Uber/Lyft vs. Taxis

In separate surveys (The BOSS Survey and The Island Issues Survey), we asked local business leaders and the general public about using taxis, Uber and Lyft. Both surveys were conducted for Hawaii Business in the final quarter of 2017 by Anthology Research. Here’s what we found.

Business Leaders

The BOSS survey asked 402 local business leaders by phone if they had used Uber, Lyft or a taxi within the past two years. The results here are from those leaders who said yes:

The 110 respondents who used both were asked which they prefer:

General Public

The Island Issues survey reached 466 adult residents by telephone and internet and asked if they used any of the following:

On Oahu, Uber was especially popular in Urban Honolulu where 43% indicated they used the service; usage fell to 23% in Central Oahu and 25% in West Oahu. Lyft and taxi use were also highest in urban Honolulu.

Uber use was highest among younger people. Among those under the age of 35, 44% used Uber. Usage numbers steadily declined with age until they bottomed out at 17% among seniors.

Those in the bottom income tier were least likely to use Uber. Just 18% of those who reside in households earning less than $50,000 a year use Uber. Usage rises to 34% among those residing in households earning in excess of $100,000 a year.

Wealthier individuals are more likely to use taxis. For example, among those who reside in households earning in excess of $100,000 a year, 40% use taxis.

General Public

Here is how all respondents answered, whether they used any or all of these three transportation options:

Preferences

This is what we learned from members of the general public who said they used more than one service.
A note of caution: The number of respondents from this portion of the overall survey is small.

Uber (48%) and Lyft (35%) are more popular than taxis (16%).

Male respondents prefer Uber, 58% vs. 38% for females;
Females tend to favor Lyft, 44% vs. 26% for males.

Among college graduates who use multiple services, Lyft is most popular.

Those who prefer Uber cite the convenience of the company’s app and its fast pickups, the cost and driver customer service.

Those who prefer Lyft cite many of the same reasons, plus Lyft’s discounts and promotions.

The 16% of individuals who prefer taxis  like their convenience and have grown to trust the service over the years. They also like that taxis are more regulated than uber and lyft and that taxis have airport access.

METHODOLOGY
Find the methodology here.