Tag Archives: Lyft

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A Curious Question for Taxi Drivers

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If I were a taxi driver, there’s one question I would ask every passenger who got into my taxi: “Why aren’t you using Uber or Lyft?” This may seem like an odd question, but hear me out.  I rarely use Uber or Lyft. When I travel, I walk or use mass transit as much as I can. As you might recall, I do have a taxi service I use to get to the airport, and only on rare occasions have I had anything but good experiences with this service. They charge me a flat fee that’s as good as or better than Uber/Lyft. Continue reading →

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Win a Free Copy of The Rideshare Guide by Uber/Lyft Guru Harry Campbell

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Updated 8/3 at 6am: Here are the 2 winners, selected at random:

  • Brent Young said, “Keep handy window cleaner, and leather cleaner to protect your seats (if you have leather). Riders love a clean car. As a driver, I don’t accept rides that are more than 8 min away (in suburbs). In the city I would not accept anything greater than 5 min away. I have not worked rural areas yet. Tend to lose money on all others that take longer to get to.“
  • Michael H said, “ALWAYS Be polite.“

Have you ever thought of driving for Uber or Lyft? Maybe you are already a driver! If so, I’ve got a great giveaway for you. Our Uber insider, Harry Campbell, who keeps TWG readers up-to-date on all things Uber, has a new book out called The Rideshare Guide, and I’m giving away a few copies.

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How Did Uber’s Terrible Year of PR Affect Drivers?

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Uber’s 2017 was full of scandals at the corporate level, but the effect on driver morale and more importantly driver earnings, was limited. Our Uber insider, Harry Campbell, surveyed over 1,200 Uber and Lyft drivers and found out a ton of information. I think it’s interesting to know what’s going on behind the scenes, especially in a company that so many travelers utilize. Here are a few key takeaways from the survey results:

  • Despite a terrible year of PR for Uber in 2017, satisfaction among drivers actually went up! 58.2% of Uber drivers reported that they were satisfied with their Uber driving experience – a 9% increase in driver satisfaction from the prior year.
  • Rideshare drivers want a raise! Uber and Lyft drivers reported earning $16.93 per hour before expenses, but they want to be paid $25.67 per hour (a 31% increase).

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Airport Shuttles are the Bane of my Existence (Warning: Rant Ahead)

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Good evening everyone, please prepare yourself for a mega rant here.  They don’t call me G-rant for nothing (ok, no one calls me that). All nonexistent nicknames aside, let’s talk about airport shuttles (or are they called hotel shuttles?).  Like the title says, airport shuttles are the bane of my existence.  But what does “bane” even mean?  According to the always reliable, never duplicatable Vocabulary.com, bane means:

The noun bane refers to anything that is a cause of harm, ruin, or death. But we often use it for things that aren’t that bad, just feel like it. You might say mosquitoes are the bane of your existence.

The source of this word is Middle and Old English bana, meaning “destroyer, murderer.” The now obsolete meaning of “deadly poison” is seen in the names of poisonous plants such as wolfsbane and henbane. Although “bane of my existence” is a commonly heard phrase, there’s something deliciously archaic about the word bane. It conjures up villages preyed upon by dragons, or witches adding one bane or another to a steaming kettle.

If an airport shuttle ran over you (like the holiday classic, “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”), you could literally say “airport shuttles are the bane of my existence” because the airport shuttle caused bodily “harm”, “ruin”-ed your day, and was your cause of “death.”  Normally, that is not the case with airport shuttles.  And before I get too deep into my rant, let me clarify that I don’t have a problem with all airport shuttles, just the specific airport shuttle I am waiting for.  For whatever reason, my airport shuttle is the only airport shuttle that takes the longest time to arrive, or forgets where the airport is located, or some other lame excuse.  I’m not sure why my airport shuttle can’t be like all the other airport shuttles I see – arriving at the airport on time, with plenty of open seats, and with a safety-minded shuttle driver behind the wheel.

a man standing next to a shuttle bus

Airport shuttle = bane of my existence. Image source: http://www.airportshuttleneworleans.com/airport-locations.html

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Part 5: Interview with a Professional Uber/Lyft Driver – Uber’s “180 Days of Change” & In-App Tipping

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Please click here to read the other parts of this ongoing interview series with Harry Campbell, The Rideshare Guy.

Uber sure seems like a cyclone of controversy and change these days. I wonder if they had the title “180 Days of Change” already picked out before Travis Kalanick was ousted as Uber’s CEO? But what we know they meant by “180 Days of Change” are all the Uber changes to benefit the drivers, who seemed to come in third behind customers and Uber itself, in Uber’s business model.

Here at TWG, we have our Uber insider, Harry Campbell. Whenever there’s something about Uber we want to know or understand better, he’s the man! In his latest article, he goes over ALL the upcoming changes, explaining everything so you can really make good decisions not only about tipping, but also about whether or not you even want to use Uber and support its business.

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