San Francisco is the thirteenth largest city in the country and one of the most important centers for technology, finance, culture, and tourism. As a result, a huge number of people, from all over the world, keep on coming to this city and those, for whom San Francisco is the hometown, travel to different locations across the globe from here. Regardless of the group you belong to, it’s quite likely that you need transportation on a regular basis.
In San Francisco, these days, you can find three main types of ground transportation – Uber, Lyft, and traditional limousines. And there’re many people who’ve started assuming that in the upcoming years, traditional limousines will be replaced slowly by Uber Black and Lyft Lux – two upscale car services by the respective companies and at prices that might be lower than what you’ve to pay if you hire a luxury limo service in San Francisco CA. Now the question is, do Uber Black and Lyft Lux offer the same convenience, dependability, and luxury that are key characteristics of limousines? In order to find out the answer, we’ve reviewed both ridesharing and limousine services based on some key parameters. And we decided to jot down our observations in the form of this simple blog post which would not only help you understand the key differences between these two services but also why it may not be possible for Uber Black and Lyft Lux to replace top-notch limousine services.
Uber Black and Lyft Lux vs. limousine services – a comparative review
What are the situations when we tend to book upscale car services? Though these may vary based on individual circumstances and preferences, there’re some common ones like providing an important business client with a top-class vehicle for transportation, traveling with friends and family members to a special occasion, leaving a great impression when arriving at an event, traveling to and from the airport in the middle of the night, among others. While both ridesharing services and limousine services get you from one place to another, the experience can be drastically different and there’re reasons behind it. Let’s have a look at the key factors that make limo services a class apart from ridesharing services.
1- Cost
Apparently it may seem that opting for Uber Black or Lyft Lux would help you save a considerable amount of money than hiring a private limousine service San Francisco CA but it may not be the case always. And the most common instance is increased prices during peak hours, leading to trips that may cost significantly more than what you’ve expected. On the other hand, when you book a luxury limo service in San Francisco CA, you’re given a fixed rate which won’t increase suddenly based on the circumstances.
2- Availability
Prompt availability of vehicles has always been a major issue with ridesharing services. Since these are app-based services, you become solely dependent on your cell phone. If it’s working fine and within the coverage area, you’ll be doing fine but if it isn’t, getting an Uber Black or Lyft Lux become simply impossible. Conversely, when it comes to getting a limo from a car service in San Francisco, CA, there’re different booking options available to choose from. For example, you can easily and quickly book a private limousine service San Francisco CA well in advance through the company’s website or choose the telephone booking option if that suits you better. Additionally, with ridesharing services, rides might be canceled without prior notice, leaving you in stressful situations, especially when you’ve a flight to catch or need to arrive at an event on time. But when you hire a limo service, you can be completely assured of having your chauffeured vehicle waiting at your pick-up point right on time.
3- Chauffeurs vs. drivers
Though these terms are used interchangeably by many, they don’t refer to the same group of people who’re behind the wheel. To start with, anyone can join Uber and Lyft as a driver by fulfilling some basic requirements like age, proof of vehicle registration, basic driving background, among others. As a result, there’s no extensive training on defensive driving, how to handle clients, etc which are key characteristics of chauffeurs. Chauffeurs are professionals employed by luxury limo services in San Francisco CA and are given thorough training before they actually start working for the companies. Also, chauffeurs are thoroughly screened through background check, drug tests, etc prior to employment, which are overlooked factors when it comes to drivers of ridesharing services.
4- Premium vehicles
This is another significant aspect which differentiates a luxury limo service in San Francisco CA from Uber Black and Lyft Lux. When it comes to the former, you can have a broad range of different vehicles to choose from to get a comfortable, safe, and stylish ride. Now, think about the vehicles you’d be getting when using Uber and Lyft. Since these services don’t provide a fleet of cars for their drivers, you’ve to ride in the vehicles that are owned by the drivers as long as the meet a couple of requirements. Though it’s possible to take your pick from standard to luxury cars when using ridesharing services, the options are quite limited. Moreover, there’s no oversight on cleanliness, condition, safety, or maintenance. On the contrary, a private limousine service San Francisco CA makes it a priority to keep its fleet in immaculate condition to help its clients get an exceptional ride. Additionally, these vehicles go through periodic inspection to ensure they perform at their best during a ride.
5- Personalized service
Personalized service is something for which lots of people prefer to hire a luxury limo service in San Francisco CA over ridesharing services. With a top-rated limo service, it’s possible to ask for a specific chauffeur whose service you liked during an earlier ride. Do you think it would be ever possible to get such a personalized service with Uber Black or Lyft Lux? Additionally, when you take a limo for rent from a reputable car service in San Francisco, CA, the company not only focuses on the service only, it also focuses on you as well and tries its best to provide you with the most comfortable ride. For instance, they often accommodate client preferences like having coffee waiting for them in the vehicle etc. Some of the top-tier companies have already made it a standard to provide complimentary mints and bottled water. Aside from these amenities, there’re circumstances when we need to make little changes in our schedule. For example, you may need to make a couple of stops before you reach your destination. A limo service will happily accommodate this without charging you more as long as it remains within your package limitations. It might also be possible with ridesharing services but most likely you’ll have to extra charges to get this accommodated.
6- Accountability
This is one of the biggest factors in the favor of limousines that outweigh ridesharing services. Since both Uber and Lyft are based on technology platforms that connect riders with drivers, there’s no actual entity that you can hold accountable if something goes wrong as you’re dealing with a massive group of individual contractors. It’s also important to note that none of these services insure its clients or clients’ possessions in the event of theft or a collision. Just think of the consequences that will happen to your critical and confidential information if things go wrong.
7- Use of advanced technologies
Some luxury limo services in San Francisco CA invest in advanced technologies to serve their clients in a better manner. For instance, they can monitor flight schedules in real-time to make sure their chauffeured vehicle arrives on time at the airport always, no matter if your flight is delayed or arrives early. They do it to make sure that you aren’t left waiting for the ride. Their vehicles also come fitted with latest GPS devices that help their chauffeurs to get you to an important event in a timely manner. While Uber and Lyft drivers can access the driving apps of their respective companies, they can only receive turn-by-turn instructions, which isn’t as effective as GPS monitoring.
Parting Thoughts
If you consider all the above aspects, it seems there’s nothing including Uber Black and Lyft Lux that can beat the riding experience offered by a luxury limo service in San Francisco CA. In our opinion, it won’t be possible for ridesharing services to replace limo services despite the advantages (lower cost being the key one) offered by them. In reality, the emergence of upscale services like Uber Black and Lyft Lux has promoted the growth of limo companies by compelling them to adapt to advanced technologies. Like in any other industry, the phrase that says “you get what you pay for” is applicable to the limo service industry as well. When it comes to the riding experience, you might have to pay a little more with a private limousine service San Francisco CA, but what you get is simply unmatchable.