topic Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft? in Community Chat

Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

beautywithin — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:43:46 GMT

Good afternoon everyone hope you all are enjoying your day! I have an unusual situation that I live alone and can't drive and I am in my early 50's. I have long periods of time I am by myself and wish I could get out more. I have a a few family members in town and some really good friends but I don't see them as much as I want to as they are very busy and they always have to come and see me which is an inconvience to do it on a regular basis. A friend told me about Uber and Lyft last year and they were only in my city a short while due to insurance regulations and they are trying to bring it back for next year. I just went on both sites to see what the fares are and to go to my mom's which is 9 miles away the cheapest would be $13 and the most would be around $18 for one way! It is not in my city yet so the fares are not out yet but I picked the cheapest and most expensive rates and these are the rates I came up with. This is very expensive for me if this is right and would not be that much far off from taking an actual taxi. So I am wondering if any of you can verify if you used Uber or Lyft or know someone that has and if these rates the way I calculated it are in fact correct. There are no other transportation companies available to me outside of medical transportation which I take all the time.

Thank you all for your time and God Bless!!

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

sunshine45 — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:48:52 GMT

i cant tell you if your figures are wrong or right, but my daughter and many of her friends use uber and lyft to get around town rather than a taxi......she has been using it for several years now and has never had a problem. one of the best things about it is that no cash changes hands.....it is all done online.....

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

beautywithin — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:55:38 GMT

I also like the fact that you don't have to worry about carrying cash to pay. If my calculations are correct, it just seems that paying $26-$30 round trip to go 9 miles is a lot and I can't afford to do that. Thank you for your time!

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

brii — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:59:22 GMT

My daughter and her friends use it to get around up at school. She said it's reliable and relatively inexpensive.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

beautywithin — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:22:00 GMT

On the Lyft site for example for Cleveland the base charge is $1.25, cost per miles is $1.12 and cost per minute is $0.20. So for 9 miles this all adds up to be $14.33 for one way! To me I don't see how that is a viable option for me and is very expensive.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

beautywithin — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:31:33 GMT

Oh I just noticed there is a trust safety fee of $1.55. So that is a total $17.43 one way for 9 miles!

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

millieshops — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 18:04:56 GMT

Ouch! For those of us who live alone, this is a problem. I'm very aware that for me, the first life skill I'm likely to lose will be my ability to drive, vision being the cause.

One thing to think about - buying a car, maintaining it, insuring it costs plenty and for me right now, that's what I want, but I'm also working to convince myself that when the time comes for me to give up my own car, I'll have that money to spend on public transportation where available or on taxis, Uber, etc.

They're never a substitute for your own car, but where I live, just the insurance is over $1200/year. Right there I'll have $100 month to pay for rides plus no gas costs, no tires, no oil changes, and no monthly payments.

I wish you well at finding someone to help you at a price that makes sense for your budget.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

Mominohio — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 18:09:01 GMT

I may be way off here, and don't mean to take your question a different way, or offend in any way, but if you are needing a ride on an occasional basis, I would offer up a suggestion.

Many churches are looking for ways to offer service to their communities. There might be a church in your area, even if you don't attend, that would have folks there that are willing to be of service and give you a ride on occasion.

We have many churches, even in our rural area, that are looking for community service projects and ways to help out. It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask friends and neighbors if they are aware of any churches in your area that might have a community service program that would consider doing this for you. You could even contact churches yourself, and ask about their programs.

