Road Test: Patch Rides Uber, Lyft, Via and Cab In Manhattan Race

NEW YORK, NY — When it comes to transportation, New Yorkers have a lot of options. The city is great for walking, getting better for biking and there’s a plethora of unreliable modes of public transportation.

But on occasion, New Yorkers will splurge on the luxury of car travel. And in a city where not too many people own their own wheels, ride hailing services such as Uber, Lyft and Via have taken off in popularity.

In an unscientific — but FUN – experiment, Patch decided to pit the four biggest ride services against each other in a race. Four passengers met up on the corner of Third Avenue and East 86th Street one morning and summoned competing services for a ride down to 1 World Trade Center.

The contestants: Uber, Lyft, Via and the good old fashioned yellow cab.

To cut down on variables, each service’s personal ride option was used instead of ride-sharing services like Uber Pool or Lyft Line.

Patch found that each ride hailing service is pretty similar, with the exception of the yellow cab. Depending on how fast a passenger can flag a cab down, it's the quickest ride. Price-wise, there was a surprise. Before tips are factored in, Uber was the costliest. Via was slowest, mainly down to our driver's skill – or lack of – at navigating downtown streets.

Check out a full summary of each below.

Uber:

Price: $29.84 and $3 tip

Pickup wait: 7 minutes

Pickup location: Had to walk about a half-block

Drop-off time: 10:56 a.m.

Trip time: 29 minutes.

Drop-off location: Right in front of 1 World Trade Center.

My Uber trip from the Upper East Side to Downtown Manhattan was only memorable in that it cost more than I expected and wasn’t much quicker than if I’d taken the subway (if it was running well, that is.) The car arrived about seven minutes after I requested it, and took only minimal coordinating with my driver before we found each other on the Upper East Side block where we were both waiting.

After that, it was pretty smooth sailing down the FDR Drive, which provided a nice morning view of the East River but not much else of note. In total, the trip covered 9.71 miles and took about 30 minutes, which is about the same travel time you should expect on a subway trip. It cost $29.84 (no surge-pricing) and I added a $3 tip.

The only real benefit? My driver let met get out right in front of 1 World Trade Center while he was stopped at a light, which technically isn't allowed but got me as close to my destination as is possible to get via car.

Lyft:

Price: $26.01

Pickup wait: 4 minutes

Pickup location: Half a block from where hailed.

Drop-off time: 10:53 a.m.

Trip Time: 28 minutes

Drop-off location: 128 West St.

Naturally, the only time I’m purposefully rating a rideshare experience is the time it goes completely smoothly and without issue. My driver, who goes by Md, picked me up very close to my location (I had to walk across Third Ave to meet him, but far worse pickups have been executed). Md was polite but quiet, greeting me when I got into his Toyota but not uttering a word for the rest of the ride ( Not a bad thing, because I had far too little coffee in me for a half hour of small talk with a stranger)

Anyway, Md took the quickest route to One World Trade Center shown on my GPS, cruising along FDR drive all the way down Manhattan to West Street. The actual drop off time took a few minutes longer than the ETA had promised, but MD can’t control traffic.

The only weird part of the ride was when Md pulled over to a random spot on West Street in front of the One World Trade Center and waited for me to get out without saying a word. Other than that, this may have been the smoothest, least irritating Lyft ride I’ve taken in recent memory. Md definitely got five stars.

Via:

Price: $27.16 and $4.99 tip.

Pickup wait: 8 minutes

Pickup location: Point where hailed

Drop-off time: 11:44 a.m. (Though a later pickup than the others due to user confusion which the driver can't be blamed for)

Trip Time: 42 minutes

Drop off location: Wall Street & Broadway (About a five-minute walk from 1 World Trade)

I had some trouble calling my 1-person Via ride at first. Personal rides are a new feature for the app, which is marketed as a low-cost alternative powered by a fleet of vans and SUVs. After my third attempt, a ride was booked and I waited for about 8 minutes at the corner of Third Avenue and East 86th Street.

Riding alone in a giant Chevy Suburban seemed silly at first, but I couldn’t complain about lack of space or comfort. I felt as luxurious as the mayor while my SUV cruised down the FDR Drive. My driver noted that I was headed to 1 World Trade Center and struck up a brief conversation about the tower. The chat eventually led to him professing his desire to visit Chicago (Sears Tower) and Las Vegas.

Things went smoothly on the highway, but my ride through lower Manhattan was rough. My driver didn’t have the best time navigating the congested, narrow streets and eventually took an unwise turn straight into a jam on Broadway heading away from the World Trade Center. After several minutes of sitting still, I decided to cut my losses and get dropped off at the corner of Wall Street and Broadway. My five-minute walk to the World Trade Center from there would have been faster than finishing the drive.

Yellow cab:

Price: $27.80 fare, $33.36 with tip

Pickup wait: Instant hail

Pickup location: Point where hailed.

Drop-off time: 10:46 a.m.

Trip Time: 23 minutes

Drop off location: 1 World Trade Center

It took me just a few seconds to hail a yellow taxi on Third Avenue at roughly 10:22 a.m. I told the driver I was headed to World Trade Center and he took off — no GPS needed.

The ride was easy aside from a brief traffic jam on 88th Street on the way to FDR Drive. The cabbie drove quickly but smoothly, once speeding through an intersection seemingly to beat a traffic light. A breeze came through the partially open windows as we traveled down the highway.

The car had no perceptible smell, unlike the pungent air-freshener odor some black cars have. The driver talked softly on a phone call. Classical music played on the radio.

The cab went under Battery Park, onto West Street and dropped me at the entrance to One World Observatory around 10:46 a.m. The ride lasted around 24 minutes. The fare for the 8.7-mile trip was $27.80; the ride cost $33.36 with a 20 percent tip.

Patch editors Ciara McCarthy, Noah Manskar and Danielle Woodward contributed to this article.

Photo by Shutterstock