If you have ever needed a taxi in The Villages, you probably know that your options are limited. In recent years, those options have dwindled further, with companies like Signature Coach closing its doors.
Uber and Lyft, the largest two on-demand driving services in the world, now have a strong foothold in The Villages.
For all those unfamiliar with these services, the simplest explanation is that they are taxis that you can schedule at any time, directly from your mobile phone, without ever having to exchange money or credit card information with the driver. How do they accomplish this? Through the use of mobile apps.
After you download Uber or Lyft from your iPhone App Store or Google Play Store, the signup process asks you for your:
- Phone Number
- Email Address
- Credit Card Information
Once you enter this information, you are automatically connected with the map and shown all the drivers around your location. It’s as simple as that.
Whenever you need a ride, open the app and it will automatically locate your current pickup location. Enter your destination and you will receive an estimate for how much the fair will be.
Both services offer variations of vehicles with different prices according to size and car model. Once you select the type of ride you would like, including the size of the vehicle, you will be told the driver’s name, number and approximate arrival time.
The days of worrying about whether the driver got lost or delayed are over with a quick glance at the app. The map is updated in real time, so you can track a driver as he comes to your location to within a few seconds.
With Uber, the smallest vehicles are sedans and compact cars and fall under the “UberX” classification. The prices and vehicle sizes go up after that, with SUV and van options (UberXL), as well as the luxury option, UberBlack.
In our tests, we noticed that Lyft generally has five or more vehicles available at any given time, while Uber has fewer. We recommend opening either app and always checking to see how many drivers are in your given area. That way, you can gage the time it takes for a driver to reach you.
Have you used Uber or Lyft locally or elsewhere in the past? Share your experiences with us in a comment or a letter to the editor!
