Rideshare Trend
Rideshare Trend
By Tara Giddings
On an average Saturday night at 1 am in San Francisco, the busy streets are filled with drunk people, yet these same streets are filled with cars. This unfortunate combination may have helped to create the phenomenon of Uber. The faux taxis are cheaper than the originals and are easy enough to order through your iPhone, even after a long week’s worth of shots.
Many people take Uber, or the company’s revival Lyft, while sober everyday as well. If you walk down the street in the middle of the afternoon (because walking is still an option!) you will see people standing looking intently at each car passing by and then back at their phone. So is this yet another way to comment on the fact that our phones are overtaking our lives? Or is it the product of a generation so focused on technology that transportation is just keeping up with the times?
The trend of ridesharing is taking over big and little cities all over the US, especially cities as densely population as San Francisco. This new mode of transportation is especially prevalent on college campuses and with the generation going to bars most weekends. A sophomore nursing major, Vivienne Saulovich (19) who regularly uses Lyft, says “It’s good and prevents drunk driving.”
This opinion is shared by some of the faculty at The University of San Francisco. Arpi Hovaspain, a professor of General Psychology in her thirties says “One thing I really like about the rideshare program is how much its reduced the tendency to drink and drive.”
Hovaspain also addressed the issue of comparing Uber/Lyft ridesharing to taxies. There are those who feel the rideshare companies are taking away business and harshly undercutting the long standing taxi industry, to the point where they may refuse to take the newer and cheaper form of transportation. However, Hovaspain says her personal experience in college “taxis were sort of not an option because of the price”. She continues to say that she believes the Uber/Lyft companies “give people the freedom to not do risky things” such as driving while under the influence of alcohol.
The correlation between the decrease of drunk driving accidents and the increase of the use of ridesharing is difficult to prove. In a study reported by The New York Times “there has been a 25 to 35 percent reduction in alcohol-related car accidents since Uber” in New York City since 2011. But the same article also explains that experts are hesitant to be certain about these conclusions.
The same facts are relevant to Lyft, which is many ways is a very similar company. Yet, some people view the two differently due to each company’s background. A hospitality major Ariana Reyes (19) describes how “Uber is very corporate, unlike Lyft which was created by a person with a hospitality background.” She describes how the experience of being a rider differs depending on the company, saying Uber will get you from “point A to point B” but Lyft gives you the ability to have more of an experience, such as connecting with the riders and drivers.
The view of ridesharing also differs from the outlook of riders compared to drivers. Reyes states “Uber seems to be losing its drivers now because of the constant diminishing commission they get from each ride.” While the corporate issues of Uber are affecting the company’s well being, the overall trend started by Uber keeps growing. More and more people sign up to be rideshare drivers just to make some extra money, but they are not able to support themselves with only that job. Accounting major Haifa Limones (19) says that these companies are “good for the rider, bad for the driver, its not meant to let people make a living off of it.” Though perhaps anyone living in a city as expensive as San Francisco needs some extra money.
Whether or not the overall trend of ridesharing companies is beneficial to the technology generation is yet to be determined but as of now it does create a positive outlook of allowing people to party more responsibly and allow others to make some extra money. The cheap cost also allows students and anyone living in expensive cities to get around more easily since as Limones says “It’s pretty fucking cheap if you have a ride pass.”
By Tara Giddings
On an average Saturday night at 1 am in San Francisco, the busy streets are filled with drunk people, yet these same streets are filled with cars. This unfortunate combination may have helped to create the phenomenon of Uber. The faux taxis are cheaper than the originals and are easy enough to order through your iPhone, even after a long week’s worth of shots.
Many people take Uber, or the company’s revival Lyft, while sober everyday as well. If you walk down the street in the middle of the afternoon (because walking is still an option!) you will see people standing looking intently at each car passing by and then back at their phone. So is this yet another way to comment on the fact that our phones are overtaking our lives? Or is it the product of a generation so focused on technology that transportation is just keeping up with the times?
The trend of ridesharing is taking over big and little cities all over the US, especially cities as densely population as San Francisco. This new mode of transportation is especially prevalent on college campuses and with the generation going to bars most weekends. A sophomore nursing major, Vivienne Saulovich (19) who regularly uses Lyft, says “It’s good and prevents drunk driving.”
This opinion is shared by some of the faculty at The University of San Francisco. Arpi Hovaspain, a professor of General Psychology in her thirties says “One thing I really like about the rideshare program is how much its reduced the tendency to drink and drive.”
Hovaspain also addressed the issue of comparing Uber/Lyft ridesharing to taxies. There are those who feel the rideshare companies are taking away business and harshly undercutting the long standing taxi industry, to the point where they may refuse to take the newer and cheaper form of transportation. However, Hovaspain says her personal experience in college “taxis were sort of not an option because of the price”. She continues to say that she believes the Uber/Lyft companies “give people the freedom to not do risky things” such as driving while under the influence of alcohol.
The correlation between the decrease of drunk driving accidents and the increase of the use of ridesharing is difficult to prove. In a study reported by The New York Times “there has been a 25 to 35 percent reduction in alcohol-related car accidents since Uber” in New York City since 2011. But the same article also explains that experts are hesitant to be certain about these conclusions.
The same facts are relevant to Lyft, which is many ways is a very similar company. Yet, some people view the two differently due to each company’s background. A hospitality major Ariana Reyes (19) describes how “Uber is very corporate, unlike Lyft which was created by a person with a hospitality background.” She describes how the experience of being a rider differs depending on the company, saying Uber will get you from “point A to point B” but Lyft gives you the ability to have more of an experience, such as connecting with the riders and drivers.
The view of ridesharing also differs from the outlook of riders compared to drivers. Reyes states “Uber seems to be losing its drivers now because of the constant diminishing commission they get from each ride.” While the corporate issues of Uber are affecting the company’s well being, the overall trend started by Uber keeps growing. More and more people sign up to be rideshare drivers just to make some extra money, but they are not able to support themselves with only that job. Accounting major Haifa Limones (19) says that these companies are “good for the rider, bad for the driver, its not meant to let people make a living off of it.” Though perhaps anyone living in a city as expensive as San Francisco needs some extra money.
Whether or not the overall trend of ridesharing companies is beneficial to the technology generation is yet to be determined but as of now it does create a positive outlook of allowing people to party more responsibly and allow others to make some extra money. The cheap cost also allows students and anyone living in expensive cities to get around more easily since as Limones says “It’s pretty fucking cheap if you have a ride pass.”
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