The other night I was forced to use the Lyft service for a ride home, and no I was not drunk. I did not have a vehicle for the night, so I ultimately downloaded the app, signed up for service with my regular bank debit card. I then used the Lyft App on my iPhone to get a ride home.

When the car arrived, it was a nice newer Toyota 4 door sedan. Looking at the Lyft app, it showed the drivers car information, so I knew it was the right vehicle to get into. I approached the car but hesitated in opening the door. For a brief moment, I thought about opening the front passenger door and sitting in the front next to the driver.

A split second later I reached for the back door handle and sat in the back of the car. The driver greeted me, and proceeded to my destination. We chatted for a bit, the usual formalities of hello, how are you, how is your night going?
I answered, asked and replied but in the back of my head I still had that nagging question of whether I should have sat in the front or the back of the car.

I realize that in most all regular TAXI cab rides, the passenger sits in the rear of the vehicle, unless there are not enough seats and one of the passengers has to sit in the front passenger seat. Taxi cab rides are definitely more expensive, and for the most part, the Driver/passenger relationship has always been somewhat formal, with the passenger customarily always sitting in the back seat as in a Limousine with a chauffeur.

The Uber and Lyft ride services have somewhat changed the rules when it comes to paid passenger ride services. Taxi cabs now seem archaic and outdated, even old. This new concept in ride services is what makes me wonder about the seating situation. I felt somewhat pretentious talking to the driver from the back seat, only catching glimpses off his eyes through the rear view mirror to see if he heard what I had said. The driver was not a full time Lyft driver, but rather a student working part time in order to pay for and go to school. The driver's vehicle was a regular newer car and there was no partition between driver and passenger.

Next time I have to use one of these services, what should I do?

Should I sit in the front or the back? Or should I ask the driver what they prefer, because what if it is a member of the opposite sex?

Obviously if you are drunk, sh*tfaced and acting stupid, then yes by all means sit in the back, hell be grateful if they let you into the trunk.

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