Lyft cars are easily identified by fuzzy pink moustaches (Photo: Raido / Flickr)
By Nancy Branka
Safety is a primary concern for most female business travelers, but it factors into travel decisions of both sexes. So, as I recently made my first-ever reservation on Airbnb.com for a business trip, I stopped and wondered, “Is this smart?”
New “sharing economy” travel suppliers such as Airbnb, Uber or Lyft can be exciting options for travelers– for their uniqueness, convenience and cost savings. But are the benefits of these services offset by safety risks?
I booked an Airbnb condo in Los Angeles because all the convention hotels near my conference were sold out—except one property 10 miles away . The thought of a 10-mile slog in LA traffic was unbearable. Through Airbnb, I booked a one-bedroom condo in a brand-new building that is literally across the street from the convention center. Like most business travelers, cost was not my primary motivation, but it made me smile to be saving $84 a night. Hip décor and free use of the building’s gym and pool didn’t hurt either.
This one bedroom apartment in the mid-Wilshire district of LA goes for about $139 per night (Photo from Airbnb website)
Safety became top-of-mind when I began to set up my Airbnb profile. An elaborate system of matching your identity (including photo) with your public profiles (e.g. LinkedIn or Facebook) is in place. Hosts are also checked in this manner and a verified review system is a reality check to ensure they are reputable and dependable. I read these reviews carefully and chatted via text with the owner before making my decision. For women with safety concerns, I would highly recommend paying attention to reviews and getting to know the host pre-trip. My stay is at the end of this month, so I’m curious about how safe I will feel there. Yet, right now I couldn’t be happier with the booking experience.
Ground transportation is another realm of the sharing economy where safety may be in question for women travelers. We even questioned whether or not Uber is legal on a recent TravelSkills post. Last month Uber was in the news when a woman was allegedly kidnapped by an Uber driver. Turns out charges were not filed—it was not clear that an assault had occurred, and the driver may well have been trying to help the intoxicated passenger who could not remember her address.
Uber now operates in 35 countries and 100 cities. According to its website, drivers (for both ride-sharing and livery services) receive a three-step criminal background check that goes as far back as the law allows (seven years). After hiring, drivers’ records are checked on an ongoing basis. Uber also posits that not needing to hail a car is a safety benefit—you can stay in a safe spot until your car arrives. And you have a record of the driver’s name and vehicle information before you get in the car. A rating system means drivers are held accountable and are—theoretically—always working to do better and improve their ratings. (Uber offers detailed information about driver screening here.)
Lyft, another car-sharing service operating in 60 U.S. cities, has similar safety measures for passengers according to its website. Rideshare-startup Sidecar, also with these safety measures, operates in six U.S. cities.
Ride-sharing companies have been in the news as recently as last week, when they were given cease-and-desist orders in Pittsburgh. Municipalities and states continue to threaten these sharing economy services, usually under the mantle of public safety. However, because they threaten traditional and highly regulated taxi and chauffeur industries, the issue is also laden with political and tax revenue–related repercussions.
While it always pays to be particularly careful when traveling, I don’t see any reason to think these sharing services are less safe than the traditional. In my own travel planning, I will keep an eye on the news as regulations and companies evolve, but until I see proof that my safety is at risk, I will continue to use them.
Do you think sharing economy services like Uber, Lyft and Airbnb are risky? Why? Leave your insights and experiences in the comments!
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Give us seniors well deserved fine tuning please.
Every interaction you have with other people has some level of risk associated with it and inevitably there will be safety issues. This isn’t a problem unique to these new services. Historically, taxis have had robberies and attacks: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/19/cab-driver-robbery-san-francisco_n_931925.html
It would be helpful to compare crime data between taxis and taxi alternatives to see which one is safer. Also for hotels and hotel alternatives.
These services are also coming under attack because they are largely untaxed. Cities see these as potential revenue streams. Most now escape the local hotel/motel/service taxes which the established hotels, motels and taxis are assessed and routinely charge to their customers. Look for this pricing advantage to disappear in the future.
I have never had any problems using Uber (4x in Seattle for FTU Seattle) and a few AirBnb stays in Europe (Hamburg, Germany, San Sebastian, and Madrid, Spain). Most hosts do not speak English as their primary language, but the built in Google translate does a decent job. Read the reviews, amenities, and look at every pic. If you still have questions, you should ask the host directly. Most respond within a few hours (depending on the time of day where they live).
I just enjoyed my first airbnb stay in Berlin, and it was fabulous. The owner and I emailed a few times before I arrived, and a couple times once I was there. I was pleased to see that the reviews were spot-on.
I have been an Airbnb guest a number of times–sometimes traveling by myself, sometimes with my husband, and occasionally with a group of friends. I have used Airbnb primarily in Europe, where this sort of short-term apartment rental or in-home bed and breakfasts is very common. I have never had any difficulties. I enjoy being able to live somewhat like a local!
We’re both Airbnb guests and hosts, and we’re big fans of both. The keys to successful stays as a guest are to carefully read the reviews of the rental space and the host, look at the photos and listed amenities, and correspond with the host to get any questions answered before the reservation is confirmed. From the hosting side, we require Airbnb’s validation that the guest is real, and we consider reviews from previous hosts and our correspondence with the guest in deciding if we’ll accept a reservation request.