by Natasa Kvesic |
For years, the only way to get around town if you didn’t have a car was to take public transportation or call a cab. These options aren’t always convenient or affordable, however, and now there are two companies taking Portland by storm that give students an alternative to making their way around. We got an inside look on what makes these drives with Uber and Lyft so special and which one is the better choice.
Uber and Lyft have only been allowed to operate in Portland since April, but since then they’ve quickly taken half of traditional cab companies’ business. Students have even started to approach this market as a way to make extra dough.
As soon as senior Austin Smith got a car this year, he heard about the opportunity to make money by driving people around the city and immediately applied to work for Lyft as well as Uber.
“I started working for Lyft first, just strictly because one of my friends told me there was an offer that if you give 50 rides in a one-month period you end up getting a $500 bonus,” Smith said. “So I was like: ‘OK, let’s try it out.’”
After working for Lyft for two and half months, Smith has had some memorable experiences. He’s worked weekends during crazy shifts like 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., worked weekdays driving businessmen to work in the morning and has met a variety of people from all over the world. Not only is he driving people around, but he has become somewhat of a tour guide to people that have never been to Portland before.
“I’ve actually met a lot of cool people from out of the country. My first week I ended up driving a couple of people from London, [who] were in Portland just kind of experiencing it,” Smith said. “They heard that Portland was really beautiful, so that was a cool experience. I got to give them recommendations.”
But here’s the dilemma, which one is better, Uber or Lyft? According to Smith, Lyft is the better option.
Smith said that he thinks Lyft is trying to establish themselves as a friendlier, more relatable company, whereas Uber is more of a professional chauffeur service. “[Uber] expects you to look really clean-cut, they want you to be really well-kept. Obviously when I drive I’m not going to be in basketball shorts, but I just feel like the people that you pick up with Uber are definitely the more ‘businessy’ type,” Smith said. “I don’t really get those same connections with Uber that I do with Lyft...I think Lyft really prides themselves on that.”
Lyft: Need a ride? Take Lyft for a welcoming, affordable and memorable transportation.
Uber: Transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone.
Natasa Kvesic is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at kvesic19@up.edu.
