Uber and Lyft, along with their counterparts Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub, have taken over the world in order to make your life easier. Uber and Lyft are both apps that help with getting to from point A to point B with somebody driving you like a taxi. Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub are designed to get a designated driver to deliver any food you order to your desired destination. All of these “ride-sharing” services have found their way to Logan for a variety of people and situations.
A common reason found among many Logan students, including Senior Gabe Ramirez, was convenience.
“Sometimes I cannot drive my car someplace or I need to get somewhere more efficiently than driving my car there, so I just take an Uber,” Ramirez said.
Isaiah Heredia, a senior at James Logan, also spoke on which of these services he prefers.
“I use these apps to get around because I do not have my license yet,” Heredia said. “I use Uber two times every two weeks.”
Considering Heredia is a full-time student, some might find that pretty frequent usage of these apps. However, the statistics suggest he is not alone.
According to Uber.com, Uber has 91 million monthly active consumers worldwide. Since there are many riders, there are 3.1 million drivers worldwide. And with 14 million trips completed each day, there seems to be no sign of it all slowing down.
With the wide availability of other drivers worldwide from both Uber and Lyft, do Logan students still feel that it is important to have a driver’s license?
“I still think it is very important because as a family man you should be able to transport people and help out in the family,” Ramirez said. “But before I had a car that’s when I had to use Uber and other services”
Heredia also thinks the days of teens getting a driver’s license are far from over.
“Yes, I feel it is important to get your license because it’s a lot cheaper if you are able to get your license and be able to go places on your own, not having to worry about an app every day,” Heredia said.
Students aren’t the only ones at Logan that use and have opinions on the ubiquitous ride-sharing services. Logan favorite Mrs. Hughes, an English teacher, still sees having a driver’s license as important even with all of the alternatives that are out now but understands the advantages.
“Having a license doesn’t guarantee you have something to drive, and you can get an ID without a driver’s license. For me, because of time frames and places I need to go, it is imperative for me to have a license,” Hughes said. Still, there are a few occasions that might warrant an Uber or Lyft trip.
“I don’t use Uber very often,” Hughes said. “I have a couple of times, like when I fly to Ohio. I have to go out of the San Francisco airport so I take Bart. But I have to get to and from the BART station from my house, so I used Uber a couple of times when I have not been able to get a friend to drop me off.”
A lot of students at Logan use ride-sharing apps to get to school and other places. Even teachers use Uber for their own purposes. But even with Uber and Lyft so readily available, it still feels important to have a driver’s license.
