First Lyft experience
I haven't used Uber yet, but I used Lyft yesterday for the first time. It was an emergency because I developed a bad blister on my foot and couldn't walk at all. He showed up almost immediately and got me home, which was the main thing, and I was very happy about that.
But it was in some ways a disappointing experience.
1) The driver had the radio on a hip-hop station and didn't ask me if I minded. It wasn't very loud so I really didn't mind, but it surprised me; I thought they were concerned enough about their passenger ratings to be more solicitous.
2) His GPS gave him wrong directions. He ended up going about about four or five blocks out of the way. It wasn't his fault, but when I tried to tell him he didn't appear to understand what I was saying at all and seemed bewildered. I don't think his English was very good. We passed my back door and I asked him to pull over but he kept going.
3) The price was $9.60. According to Google Maps I was 1.2 miles from my house when he picked me up. With one-way streets and the GPS mistakes, it still couldn't have been more than 1.75 miles. This was more than I expected. I think a cab might have been cheaper, and cabs are very expensive in my town.
4) I thought there was no tipping with these services but the payment screen had a place for a tip.
I might use it again in a similar situation. The big advantage is that they come right away, because you could wait for a taxi forever here. But it's definitely a splurge. I won't use it any more than I would use a cab, which is almost never.