Lyft safety?

I have never once gotten into a traditional taxi, looked at the driver and thought “now this a guy I can really trust.”

I personally don’t understand why people think taxis are somehow anymore safe than ride share. No, I don’t trust that “extensive” background check.
I've only recently started using Uber and one of the big reasons I used to only go with taxis was that if anything went wrong, I (or my surviving family) could sue the company. Ergo, taxi services HAD to make sure they had responsible drivers. They had skin in the game, had a local reputation to protect, and chances were good that the taxi company would be based in the same state we resided in.

If something went wrong with an Uber driver (drunk, car not maintained, auto accident, etc), what repercussions would my family have if I died? Suing Uber? Good luck with that.

Now that I've used Uber and will soon use Lyft, I like to think of those drivers like friends and family members who are only driving to get some extra income. I'd have to guess that 99% of the time all they really care about is that we both make it to the destination in one piece, that I (as the rider) don't throw up or do anything else disgusting in their car, and that I leave them a good review.

If I can see the driver as someone just like a coworker, or a friend's brother or husband, or even as a friend's son or daughter, it's not so scary to ride. ;)
 
If something went wrong with an Uber driver (drunk, car not maintained, auto accident, etc), what repercussions would my family have if I died? Suing Uber? Good luck with that.
Under Florida law, with both Uber and Lyft, you are covered by a $1 million insurance policy whenever you are on a ride.

If you are in a taxi or private car service, they have whatever the local government requires them to carry -- but Uber and Lyft requirements are set by the state of Florida.

If you are outside of Florida, that same $1 million insurance coverage is the standard for both Uber and Lyft nationwide.
 
Thanks Jim. I use Uber now and will probably never go with a taxi again. Uber and Lyft are just more convenient. I wanted to give an example of why someone would think taxi's are better. I didn't know about the insurance coverage and I'm betting a lot of other people don't know, either.
 
I completely understand safely concerns because in my town an Uber driver killed 6 people over the course of hours, a driver who had no prior criminal record by the way. I’ve never used Uber or Lyft because the incident completely freaked me out. I know it’s irrational to think people are capable of this and it was clearly an isolated event but it scared me enough to not want to use a ride sharing service. I wish the incident had not affected me. I know most people just laugh it off like it’s not a big deal to get in a car alone with someone, but you never know someone’s current mental state. I will use ride share someday but I will no doubt be having anxiety the entire ride. If I try it someplace it likely would be at Disney, maybe being in the Disney bubble would lessen that anxiety. Hopefully afterward I would not be so worried about it and would be willing to do it again.
 


I would highly recommend using the Minnie Van service if you have any doubts. My wife had a promo offer through Lyft that gave a 20% discount on the first 10 rides so we applied it to all of our Minnie Van trips.
We used it for breakfast ADRs and most of our dinner ADRs, and each cast member we had was great.
 
I completely understand safely concerns because in my town an Uber driver killed 6 people over the course of hours, a driver who had no prior criminal record by the way. I’ve never used Uber or Lyft because the incident completely freaked me out. I know it’s irrational to think people are capable of this and it was clearly an isolated event but it scared me enough to not want to use a ride sharing service. I wish the incident had not affected me. I know most people just laugh it off like it’s not a big deal to get in a car alone with someone, but you never know someone’s current mental state. I will use ride share someday but I will no doubt be having anxiety the entire ride. If I try it someplace it likely would be at Disney, maybe being in the Disney bubble would lessen that anxiety. Hopefully afterward I would not be so worried about it and would be willing to do it again.
I think you have to look at it from an odds perspective. Yes, it is possible something bad could happen but the likelihood is extremely low.
 
I would highly recommend using the Minnie Van service if you have any doubts. My wife had a promo offer through Lyft that gave a 20% discount on the first 10 rides so we applied it to all of our Minnie Van trips.
We used it for breakfast ADRs and most of our dinner ADRs, and each cast member we had was great.
Even with 20% off the minnie van is pretty expensive for just one person .
 


I use Uber/Lyft regularly in questionable neighborhoods in NYC late at night. Driver should greet you by name. Do not get in the car until you have checked make/model of car, license plate, and driver has greeted you by name. You then greet them by their name for their safety.

And remember, that poor young girl didn't get in an uber/lyft. She got in a random car.
 
Once a Lyft driver has been working for awhile, they are given a light bar that sits in the windshield. It is usually the pink Lyft logo, but if there are multiple people waiting for rides in an area, it will change color. So much easier at night to look for a green light and then check the license plate rather than checking plates on all cars with the lyft light. Once you get into the vehicle, you will see that the light scrolls a message with your name. So there's another check built in to make sure you're in the proper car.
 
Once a Lyft driver has been working for awhile, they are given a light bar that sits in the windshield.
Uber has a similar device, called an Uber Beacon, and then they have a second part of the system called the Spotlight which is on the rider's phone. As an Uber driver approaches, a colored Uber logo appears on the rider's app screen and also on the driver's app. If the rider taps that logo, the entire face of your phone will change to that color. Then you hold the face of your phone toward the approaching driver for easy identification. If the driver has a Beacon, the Beacon will also match the face of your phone. It works great in crowded venues like airport pickups.

The weaknesses of the Beacon, Spotlight and Lyft's system (called the Amp) is that few riders know what they are or how to use them. The spotlight is complicated by the fact that the logo you tap is so small that most riders never even notice it.

The other problem with the Lyft Amp is that it sits on your dashboard. Many drivers find it distracting and won't use it. The Uber Beacon is attached to the windshield and is not distracting.

The important thing about all of those devices is that they are convenience items, not safety features.

For safety:
  1. Watch the driver approaching on your app so you'll know it's them.
  2. Check the vehicle description and color against the car.
  3. Verify the tag number.
  4. Compare the driver's face to the picture on your app.
 

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