Is Uber and Lyft Really Trustworthy?

Can we really trust Uber and Lyft to do the right thing when it comes to their history of bad drivers and making sure people felt safe?

That was what was going through my mind early this morning when I was taking my Mom to the airport for a 6 AM flight. In the past, she has usually taken Uber or Lyft to the airport and it's usually when I'm not around to give her a lift. Since then, however, times have changed as a single woman, she has felt that her safety has been jeopardized, no matter what Uber and Lyft put out there to say they value safety.

Despite that, I don't believe for one second that Uber and Lyft have their passengers at heart. I don't, and although I'm not involved or know much about what has changed since these two companies faced criticism for hiring drivers with sexual assault and harrassment, I do know that we're still a long way off from valuing safety. I was okay with taking my Mom to the airport not because I wanted to, but I felt that at those early hours of the morning, it was much safer for me to take her to the airport, rather than a stranger. There's always a bunch of creeps in the morning, no matter what.

So with that, it's a big reason why I have always shied away from telling people to take a car-share service to the airport, not because of the convenience, but also because where people like myself live, the cost of taking one of these ride-sharing services to the airport has gone up. For example, I once took a Lyft home from the San Jose airport to my Mom's place in San Carlos. The cost was around $30 and you may think that's not so bad. Well, a few years ago, when I did take a Lyft for the exact same location, it was around $20. Here's another example: I once took a Lyft from downtown Phoenix out to Glendale for a Cardinals game. Back then, it was about $10-15, which isn't bad. Now, it's between $20-$40, maybe even more when they are busy. Absurd, isn't it?

But that's beside the point, because I took those Lyfts when there was daylight out and it was reasonable. Now, in these days, it seems like sexual assault and sexual harassment is at the forefront of everything and we must indeed value our safety above all else. So while Uber and Lyft say they have tackled this issue to make their customers feel safer, I also feel that you can't really change human behavior, and it's sad, because I once trusted Lyft to get me to where I need to go at any hour. Now, during the nighttime hours, I'm very unsure and that's because giving lip service to an issue seems to be more important these days than actually doing this.

So is Lyft and Uber really trustworthy? I don't know. During the daytime, maybe a little more trust than at nighttime, but I think this says a thing or two about leadership, as well. You want good leaders who understand that they have to change their behavior to value safety. Uber did this when they forced out Travis Kalanick and Lyft may eventually force out Logan Green if their lower management also feels he hasn't tackled these issues enough. So, also, leadership is key.

Whether or not they change their behavior and their attitudes towards safety is up in the air. They have done a good job tackling these issues but they haven't gone far enough yet and that's a big hurdle they still have to overcome. We're going to find out sooner or later whether or not they have fully taken care of these issues and if not, then they are more likely than not to lose more trust and that will send a big message regarding the safety of its customers.

The First Chick-Fil-A In England To Close

A few days ago, Chick-Fil-A opened its first restaurant in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, the opening was not without some bad news coming along with it. Many protests and activists in the country have been very vocal about the chain and particularly, its opposition to same-sex marriage. Now, it looks like their voices were heard.

The Oracle, which is a shopping mall based in Reading, England, where Chick-Fil-A's UK restaurant is, told the BBC that it will not allow Chick-Fil-A to stay beyond the initial six-month period that it was given. The spokesperson for the mall believes that this is "the right thing to do" after the call to boycott the chain. Looks like voices do speak truth to power.

Reading Pride is a local lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender advocacy group and they were responsible for these protests and speaking out about Chick-Fil-A's opposition to same-sex marriage. It wasn't like Chick-Fil-A was planning to stay, anyway. They had said earlier they had only planned to stay for a limited time.

Chick-Fil-A said in a news release, "We have been very pleased with the lines since opening Oct. 10 and are grateful for customer response to our food and our approach to customer service...We mutually agreed to a six-month lease with the Oracle Mall in Reading as part of a longer term strategy for us as we look to expand our international presence."

While the news release is nice and says all the right things, it may take a while before we see any international presence coming out of Chick-Fil-A. Now, having said that, a few months ago, I wrote to USA Today about Chick-Fil-A being pulled out of San Antonio and Buffalo for its views on same-sex marriage and I continue to stand by what I said then, which was I will still continue going to Chick-Fil-A, despite its views on same-sex marriage. I know it's there, I get it, but I don't see it at first glance, and not everybody in Chick-Fil-A shares the same views as its CEO.

Now, let me tell you the Reading Group's response to Chick-Fil-A and here it is: "We are staunchly opposed to Chick-Fil-A setting up shop in the UK and certainly in Reading...The chain's ethos and moral stance goes completely against our values, and that of the UK as we are a progressive country," meaning they legalized same-sex marriage and try to strive for equality.

Ok. Acceptable. I understand that. I applaud the Reading Group for having their voices heard. I mean, these groups do believe in something powerful and I do understand why The Oracle would want to make sure all their customers are happy and equal and care for each other. However, I do wish that Chick-Fil-A would not have succumbed to this pressure as quick. It's the same thing I said about Buffalo and San Antonio as well. One person's views, in this case the CEO, do not represent the views of the employees and the customers that dine there. It's all of different backgrounds and different views and I'm sure they bring this up constantly. So I'm hoping this closing is not a consequences of the protests, but of a trial run for what Chick-Fil-A could be if it expand, food wise anyway.

I will still continue going to Chick-Fil-A. I think it's a terrific venue with a lot of nice people and who have tremendous quality in their chicken. So, I was hoping Chick-Fil-A would've considered differently, but maybe there's something else in store for the future overseas. We'll see what happens going forward with the chain.

For more information and for my reference on this, click here for the Yahoo News article.