That does sound like a lot of money for a ride on any kind of regualr basis.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

beautywithin — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 18:26:44 GMT

Thank you for trying to help me. I have gone to a few churches when a friend was able to pick me up and they put the word out if anyone can pick me up and no one is able to. I have called another 10 churches in my area and no one can help me. I have put ads out and no response. I recently learned how rare my particular situation is. Weeks go by I don't see anyone or go out. I don't feel well a lot and I can't go outside in the winter and it has been 3 years now since I had to stop driving. I will just keep trying to be positive and be grateful for what I have. It just gets hard after a couple of weeks being by myself. I guess what I need is finding ways of coping with it because for my situation it is just impossible to expect I will be able to get out and see people on a regular basis. So I can scratch Uber and Lyft off the list.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

NiteStar — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 19:24:52 GMT

beautywithin.........I'm so sorry there isn't a more viable option for you and I agree that the uber fares sound really high. Do you have someone that brings groceries or toiletries to you? If so, maybe they could give you a ride somehwere and then you would only have to pay the fare to get back home.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

Lipstickdiva — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 19:59:10 GMT

That seems rather pricey.

We were first told about Uber when we were in Nashville last year. The hotel staff recommended it and told us it would be much cheaper than a taxi. Because we knew nothing about it we opted for a taxi. We paid $20.00 to get us back to the airport that was slightly less than an 8 mile ride.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

sunshine45 — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:20:11 GMT

our county has a number of services available to the elderly you may want to get in touch with the department of aging in your area to see if their are free rides available or reduced fare rides. i know in our area they go to major hospitals, some go to doctors offices, and some go to grocery stores and malls. take advantage of these services.....that is what some of your taxpayer money is paying for!

i think are services are called SENIOR RIDE and the SHOPPING SHUTTLE.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

beautywithin — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 21:03:01 GMT

I am only 51 years old and senior services do not start until you are at least 60. I do take medical transportation to medical appointments but they do not provide personal rides if I want to visit anyone or go out to a restaurant, the movies or any other venue that I can attend that does not require a lot of walking. I have looked into every option the past three years and I have to accept I will spend a majority of my time alone and then cherish the times my family and friends are available to see me.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

Reba055 — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 21:39:55 GMT

Have you tried calling a hospital or mental health program? You might not be depressed now but it's certainly not good for you to be stuck at home isolated from people. Maybe they have a program or connection to help you out.

I'm suprised that there are 10 churches in your area and no one can help. That doesn't sound too good, geez.

Maybe someone knows a student that needs to pick up a few bucks. Everyone whines about not being able to get work but then when situations like this arise, no one wants to do it. Just be careful. Good luck!

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

beautywithin — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:07:34 GMT

Reba I have been seeing a therapist for 7 years and I do see and talk to her a lot. She gave me the numbers of churches and other places but no one is able to help me. At this point I need help with being able to cope with being alone for very long periods of time as the fight for three years to find a solution has taken it's toll on me. I will just keep praying things could change at any time.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

Reba055 — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:37:20 GMT

@beautywithin I can certainly understand that. I have a car but there are times when I'm not physically able to get out and about or drive. You have to pick your battles. My coping skills are better sometimes than others 😈

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

lulu2 — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 22:40:34 GMT

My husband uses Uber frequently in NYC. I've never asked about the price. He prefers it to a regular cab

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

Moonchilde — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:31:17 GMT

@beautywithin Have you thought of any sort of Meals on Wheels program, even for only 1 meal a day? Part of their bringing the food can be "checking on" you, and there is always a bit of chatting involved, even if only 10-15 minutes.

Uber and Lyft have different rates for different cities. Part of how they figure the rate is time, but that can work in your favor if you use them at a time where they are not sitting in traffic. There is a ride calculator - uberestimator dot com - that will get pretty close to the fare. I used Uber once and found it to be $10-12 less than a taxi.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

Bridgegal — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:54:58 GMT

My niece who travels a lot for work only uses UBER. She loves the no cash, no tip, clean cars, no flagging down a taxi.

My sister has used LYFT and says it is fine too.

I don't know where you live but in our county in PA we have a service that will take you most anywhere you want to go and it is cheap!!! Are you sure there is nothing like that where you are?

Good luck. I hope you find the help you need.

Re: Anyone use Uber or Lyft?

feline groovy — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 02:41:27 GMT

A kitty companion would greatly help you in the most important ways:

emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

From my own many years of similar experience, and if this is possible for you, I would highly recommend it.

Bless you , BW.