver his life story of financial hardship as justification for asking for a bigger tip. I’ve had to wait more than an hour for a cab when I made the mistake of going to a restaurant that was a few miles off of the Strip. I had one driver (who was obviously deathly ill), hawk sputum out of the car window every few blocks. You would think that the basic rules of how to behave in public would have ruled that out at least until I got out of the car, but apparently not.

I have had the unnerving experience of watching a driver simultaneously eat a hamburger, talk on his cell, and drive me downtown. On my last trip, I had a driver contemptuously tell me to walk to my destination because it was too short a trip. Even after I pointed to the brace on my foot, he decided I wasn’t worth his time. And I have been long-hauled. Is there anyone who hasn’t been long-hauled in Vegas? Long-hauling refers to the practice of cabbies driving all over hell’s half-acre before they decide to take you to your destination, to run up the fare.

Longhauler05

I know that there are many decent drivers out there, and I have encountered a few, but proportionally I seem to have experienced more than my share of unpleasant ones.

It is my fervent hope that Uber and Lyft drivers will be more polite and honest.
I don’t know what I am basing this hope on other than their need to impress upon the cab taking public that they are an improvement over what we have come to expect. Uber’s website states that they are “better, faster and cheaper than a taxi.” We shall see. I have read that both companies allow you to pay with Paypal. I find this appealing since I don’t like giving out my credit card numbers unless it is absolutely necessary.

I hope to return from my trip and regale you with stories of Uber and Lyft‘s awesomeness.
Fingers crossed!

(Photos: paperposter, jimmyhoofa)

6 thoughts on “Will Uber and Lyft Deliver?

  1. I really, really hope that you will be impressed by these cab-alternatives (since much of the time I will be by your side during the transport! ;-) )

    So…you have to have your tablet or phone with you to pay for the fare once you have arrived at your destination? Can you TIP the driver in cash?

  2. I meant of course YOU will have to have that tablet or phone, since you plan to use PAYPAL…..

  3. I “think” I have to pay on my IPAD by CC, Paypal etc. I don’t think you can do anything in cash, but having no experience with this, I am not sure. We will find out soon.

  4. I have used uber 8-10 times now. overall it is a good experience. worst case was the lady with the car that smelled so bad, like a pack of dirty dogs. I love dogs, but trapped in a car like that reeks havoc on the allergies. I couldn’t wait to get out. I was attending an event and I couldn’t help but wonder if I had that smell or pet hair on my clothes. I could have dinged her with a bad review but I didn’t.

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