Originally published on May 29, 2015

Just a few weeks ago, I had to get to a job interview across the city right after school. The interview started at 4:10 p.m., but it was already 3:30 p.m. There was no way I’d make it on time with Muni. Luckily, I have an Uber account. With their services, I got to my appointment in 15 minutes. Not only did I make it in time, but I was five minutes early.

Rideshare services, by the way, are companies such as Uber and Lyft that help their customers hire drivers to get them around the city using a smartphone app.

We wanted to know how many students use rideshare services like this. So on May 6, we did an informal survey via Facebook and Twitter, and in some ways we were surprised.

“I agree with this policy but it is Uber’s fault that their own vehicles are not safe spaces.”

Sixty out of the 108 survey-takers were under the age of 18 and said they use rideshare services at least once a month. Seems like student think services like Uber are great for getting around the city. They help students in a variety of situations, from getting places on time, to going to and from areas not close to public transportation.

Rideshare services can also help students get home later in the evening, when walking home, or taking public transportation might make students feel unsafe. I talked to senior Delany Guzman. “I live downtown,” she said. “At night if I am in Golden Gate Park, I have to take the 14 (Mission bus) and that is not really safe, so I prefer to pay $12 to take Uber.” These services can be useful for students who stay late at school for extracurricular activities, or who have part-time jobs.

One downside of ridesharing is its cost. Taking a private ride around town is expensive. A ride from Lowell to the sunset would cost around 10 dollars, and that is without surge pricing, a system that identifies areas with high demand for rides, and increases the rates for customers.

But students need to be aware of the risks they are taking by using rideshare services. These companies actually prohibit the use of their services by anyone under the age of 18, according to Uber’s and Lyft’s End User License Agreement (EULA). In both agreements, the service companies reserve the right to delete the user’s account for violation of any of the conditions. They’re also not required to provide insurance for minors, meaning passengers under 18 could have to pay for their own hospital bills if they get in an accident while using rideshare services.

As a student who uses rideshare services, I would love for companies to reverse their policy toward minors. In my experience it is largely unenforced. Students who use rideshare services know that drivers don’t refuse to drive minors. But at the same time, the companies don’t go out of their way to inform minors of this policy.

While I would encourage students to use or at least try out ridesharing, these services should best be enjoyed like espresso: once in a while to get that extra boost when you need it, but sparingly because of its expense.

“I know plenty of people who use Uber and Lyft (mainly Uber) who are under 18. If the driver or the passenger does not mind, I don’t see the problem.”

Here are some of the survey-responders’ comments:

• I know plenty of people who use Uber and Lyft (mainly Uber) who are under 18. If the driver or the passenger does not mind, I don’t see the problem.
• Other than concerns about tax avoidance and overall lack of regulation, it’s pretty great. Uber, anyway. I’ve not used Lyft or any of the others.
• They are still courteous to students despite the rules against those under the age of 18. These drivers must be aware that students need transportation aid too and that as long as we are willing to pay, there should be no reason why they should refuse service to us.
• I don’t want to use these services because they take away from the city’s cab service. Because of companies like Uber and Lyft, cabs are becoming a thing of the past, and cab drivers who have paid a lot of money for medallions may be stuck in debt trying to pay that off.
• Lyft is 10 times better than Uber. Much cheaper and the drivers are so much nicer. I ditched Uber and only use Lyft.
• I’ve used it only a couple times, but each time, the driver took a pretty long time to arrive. Also, with the uber pool, I ended up going way out of my way with the driver, making my trip really long.
• Young people should not take Ubers alone as there is no safety or accountability measures in place. I agree with this policy but it is Uber’s fault that their own vehicles are not safe spaces.
• Not really sure about the difference between Uber and Lyft. I always use Uber, but my friend always uses Lyft.
• When you sign up you give your date of birth, right? Well I gave my real age and have been using it since I was 16. It seems to me that they need to fix their system. I get that the company is more liable if a minor is in the car but Muni is really not that safe late at night and when I get off work late I don’t feel comfortable taking muni.
• I didn’t even know about the policy for people under the age of 18, and used Uber before I turned 18.