Angelenos who have taken a taxi or used public transportation mostly agree, they can be unreliable, unsatisfactory and untimely.
Ride-share services like such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar have been a relief to members of the community. These smart phone applications allow riders to be located by GPS or simply by just typing an address into the interface.
Passengers no longer have to worry about carrying the correct change, reloading a Tap card, or even getting harassed by a driver, just for wanting to use a credit card.
The application makes the entire transaction simple. Riders can choose between using Paypal, a credit card or a debit card.
Requesting a drive is easy also. Prior to the trip, riders have the ability to observe the amount of drivers in a given area. Within minutes of the rider’s request, the application will connect to a nearby driver.
The service is safe and fully insured. Drivers are partners and must pass a full background check, DMV records check and have the proper insurance coverage. Uber and Lyft have added additional commercial policies for all its drivers.
Also, ride-share vehicles are typically cleaner than taxis, which usually tend to be shared by the company’s drivers. Most ride-share drivers utilize their own vehicles and take pride in their partnership.
Since inception, ride-share services have reduced the number of DUI arrests in Southern California, according to KPCC.
The reasons for using the services vary by user. Some do not have their own vehicles, others just run errands, while others are just trying find ways to save gas.
A recent investigative poll collected for KPCRadio.com showed that riders chose the Uber service for a variety of reasons. By observing their riding habits, it is clear the majority of these riders use Uber mainly on the weekends.
The In The Hot Box Uber frequent rider poll. This poll was based on data collected from over 500 Uber riders from June to Aug 2014.
36 percent use Uber two to three times a week,28 percent use Uber four to five times a week, 17 percent use Uber more than seven times a week, 12 percent use Uber less than one time a week, 7 percent use Uber once a month or less.
This city demands transportation relief every day. It’s no wonder why our community has embraced these applications and the service they provide.
For now the answer to this demand is perfectly clear. The city of angels will ride-share.
For more information go to www.uber.com, www.lyft.com or www.sidecar.com
