Which Ride-Hailing App Is Better: Uber or Lyft?

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AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File


It's one of the great debates of our time: Uber or Lyft? The New York Times sought to settle this debate by pitting the ride-hailing apps against each other in five key categories, with Uber winning by a whisker: 

 

  1. Ride-summoning features: Uber. Unlike Lyft, Uber lets users walk a bit to save money on pooled cars, allows you to split the cost of a fare with multiple riders and lets people request wheelchair-accessible cars.
  2. Pricing: Lyft, which is more transparent in terms of how much more you pay during peak hours than during "normal" ones. Unlike Uber, Lyft's receipts include length and duration of trips. And because Uber is generally more popular, its surge pricing tends to be more expensive.
  3. Loyalty programs: Uber's rewards program is far more comprehensive and compelling than Lyft's.
  4. Reputation: Lyft wins by a long shot, thanks to a litany of sleazy and/or embarrassing 2017 gaffes that forced Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to resign.
  5. Availability: Uber operates in 63 countries and is a behemoth compared to Lyft.