Charlie in a Lyft car. Right: Someone using the Uber app.
This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Ever since Uber came on the scene in 2009, ride-sharing apps have basically changed the public transport game with more and more options popping up in Canadian cities ever since.
One of the world's most popular ride-sharing apps, Lyft, launched its service in Calgary and Edmonton last month and I was really intrigued to see if there was a big difference between them and the OG, Uber.
A few people I'd spoken to in the past had mentioned that Lyft is often a cheaper alternative so I decided to head out and put both ride-sharing services to the test.
The app
Lyft app.Charlie Hart | Narcity
As you'd expect, the user experiences with the app in both Lyft and Uber are pretty similar. Once you've signed up for an account, you just have to enter the address you're heading to, select your car option and go.
On Lyft in Calgary, there are three different options when selecting your ride — a standard ride in a four-seater car with pick up as soon as possible, a "wait and save" option where you'll be picked up in a four-seater within 15 minutes at a slightly reduced fare, and Lyft XL, which has six seats.
What kind of car you get with Lyft is the luck of the draw.
Uber in comparison gives you a lot more control over what kind of car you want. As well as a standard four-seater UberX or a six-seat Uber XL, there's also Uber Comfort in a newer vehicle with extra legroom, Uber Pet if you need to travel with an animal, Uber Green where you'll be given a more eco-friendly car and Premier for "premium rides with highly-rated drivers."
Each of these different options comes with a higher price point.
Wait times
Each of the ride-sharing apps gives you an estimated time of when you can expect to be picked up before you even commit to the booking which is helpful if you're in a rush.
When booking my first Lyft ride, one of the first things I noticed was it actually took quite a long time for my ride to show up. When I initially selected the standard Lyft ride, the app estimated a car would be at my address in four minutes.
However, once I committed to the booking, it took a couple of minutes to assign a driver and once it did, the driver was coming from all the way across the city so it took some time for him to reach me. It ended up being closer to 10 minutes before I was actually on my way.
Uber was so much quicker in this respect. I was given an estimate of two minutes when booking an Uber X and it was really accurate.
The car
I ended up booking a standard Lyft and Uber for both journeys and while I've used Uber fairly often already, I was interested to see how Lyft cars would compare.
When I finally got in my Lyft, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. My driver was really friendly and the car was spotless and pretty spacious too.
The Lyft car wasn’t too different from any Uber I’d been in and I actually noticed an Uber sticker on the windshield and on the back seat so it seemed that the driver was working for both apps.
In comparison, my Uber wasn't quite as nice. The car was definitely in need of a clean inside but my driver was polite so it wasn't too much of an issue.
Driver ratings
On both Lyft and Uber, passengers and drivers are able to give each other a ranking out of five on their ride experience.
Once the Lyft trip was completed, I was able to tip my driver and give him a rating. The driver was also able to give his own rating of me as a passenger too. You're also able to see your average score on the app, however, you'll only see it once you've completed 25 rides, Lyft's website said.
If you or your driver gives three stars or less, you won't travel together again so make sure to bear that in mind when you're rating in future or you could really limit your options.
Meanwhile, on Uber, the process is pretty much the same. I tipped my driver and gave them a rating. While you aren't able to see what score you're given by a specific driver, you can look at a list on the app of the number of rides you've taken and how many times you've been given a perfect five out of five score, right down to a dreaded one-star review.
Uber told Narcity that riders and drivers that get a "significantly below average rating" could lose access, but they will be given several chances to improve their rating first.
Price
One of the things I was most curious to see on both Lyft and Uber is how the prices stack up. I'd often heard from other people that had used both services that Lyft tended to be cheaper, but I was interested to see whether there was any truth in it.
Both journeys I took were just under five kilometres and with Lyft, the trip cost me $12.90 including taxes but not a tip. There were automatic tip options to choose from as well as the ability to add a custom tip.
I was actually pretty shocked to see how much pricier Uber was for near enough the same ride. Part of that could have been down to the time I was booking, which was a little bit more into rush hour.
While the trip fare was $13.06 with tax, I was also charged a booking fee of $3, as well as a "TNC fee recovery charge" of 45 cents taking the total to $16.51 without a tip. Uber also has automatic tip options and you're able to add a custom tip too.
What else Lyft and Uber offer
Services available on UberCharlie Hart | Narcity
In terms of offerings other than ride-sharing, Lyft is definitely more on the basic side. On the app, you can also rent cars using either Sixt or Hertz but the service isn't available in Calgary yet.
When I checked out the Uber app, I was actually pretty impressed with the number of different services you can get. Not only can you access Uber Eats for take-out or grocery deliveries which is definitely a handy feature, but you can also get packages sent and delivered with an Uber driver too.
With Uber, you can pre-book a ride as far in advance as 90 days and cancellation is free up to 60 minutes before you're due to travel. Uber also partners with some rental car companies which you can book through the app in Calgary. In addition, there is a travel feature where you can connect your email address and Uber will build an itinerary of any hotel bookings, restaurant reservations or any other travel plans you have coming up within the app, which is a cool feature.
Overall
After trying both Lyft and Uber in Calgary, I would absolutely try Lyft again. It was a little bit cheaper, but there definitely wasn't a drop in quality because of it. However because there are less options for different styles of car, what car you get is very much down to who's available at that time. The only negative aspect of my Lyft experience was a longer wait time for a car but as the service is new, it may get speedier as more drivers sign up.
If I was in a rush to get somewhere, I'd be willing to pay that little bit extra to get an Uber and I think it's so helpful that you're able to select different types of vehicles depending on what you're requirements are. Uber also has a really impressive range of features to use too so even if you aren't needing a car, there are tons of things you can do.