A Guide To L.A.'s 6 Best Alternative Taxi Services & Apps

Lyft

[Photo via] Type: App, Rideshare How It Works: Like Sidecar, everyday people can sign up to be a Lyft driver, except that with Lyft, both the driver and the passenger receive ratings. This coupled with the ability to sign in via Facebook, Lyft seems to be going for a more community feel. The interface is streamlined: set your pickup point, then press the "Request Lyft" button and the closest driver, along with a nice-looking headshot, photo of their car, and a rating pop up with the approximate ETA. From there you have the ability to request a different driver. How do you identify your driver's car, besides the picture? You can't miss the signature big pink mustache mounted to the grills of all Lyft cars. Also, Lyft drivers are instructed to fist bump riders upon greeting them and to treat them as they would any friend. It's rare that I fist bump my friends, so I might struggle with this. Price: Lyft is donation and credit-card-via-app based. The suggested donation usually runs about 20% lower than a cab fare. Features:

• If you're interested in becoming a driver, the interview process is less involved but you start by making a flat rate of $18/hour for the first few weeks. Only after they've built a fleet of customers do they get to 80% of their earnings. Unlike Sidecar, Lyft drivers do not know the passenger's destination upon accepting the ride.
• Lyft regulates its drivers to certain areas and times, which more likely ensures that there will always be a driver available wherever you may need a ride from.