PICK A SIDE: Where do you sit in an Uber/Lyft

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Published February 14, 2020 at 3:07 am

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Whether you’re looking for a ride home after drinks with friends; or a way to avoid the busy, downtown traffic; or a ride to the airport–ridesharing companies are a great option for those who can’t or don’t want to drive.

However, when your Uber or Lyft shows up, you’re left with a difficult and sometimes anxiety-inducing decision: where do you sit?

When you’re the only one using the service, you have to decide if you’re going to sit in the back, like you would if you were taking a town car or cab; or if you’ll sit in the front, like you would if a friend or acquaintance was giving you a ride.

There’s a case to be made for both.

Have you ever given friends a ride and ended up with a person in the backseat and no one in the front?

It can be awkward to have a conversation like that.

With that being said, most people aren’t ‘friends’ with their Uber/Lyft drivers–it’s possible neither the driver nor the passenger want to converse.

Additionally, choosing to sit in the backseat can provide passengers with more room and privacy to send emails or make phone calls–which could be a contributing factor in a person’s choice to use a ride-sharing service in the first place.

However, part of the upside for some people to using a ride-sharing service is the fact that they’re a more informal form of transportation and allow people to communicate and converse.

Because of this, it might be more enticing for some people who consider themselves to be more extroverted to sit in the front seat.

Further, some people who are more introverted may be inclined to sit in the front seat simply out of politeness.
But, is this ideal for the driver?

Just like some passengers may not be interested in talking, some drivers may feel this way as well.

Further, some drivers may feel having a passenger in the front seat to be more distracting than if they were sitting in the back seat (particularly if said passenger has had a few drinks and starts fiddling with the dashboard trying to change the driver’s music.).

So, Mississauga, how do you feel?

Should you sit in the front or the back when you use a ridesharing service?

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