The Battle of the Ridesharing Titans Uber vs Lyft (Google)

The saying that when two elephants fight, the grass will suffer does not apply in the present scenario. Contrary to that, Uber on one side of the grass and team Google and Lyft on the other side of the divide slugging it out in a contest; the customers will be the gainers at the end of the day. In any contest, there will always be a winner. Head or tail; the customers will be the better for it.

A CAT WITH NINE LIVES

Uber has survived many battles in the past. Again, the storms have gathered over Uber, will there be a heavy downpour? Will the lightning strike this time around? The attitude should be that of wait and see. When the CEO of Uber was seen through a video footage maltreating an Uber driver, there was an outcry against the action. When the unfavorable working conditions at Uber's premises was made public; the ratings of Uber went down in public opinion. The lawsuit is another issue that Uber has hanging over its neck. It survived the hammer just this week. But then, for how long Uber can hold on in the midst of these challenges from rival competitors?

THE MODEL THAT TOOK UBER TO THE TOP

  1. When a user wants to get a cab under Uber's fleet, you can do that by simply logging onto their site.
  2. There are many cabs available; you can simply select the type of cab you need.
  3. If you don't mind sharing a cab; there is an option of cab sharing. You will be linked with one.
  4. When you make your request, you will not be wasted because a driver will be matched with you immediately that is going along your preferred route.
  5. The drivers have the option of accepting or rejecting the request; those that accept are displayed to the customer.
  6. The customer will get a signal that indicates the location of the driver.
  7. The driver will be given details of your location and he, in turn, will locate you in record time.
  8. In no time the driver will locate you where you are, and the journey will commence.
  9. The trip is marked complete upon completion of the journey.
  10. There is no room for double dealings, the exact fare is calculated.
  11. This fare is now charged to the credit card of the customer.
  12. Uber will demand a review from the user, it is optional, but it is encouraged so that Uber will be able to know areas where they need to improve upon as well as areas where they are getting it right.

The above sums up the model that has taken Uber to the top; one that is causing ripples in the car service industry.

AUTONOMOUS TECHNOLOGY FOR CARS CURTSY TEAM GOOGLE AND LYFT

Let us take a look at the model of team Google and Lyft. A model that is targeted at nailing the final coffin of Uber. There is an agreement in place by these two firms to develop autonomous technology for vehicles. Having gotten the privilege of seeing what Uber has to offer; these two giants have agreed to team up to taking the sail off Uber. Meanwhile, Google and Uber have an existing lawsuit over the system that is behind their autonomous cars. Things are expected to get messy in the court of law in the weeks ahead. The combination of these two giants makes it a fight that can be likened to that of the biblical David and Goliath.

The David, in this case, is, of course, Uber while the Goliath is team Google and Lyft. However, the outcome cannot be predicted on the outcome obtained in biblical times of old. The victory can go to any of the two sides. The logical thing to do is to keep our fingers crossed.

THE ODDS FAVOUR TEAM GOOGLE AND LYFT

It is very clear looking at the individual strengths of the above team combined; it can drive Uber down. There is a wide data platform readily available added to the advantage of the automation of things. Everything looks going great for this business partnership. They have all it takes to change the face of autonomous technology in vehicles.

THE ISSUES WITH UBER

Ample space has been given to the model upon which Uber is operating. A look at it shows that the plan of action was well marshaled. All things being equal, the model will be hard to beat. Mention was made of the unprofessional attitude of Uber's CEO Travis earlier on; he has been fired following outbursts of public opinion. If there is any problem with Uber, it is not their business model; it has to do with the culture at Uber.

Uber has a toxic culture. That is perhaps their greatest undoing, and if they are going to go under, it will be on account of their culture. The number of legal battles that they are facing due to dirty dealings leaves much to be desired. Take a look at the following cases which they are currently facing in the law courts:

  • The sexual harassment cases
  • Cases bothering on dirty tricks
  • Discrimination

Lawsuits from its drivers have been a massive headache for Uber. Uber has spent over USD 100 million to settle a lawsuit with its drivers in California.

When an outfit is battling such cultures as the ones above; it can be easily predicted where the pendulum will swing for such an organization. This toxic culture is the main reason why the press and politicians are giving Uber a bad press.

WHO BLINKS FIRST?

The battle line has been drawn. Who will win at the end of the day? One can easily draw from the facts as it is presented above. One thing is clear; it is only Uber that can stop Uber. If the toxic culture is not addressed; then something will give way sooner or later. If that is allowed to happen; then team Google and Lyft will come out victorious. That will be the nailing of the coffin on Uber.