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In April, Yahoo Finance went out to the streets of New York City to ask Uber (UBER) drivers how they felt about Uber’s and Lyft’s (LYFT) IPOs.
Immediately, despite the excitement radiating out from Wall Street, responses from within the car were more mixed. Some of the drivers also drove for Lyft, and many were positive about working for both ride-hailing companies. However, most drivers’ preferences leaned toward Uber. The mains reasons 1.) Uber appeared to drivers to be a stronger company with a larger share of riders and 2.) Uber seem more prepared to handle ups and downs in the market.
“There’s a lot of other stuff you could invest in’
Ibrahim, a driver we spoke with, said, “Uber has shown me in the past that they can handle bad times … they removed their first CEO and that was good ... If I have to place money [in stock] I would lean toward Uber just because of stuff like that.”
However, Neville, a more reserved driver, wasn’t so sure. “They [Uber] ain’t doing me no good,” he said. “There’s a lot of other stuff you could invest in … say for instance, marijuana. That’s up-and-coming stuff.”
Each driver we spoke with had a slightly different take on the market. Ibrahim, who said he preferred Uber over Lyft, also said both companies should be worried about drivers unionizing. He felt strongly that if drivers organized they could easily build an app just as large as Uber or Lyft.
Meanwhile, another driver named Shiri remained more philosophical about his career as a driver. When asked how he would feel if Uber automated all its cars, he responded indifferently. “What can I say? Technology is a good.” If Uber rolled out self-driving cars cars he tells us he would, “Just go with the flow.”
But if you’re a potential investor, don’t get discouraged quite yet. All the drivers Yahoo Finance spoke with could agree on at least one thing. All remained confident that Uber, the company, in one shape or another, would be around in 10 years — with or without drivers.
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