Unlike traditional taxis, Uber passengers aren’t expected to tip; you can’t even add a tip on the app. However, Uber did recently settle a class-action lawsuit by allowing drivers to solicit and receive tips, but only in cash. One big problem: This policy appears to be illegal in multiple states. [More]
lyft
Some Younger People Are Buying Cars So They Can Drive For Ride-Sharing Services
By 3.1.17
For many drivers, the best part of having your own car is that you don’t have to deal with anyone else — you can blast your music, sing at the top of your lungs, or eat a tuna sandwich, and there’s no one to judge you. But some younger drivers now may have a new reason to buy a car: To become a driver for Uber or Lyft. [More]
Lyft Making Major Push Into The Midwest With Biggest Expansion To Date
By 2.23.17 — Updated: 3.1.17
Congratulations, residents of Eau Claire, WI; Kankakee, IL; and Mankato, MN — you will soon have another way to get from point A to point B: Lyft is adding more than 50 cities to its lineup, its largest expansion to date. [More]
Google To Take On Uber, Lyft With Major Expansion Of Waze Carpooling Service
By 2.22.17
It seems you can’t throw a rock in the street these days without hitting a ride-sharing vehicle (but don’t do that, seriously). Google is going to make that marketplace even more crowded with a major expansion it has planned for the carpooling function included in its Waze navigation app. [More]
Ride-Hailing App Drivers Want To Put Ads Up If Taxis Can
By 2.2.17
If there are ads on the outside of taxis as well as on their insides, why can’t drivers for ride-hailing apps put up ads of their own? A company that provides an app that turns a driver’s tablet into a ride-hailing version of Taxi TV is suing the city of Chicago, which bans advertising in cars for ride-hailing app services. [More]
Why Your Social Media Feed May Be Filled With Pledges To #DeleteUber
By 1.30.17
Over the weekend and this morning, your social media feed may be filled with friends urging others to #DeleteUber and stop using the ride-hailing service. How does a popular app go from top of the heap to boycott target in just a few days? [More]
Lyft Planning To Launch Service In 100 New U.S. Cities By End Of Year
By 1.25.17
If you’re looking for a set of hired wheels to transport you around town, you may soon have another option: Lyft says it’s planning to add 100 more U.S. cities to its service. [More]
Would Surge Pricing Help Prevent Traffic Gridlock On Busy Roadways?
By 1.17.17
A few months after Lyft’s last manifesto regarding the future of transportation, company executives are once again laying out a plan to tackle traffic issues. Specifically, congestion pricing aimed at preventing traffic jams in our cities’ busiest highways and byways. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Drunk Lyft Driver Caused Serious Car Crash
By 1.3.17
Having someone else drive when you’ve had a few too many alcoholic beverages is always important — but what if the person you hire to drive you is the one who’s drunk? Two Lyft passengers in California say their trip ended with a terrifying crash because their driver was intoxicated. [More]
Uber, Lyft, Zipcar Offer Free Or Discounted Rides To Polls On Election Day
By 11.7.16
Election Day is nearly here, and millions of Americans will head to their respective polling places on Tuesday. You might be able to drive, walk, bike, or jetpack to your voting site, but for those who need a ride (or just a car), a handful of companies are offering free or discounted options. [More]
Ride-Hailing Services Are Legal And Regulated In Philadelphia: Now What?
By 11.4.16
Ride-hailing apps, or transportation network companies (TNCs), have been in sort of a legal gray area in Philadelphia, but as of today, hailing a ride will be completely legal. Earlier today, the governor of Pennsylvania signed legislation that regulates the services. Like all laws, it’s imperfect, and stakeholders including taxi drivers and people with disabilities have complaints about it. [More]
Lyft Passengers Can Earn JetBlue Frequent Flyer Points On The Way To The Airport
By 11.1.16
Everyone likes getting a ride to the airport; no parking, no trudging from the garage to the terminal, but do you really care if it’s Lyft, Uber, a taxi, or your cousin Ralph who takes you there? Lyft is trying to make that decision easier for JetBlue passengers by offering them frequent flyer points by using the ride-hailing service. [More]
Lyft Testing Paid Memberships That Offer Discounted Line Rides
By 10.25.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
Right now, anyone can hail a ride on Lyft or Uber, as long as they have the app installed on their phone — there are no monthly fees, just what you pay for each ride. But there could be good business in paid memberships, which is something Lyft says it’s going to test out for the month of November. [More]
Tesla’s Future Fully Self-Driving Cars Won’t Be Allowed On Uber, Lyft Platforms
By 10.20.16
As you may have heard, Tesla recently announced it would begin making fully autonomous vehicles. But if your enterprising mind immediately began thinking of ways you could make money by using your future self-driving car, say, by providing rides through Uber or Lyft, without actually driving, we’ve got some bad news: the electric carmaker will only allow its vehicles to be used on its own ride-share network. [More]
You Can Now Hail A Ride Straight From Google’s Mobile Search Results
By 10.19.16
While Google already offers the option of hailing a cab or ride-service pickup from within Google Maps, the company will now let users order up a car straight from Google’s mobile search results. [More]
UPDATE: Court Overturns Judge’s Order Barring Uber & Lyft In Philadelphia
By 10.7.16
This week, a Common Pleas court judge in Philadelphia issued an order barring ridesharing services like Lyft and Uber’s UberX from operating in the city. This afternoon, an appeals court has overturned that order, allowing these companies to offer rides in Philly (which they hadn’t stopped doing anyway). [More]
