Why do Lyft and Uber drivers call passengers before coming to pick them up? When your Uber or Lyft driver calls you after accepting your ride, but before leaving to get you, they’re probably making sure that your trip is worth their time. Drivers don’t see the destination you input when you request a ride. … Read more
When should I tip my Uber driver? Always, unless you are extremely unhappy with the service. Uber Technologies, Inc, famously discourages riders from tipping its driver “partners.” The company that claims to be purely a technology company refuses to program a tipping feature into its app. But here are nine reasons to carry a little … Read more
In down-to-the-wire negotiations, Uber and Québec’s Transport Minister agreed to sweeping regulations that could provide other governments a blueprint for how to tax and regulate ride-hailing firms. You can tax Uber; you can regulate Uber; just don’t try to fingerprint their drivers. Under the province’s Bill 100, passed June 10, Uber and the Minister had … Read more
While Uber drivers have to carefully monitor their ratings, Uber passenger ratings? Pshaw. Relax. Uber passenger ratings don’t matter much. In what is now industry standard, at the end of each ride, both the rider and driver rate each other on a scale of one-to-five stars. While Uber tracks the driver’s ratings closely, I’ve never … Read more
UberPOOL (like Lyft’s Lyft Line) approximates carpooling. In theory, several riders share a car traveling along a shared route. (In true carpooling, the driver and the passengers share the destination.) Uber’s version uses its large network of riders, finding some that could travel the same path for at least part of their trip. 1) With … Read more
Montréal, Québec, has a relatively new entrant into the taxi industry. Téo Taxi combines an environmental focus with the ease of app-based dispatch and billing to create a powerful hybrid company. While visiting Montréal in June, I decided to give it a try. The service has three key features: every car in the fleet is electric; … Read more