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Observations on using Lyft in Vegas

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by woodsie, Jun 17, 2017.

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  1. woodsie

    woodsie VIP Whale

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    So I just got back from Vegas with my wife with whom I've been going to Vegas 1 or 2 times per year since 2009. On our first trip we took a shuttle. After waiting an hour to get going and making multiple stops along the way before finally getting to our hotel near midnight, that particular mode of transportation was off the table for all future trips. It's not even that much less expensive and time wasted in Vegas is costly enough as it is when you consider what it takes to get time off, book a flight, a hotel, and get away in the first place.

    Since then, we've always taken a taxi whenever we moved about town. With Mirage as one of our most common stays, we were seeing rides to both the Airport and Downtown in the range of $20-$30. Odds of having a nice and cautious cab driver vs. a scary and reckless cab driver was about 50/50 generally speaking. Waiting in line for a taxi was pretty much a constant everywhere except downtown where there is always a line of of available cabs in front of The Plaza.

    Fast forward to 2017 where we finally went all in on using rideshare services like Lyft. We took around 15 rides this trip and the experience was night and day. All of our rides were under $10 (not including tip) with the exception of the ride from the airport which has an extra surcharge on it I'm presuming imposed by the airport on Lyft. From Mirage to Downtown or vice versa was around $9 and change. 100% of the drivers were friendly with clean vehicles that they drove with the kind of care that you would expect someone to drive their own personal property. After 15 rides, I can say that Lyft's vetting/feedback process is working pretty dang good. Contrary to my initial preconceptions, I feel that there is much greater sense of accountability with these ride sharing services than there is with a taxi service.

    Waiting for a ride? Hah, 2 minutes tops every time no matter where we were at any time of day. Half the time there was already a guy on the block who pulled in within seconds of us requesting a ride on the app.

    Based on this experience, I don't understand for the life of me how taxis and shuttles still exist in Vegas. There is no value proposition there anymore as far as I can tell.
     
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  2. Las Vegan Cajun

    Las Vegan Cajun High-Roller

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    Glad to hear of the positive experience you had with ride sharing. As a driver for both Lyft and Uber I can tell you that we strive hard for your business.

    My car goes through the car wash 10-12 times a month, gets vacuumed daily as well as the a daily interior wipe down. I try to stop and check the seats between each rider so that the next rider doesn't find any unpleasant surprise left behind from the previous rider. I keep a bag of cleaning supplies in my trunk so I can clean the car between customers if necessary.

    Often times, especially on the Strip, we will get the next ride request before we drop off the passenger we already have. This makes it great for both drivers and riders. We don't have to drive off empty looking for another rider and the next passenger has a car already in route to their pick up location or on the property. I've had passengers waiting to be picked up open the door of my car for the passengers I'm dropping off.

    It's a great system that has already put a hurt on the taxi cab industry. As more people accept ride sharing as their preferred mode of transportation over taxi, I'm sure the taxi will become the next extinct species.
     
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  3. IWannaBeInVegas

    IWannaBeInVegas VIP Whale

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    I drive for both and have used both in Vegas. I had fairly good experiences except for one and I expected it to be a poor experience based on the drivers rating, 4.62 or something close to that. He tried to "long haul" me and I caught onto his game pretty quick. He kept going against the GPS, going into the lanes that had the most traffic on LVB and tried to tell me the road the GPS told him to use was closed, as soon as I called him out on it, the road was open again and off we went.
     
  4. Blonde_4_ever

    Blonde_4_ever LasVegas4ever.com

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    I agree heartily and love both Uber and Lyft but I did have two issues last month. The same issue twice actually with Uber. I summoned a car, got the driver info and went outside to search for the car with my phone in my hand in case the driver called. I searched all around the D ' s valet area and could not find the driver. Then suddenly the ride was canceled ( not by me!). And I got charged a five dollar cancelation fee. This happened on two different days. I had it reversed both times , thank goodness, but it is annoying when you are right there waiting and they cancel. Normally there is a phone call from them if they are having trouble pin pointing your exact location...but there was no call both of these times.
     
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  5. bshowell

    bshowell VIP Whale

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    Lyft in Vegas is certainly a great addition. I use it all the time at home (most recently yesterday for a Target run).
     
  6. saintpauljeff

    saintpauljeff VIP Whale

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    I did a cancel on a driver recently, he accepted the ride but was still in the midst of a current ride (didn't know that was possible). Well it was 5am and I was heading to the airport and Uber kept updating arrival time to be greater and greater. Cancelled to get another driver with sooner arrival. Guess he didn't like that as my rider rating took a hit. Whatever. At least I didn't try and long haul him by cancelling right as he was supposed to pick me up.
     
  7. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Shuttles: I really don't get it unless someone is so frugal a few $ make a difference. By a few I mean under $5. (Vegas? Really?)

    Cabs: always a gamble - even in Vegas.

    Uber/Lyft : Cheap and comfortable and sometimes even fun.
     
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  8. Las Vegan Cajun

    Las Vegan Cajun High-Roller

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    If your rider rating took a hit it was from another completed ride. Drivers cannot rate riders on cancelled trips, a rating of a rider by a driver can only be done on a completed trip.
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2017
  9. insin

    insin Speed Spender

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    Lyft = a wait time estimate, a cost estimate, the license#/make/model of the car and info on my driver. Plus there is a rating system.
    Taxi = all a surprise. No ratings.

    My overall Lyft experience has been very, very good!
    Good enough that I will not be taking a taxi unless it's a last resort.
    My most recent taxi experiences were so bad that I'd rather pay for a limo than take a taxi.
     
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  10. vegasdev

    vegasdev VIP Whale

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    Uber / Lyft is a great alternative to a taxi cab, but far from perfect. the Uber app has some glitches to be sure. I am still owed for $5 refund on Uber.
     
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  11. shawn_d

    shawn_d Low-Roller

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    I absolutely loved using Lyft this trip in Vegas - maybe 2/3 of my trips vs Uber. Not that there is anything wrong with Uber, just found a lot of my Lyft rides to be a better experience.
     
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