In New York, I started seeing a marked deterioration in Uber's driver quality, for UberX as well as black cars. Two minute ETAs would turn into ten as turn after turn to where I was got blown past. This more and more frequently culminates in the driver calling me and asking me to meet them a block and a half away.

This is made worse by drivers accepting rides when they're headed away from you on a 1-way road (which are everywhere in NYC). I've spent more time waiting for them to turn around and finally pick me up then it took to get to the actual destination. The app should disallow acceptance if the driver is pointed away from the requesting passenger.

Ugh, I live next to a freeway in Seattle and see drivers accept while driving 60 miles an hour past me. It is infuriating - the "nearest driver" algorithm absolutely needs to be based on a real-time routing system and not something so inaccurate as distance.

I've been on one side of Lake Union and had drivers on the other side try to pick me up. Sorry, no, that's just not gonna happen in a reasonable amount of time.

I just wish that both firms would fix their mapping data. Both insist on picking me up and dropping me off around the corner from my front door. This is not a crazy street or anything. Two way next to two way.

The data is so mind boggling bad that I seriously doubt the self driving car will ever come to be. The mapping data is accurate, but the systems insist on sending drivers to the wrong spot. How are you going to tell the self driving car where to actually go?

I've been using Lyft quite a bit this year, and I've asked every driver if they drive for both (yes) and which they prefer (Lyft, because it pays better). Anecdata, I know.

I have driven for both in the past. Lyft has major advantages in my mind: 1. Tipping is allowed so you make more money that way. I don't think the fares are significantly different (maybe they are, I haven't compared). 2. You can cash out early. I was driving because I had just gotten a divorce and moved out and had extra expenses with getting into a new place, and frequently, being able to put $50-100 into my bank account after a night's work was the difference between solvency and insolvency.

Also, I've observed anecdotally that the Lyft passengers are nicer. I've talked with various people about why that is and there are various theories, but generally the idea is that it starts at the top. Uber has a history of dick moves and I think that reflects in the different clientele.

I appreciated tipping when I could negotiate having my driver sit still for five minutes for an extra fiver while I picked up a print job last week.

Same here, I commute to/from work everyday using Uber and Lyft. These have been my responses from every driver I've asked.

They may be set up for both but if you probe an inch deeper I suspect you'll find they prefer and drive for one service much more. Which is why it's misleading to suggest that "they all drive for both".

I was in Chicago all last week and I asked this question of my drivers as well. Every driver prefers to drive Lyft because they make more money per ride, but they end up driving Uber most of the time because there's virtually no downtime. They can pick up the next person within close proximity and almost as soon as they've dropped off the last person.

Are you using the new Lyft carpool thing?

It's weird because in a way they should be the same company because they share the driver pool. But the experience is different I think it's a positive feedback loop because drivers expect a happier and more engaging customer with Lyft. And Lyft offers in app tips.

Customer responsiveness by the parent company is a big factor too, IMO. I was a user of both Uber and Lyft with a mild preference for the former. One day, for some reason, their credit card system was declining my specified card and there was no way available to contact them to get this fixed. I fired up the Lyft app and was on my way shortly. I have used Lyft's Twitter channel when I have had issues and their response was swift, courteous, and effective.

Plus in the Central Texas area, all of the drivers that I have used who work for both TNCs indicate that Lyft treats them better than Uber.

When was your experience? At least nowadays there's https://help.uber.com, support@uber.com and @Uber_Support. I've used the first regarding a promo that didn't work for my ride, and they refunded it fairly quickly.

It was last summer. In-app, there appeared no obvious way to contact them to get status on the payment problem. Changing cards did not work either, which lead me to the conclusion that the payment processing was at fault especially since the same card was working fine for Lyft.

I uninstalled the app shortly after and exclusively use Lyft now.

I avoid using Lyft specifically because it has tips. Lack of tips is one of the best things about Uber.

Drivers aren't aware of the tip until the next day and only have a time reference for it, so there's no pressure to tip

Didn't know that; thank you for pointing it out. If you have to have tips, that’s a good way to handle it.

Nonetheless I prefer doing away with tips for other reasons:

* It’s just one more thing I have to decide, and I’m tired of doing it. I don’t even do a good job. I often tip people based on completely irrelevant things.

* Tips don’t lead to better/friendlier service. Taxi drivers regularly get well over 20% tips but I’ve had very few good experiences in a taxi. Rather, they just expect a tip and get quite made if you leave a small one.

* Tipping is gamed by service workers who learn what to do to get bigger tips and then focus on those things. Other aspects of service are often neglected.

* In Japan service is far superior to America in all the ways I care about, but tipping is virtually nonexistent. Having spent time there, I just can’t get behind tipping.

I think Gett (a Black Cab app I use in London) improves upon tipping somewhat as well - your choices are 0%, 5%, 10%, or 12%. That's it. No giving a 20% tip (or a 100% tip because you were drunk-typing or whatever).

I've always just set it to the maximum tip amount, because I figured (a) It's not that much, and (b) it would result in me getting better ratings, though after what GP said, maybe they have no idea how much I tipped :-/

Maybe the tips are why Lyft drivers are perceived as "nicer"

"perceived" being the key word?

It's totally a positive feedback loop. It's like Southwest airlines. They've got the same planes as everyone else and I am sure their staff has experience working for the airlines we hate. But because as a customer I think of them as nicer I treat them nicer and everyone is happier.

I know my Lyft drivers likely drive for Uber too but in an Uber I don't expect a friendly driver so I never give them a chance. In a Lyft I try to strike up a conversaion and often enjoy it.

I do not agree, there is still lot of controversy with regard to paying toll in Boston especially around Airport.. Try getting Lyft near Airport, you will know that there are issues regarding how Lyft treats its drivers..

Could you elaborate? I'm going to Logan soon and was going to try Lyft