My first Uber experience in the Triangle was good and a little bit better than I expected. It was…read morejust the luck of the draw the driver I happened to get. Generally, it's what you'd expect of a good Uber ride.
When it comes to Uber and Lyft, I typically just use the app that's offering cheaper fares at the time. However, in the case of the Triangle - more specifically, Chapel Hill - I've actually been limited to which company actually has vehicles available. I used Uber in this instance because Lyft didn't have any rides for me on a Thursday morning around 11:00am. The first time I used Lyft in the Triangle, it was because Uber had no rides available.
So, if you're coming from a bigger city like me (Atlanta) and/or are used to using Uber and Lyft in bigger cities, note that Uber and Lyft aren't as prevalent in the Triangle.
Coincidentally, I paid the exact same amount for my Uber ride as I did for my Lyft ride. My Uber ride took me to the car shop and my Lyft ride picked me up from the car shop. My Uber ride (UberX) was 5.51 miles and 19 minutes. It cost $9.03 for the trip fare, $1.89 for the booking fee, and I tipped $2.00 for a total of $12.92. In comparison, my Lyft ride was 5.47 miles and 12 minutes 28 seconds. The fare was $10.92 and I tipped $2.00 for a total of $12.92.
My Uber driver was Jonathan. He had a relatively new and clean silver Nissan Sentra. He was very professional and polite. When he picked me up, he verbally confirmed my destination with me. Then, he offered me both hand sanitizer and small bottles of Deer Park water, which were already placed in the cup holders in the back. A nice touch.
Jonathan and I talked about Uber and Lyft. He drives for both "full time." Similar to how I choose based upon which company is offering the better fare at the time, Jonathan chooses to drive for the company that pays more at the time. According to Jonathan, in general, Uber pays more. I would've guessed that since I've noticed over the years that Uber usually has more expensive fares than Lyft. However, I've also noticed in recent years that Uber's fares have become more competitive and comparable to Lyft. Free market, baby.
Jonathan, who lives in Chapel Hill, told me the longest drive he did for a customer was to Greenville, South Carolina. According to him, driving more miles is more lucrative to a driver than driving more trips.
I like that both the Uber and Lyft apps allow you to rate, review, and tip your driver before your ride has completed. That way, you don't have to mess with your phone after you reach your destination and exit the vehicle. In the past, I found that often to be a hassle, so it's nice to have the option to rate, review, and tip ahead of time now.
When tipping an Uber driver, tips are charged separately by Uber. When tipping a Lyft driver, your tip is added on to the Lyft fare and charged as a single transaction. Also, Lyft now gives you the option to combine multiple trips in a single day into a single transaction. To my knowledge, Uber does not offer that. Uber charges seem "fragmented" in this regard, but I don't mind the detail. It might cost Uber more money in terms of credit card transaction fees, though.
You can consider my review of Uber in the Triangle to be a companion piece to my review of Lyft in the Triangle: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lyft-raleigh-durham.