Ride-hailing use Lyft expands outward U.S. for 1st time to take on Uber in Canada

Starting today, Torontonians will have another choice to get around a city. Lyft has launched outward a U.S. for a initial time, putting vigour on Uber for a share of a ride-hailing market.

Other Canadian cities are in Lyft’s steer as a company, Uber’s main antithesis in a U.S., competes with it for both business and drivers. 

Jordan Samuels is one of thousands who have sealed adult to expostulate for Lyft in Toronto. She has been pushing with Uber for a past integrate of years and says a day change can be slow.

“If we can have them both on during a same time — and whichever one comes first, we am happy to take that ride,” she said.

Drivers are private contractors and can work for both companies.

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Samuels hopes a foe will work in her favour. “Now that there is going to be both Uber and Lyft, they can contest opposite any other to keep and to make us work on their height during primary time.”

Lyft saw a large boost in users when hundreds of thousands deleted their Uber app (Kim Brunhuber/CBC)

In a matter from Uber about a launch of Lyft, a association says “it’s unapproachable to have paved a proceed for ride-sharing in Canada and we acquire foe that encourages a use of some-more travel alternatives.”

Uber’s repute takes a hit

Uber’s repute has taken a strike over a past year, with stories about a toxic corporate culture, sexual harassment and, some-more recently, a complement hack that influenced millions of people.

In a arise of a U.S. sovereign review into efforts to trick internal supervision regulators and a banishment of 20 employees in a nuisance probe, Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick quiescent in June. 

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“People have their possess reservations with Uber,” says Samuels. “Personally we still adore Uber. we am never going to give it divided — but we consider people like options.”

Ela Veresiu, an partner highbrow of selling during York University’s Schulich School of Business, says Lyft is presenting itself as an Uber alternative.

Lyft bills itself as inclusive

While Uber is famous for a assertive approach, fighting cab unions and governments that wish to umpire it and rebuking drivers who protest they can’t make a living, San Francisco-based Lyft is cultivating a opposite image.

“It’s already built a code in a U.S. in antithesis to a disastrous code images that are present and have been via renouned enlightenment about Uber,” Veresiu says.

Marketing consultant Ela Veresiu says Lyft is presenting itself as an Uber alternative

She says it’s operative to position itself as an thorough and opposite company, “that is unequivocally penetrable and that unequivocally wants to emanate an atmosphere and a space of mutual honour between riders and drivers.”

That’s a marketing. But on a belligerent a knowledge for riders isn’t unequivocally that different, according to Harry Campbell. He has been pushing for Uber and Lyft in California for years and runs a blog therideshareguy.com.

Most U.S. drivers work for both

In fact, Campbell says in many U.S. cities, where both services compete, about two-thirds of drivers work on both platforms.

“At a core, Uber and Lyft are unequivocally identical services. You call a float by a phone app and a motorist picks we adult and takes we to your destination, during that indicate we can leave a rating and a tip.”

For consumers, carrying both ride-hailing apps gives riders a choice to emporium around during bustling times, when prices can surge.

Lyft now operates in 300 U.S. cities and does about one million rides a day. Uber is a tellurian company, in some-more than 600 cities worldwide and observers estimate it averages some-more than 5 million rides a day.

This is a initial time Lyft is severe a association outward a U.S.

“I consider Uber is really shaken right now,” Campbell says. Until now being accessible around a universe is what set Uber apart.

“That was one of a things we could always indicate to as being a categorical differentiator.”

Now it isn’t a usually one in a tellurian game. 

Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/lyft-uber-toronto-competition-ride-hailing-1.4443538?cmp=rss