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Uber VS Lyft: Which One's Better?

The 2 Wants to Know team put the two popular ride-sharing apps to the 2 test.
Which one's better?

GREENSBORO, NC- These days if you need a ride to the airport or out on the town, you might use a ride-sharing app like Uber of Lyft.

But which one is better? The 2 Wants To Know team put both to the 2 test to make sure you get the best use of your money.

Uber is the more established and popular in many areas, as it was one of the first ride-sharing apps. Lyft, however, is starting to gain steam.

ROUND ONE: THE TEST DRIVE

The first thing the 2 Wants to Know team decided to test was the ride experience. The team graded each app based on how fast you could get a driver, how clean the cars were and the cost.

Ben Briscoe used Lyft, while Hope Ford used Uber. Each ordered their rides at the same time, from the same location and put in the same destination, the Piedmont-Triad International Airport.

Both apps were fairly user-friendly. However, there were more Uber drivers available at the time.

Ford quickly got a driver and had a six minute wait for the car to show up. It took Briscoe almost two minutes to find a Lyft driver. When he did, it was an eight minute wait for the car.

Once they were finally on the road, both had pleasant drivers and both cars were in decent shape. The cost was also similar. Briscoe's Lyft was $13.55 because of a $5 first-time rider credit. So, it actually cost $18.55. Ford's Uber cost $18.48, slightly cheaper.

Round one went to Uber, because it was cheaper and faster.

ROUND TWO: CONSUMER COMPLAINTS

Briscoe and Ford checked what users across the country were saying through Better Business Bureau reviews.

Lyft has an A plus and is an accredited business. Uber, however, is not accredited and has a F score with the BBB. The most common complaints were about billing practices. But, that wasn't the reason for the failing grade.

Forbes magazine found Uber was rated low "just for unresponsiveness" to complaints.

So, round 2 goes to Lyft, for a high BBB score and responding quickly to customers.

ROUND THREE: BATTLE OF THE BLOGGERS

2 Wants to Know has a long list of our favorite consumer blogs and many of them have looked at Uber vs. Lyft before.

LifeHacker, Ridester and Digital Trends all said Lyft was better. In an article, Lifehacker said "Lyft seems to go the extra mile when it comes to taking care of customers and drivers alike."

In a Ridester article, the author wrote about customer service. “Lyft representatives seem more friendly, while Uber reps seem like they are just there for the paycheck.”

For Digital Trends, it was about money. They choose Lyft for its "smaller surge pricing areas and lower minimum charge."

Round three also goes to Lyft, for better comparisons among consumer writers.

THE WINNER?

In the end, both services are pretty similar. But, Lyft pulled ahead of the competition every so slightly.

And, if you like free things, Lyft is offering $50 in free rides for first-time riders. Just use the code 50TWITTER.

Uber also offer one free ride up to $15 for first time rides. Use the code HITTHEROAD.

Before You Leave, Check This Out