Why are the elderly so afraid of Uber/Lyft?

[Anonymous]

Just saw an ad on Instagram for Lyft Silver
https://lyft.com/rider/silver
Uses phone.

[Anonymous]

Based old people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to use an app, and most older people don't know how to.

No, that isn't it. Stop with your ageism. If they travel,
they can use apps. There's been a lot of fake drivers, real drivers who are predators, con artists, etc. I know a lot of women, including young women who won't use it.

My dad is a little older (80s), but he travels and does not use apps. For a long time he used travel agents. Sometimes he gets a relative to book the travel for him and print the e ticket. On cruises, etc. he would take organized tours. My in laws (70s) use ipads for a lot of things (include playing games on apps) but do not seem comfortable with online purchases or anything like uber.

To use uber you need to download the app, fill out all the screens to link the account to a payment method, verify the account etc plus get used to using it. My parents could not have done that on their own but once I set it up for them and sat with them to book their first ride, they were fine. It’s a familiarity and tech barrier for many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are you? I’m 40 and hesitant with Ubers, I grew up taking cabs and both grandfathers drove cabs. Cabs were regulated.

Uber you are essentially trusting a random person who may have a significant criminal history to get you from point a to be without direct oversight and management.

Clearly you don’t know anything about Uber.

They aren’t wrong. No one is checking in with the driver to make sure they are who they say they are. Taxi drivers are licensed and regulated, if dispatch talks to them and figures out it’s not the driver they will remedy. They risk their license otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are you? I’m 40 and hesitant with Ubers, I grew up taking cabs and both grandfathers drove cabs. Cabs were regulated.

Uber you are essentially trusting a random person who may have a significant criminal history to get you from point a to be without direct oversight and management.

I feel the exact opposite. I feel unsafe getting in sketchy taxis. Ubers are tracked and there's a record of who I am and where they're taking me. I also like knowing the cost up front. Even in DC I've had taxi drivers shake me down for more money, or refuse to drive across the bridge to VA even after they took my fare (it's been a decade for that last one though).

PP here. I will say cabs have gone way done hill as Uber as eviscerated their business.

My preference is actually to use Uber Black. It’s pricey, but they are supposed to be licensed livery drivers, who are basically working off the clock. I think Uber corporate clients use that service, so there is a bit more oversight and way less likely to smell like weed.

[Anonymous]

I do not take Uber or Lyft anymore. Too many unsavory drivers and dirty cars. I hire a driver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP described my mother.

She won't travel because she can't figure out how to get to the airport. We still have a taxi company in our town and she won't use them because they ask her what time she wants to be picked up and she wants THEM to tell her what time they need to leave to get to the airport at a certain time.

It's insane. My siblings and I have tried to tell her we'll take care of ordering the car, but there's also the "you're just kids" mentality. So the cabbie would be an expert she could trust over us. LOL

My mom wouldn’t listen to me, but would listen to a man so I’d just get DH to tell her exactly what time she’d need to be picked up.

[Anonymous]

Because they can't use apps. Do you not have any old people in your life?

[Anonymous]

I think this just depends on the person. I know people my age that won’t take one. I think it’s anxiety. My mom is in her 70s and still working, she uses a smartphone and tons of apps. She takes an Uber or Lyft whenever she needs to.

[Anonymous]

My mother-in-law has never been tech savvy and it's only gotten worse as she has gotten older...I highly doubt she would even be able to figure out how to setup a Uber/Lyft.

Her sister who is a year younger uses it all the time though because she had to stop driving due to vision issues. She's a regular with Uber/Lyft.

My Mom is pretty tech savvy as well and most likely would setup a Uber/Lyft if needed, My Dad, no way. He doesn't even have a cell phone!

[Anonymous]

How old are these people?
If they are afraid of drivers not regulated by the government how do they cope traveling? Or do they stay in US only. I see them standing helplessly in immigration until they collapse because they can't bear to ask a stranger how to use the kiosk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are these people?
If they are afraid of drivers not regulated by the government how do they cope traveling? Or do they stay in US only. I see them standing helplessly in immigration until they collapse because they can't bear to ask a stranger how to use the kiosk.

They’re not traveling. At all. This is my parents. They can’t travel alone anymore. They have no clue how to use apps.

My Ils on the other hand (same age) are traveling all over Europe. But they Uber. My MIL tried to get my FIL to use Waymo a few times and he wouldn’t do that.

[Anonymous]

Funny because my parents in their late 70s have used uber more than I have. I am in my late 40's and hate uber because I don't trust the drivers; when I drive half the terrible drives on the road have uber stickers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are these people?
If they are afraid of drivers not regulated by the government how do they cope traveling? Or do they stay in US only. I see them standing helplessly in immigration until they collapse because they can't bear to ask a stranger how to use the kiosk.

My in laws do not have the money to travel internationally. They rent a car when they go visit family. My parents travel a lot but use cabs, not uber. It’s purely a tech thing for them, too complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m on a travel FB group and there are always older people asking how to get from A to B, and whenever Uber is proposed, they have 100,000,001 reasons why they won’t work for them, but they would be open to taking a cab.

One is currently asking if she should RENT A WHOLE CAR to drive from the airport to the cruise port, all in the same morning. Someone suggested Uber and they said no.

Why? And it can’t simply be that they are “scared of change”, can it?

My mother is 88 and still uses Uber for shopping and fun outings. I think they might need help downloading the app and set up an account upfront.