Any "Bad" Lyft Experiences?

[Sparrow'sLady]

We have never used Lyft/Uber. We have read things and have seen stories that are unpleasant, but I am sure those are quite infrequent. Have any of you used Lyft from MCO to your hotel and back and had a bad experience? Safety is priority!

We have done a cab before. Those have been awkward. We have found them to be aggressive and one of them was talking voodoo stuff to us. One went way out of his way to make a little extra and when we said we were paying with a credit card instead of cash, he put a 30% tip on the total and would not change it. He said we either pay cash or 30%.

 

[leebee]

I haven't done Uber/Lyft at MCO but have friends who have. They weren't prepared for surge pricing, and IIRC she said it was almost $100. I seems like the only way to have any control in pricing is to either book a car service or take Mears bus.

 

[Lewisc]

I haven't done Uber/Lyft at MCO but have friends who have. They weren't prepared for surge pricing, and IIRC she said it was almost $100. I seems like the only way to have any control in pricing is to either book a car service or take Mears bus.

Or a Mears taxi. Cab rates are more then basic ride share but less then surged ride share fares

 

[Nalla879095]

We (my husband and I) visit several times a year and always use Uber or Lyft from MCO to our hotel at WDW. We have not had a bad experience or felt that our driver was unsafe. We pay around $40 plus tip. If the fare is higher we wait 5-10 minutes and usually the price comes down. The drivers help us get our luggage in and out of the trunk and have not seemed particularly interested in having much conversation beyond exchanging pleasantries.

 

[nolatravelgirl]

With any service, if you use it enough, you are bound to have a bad experience here and there. I travel a ton for work and prefer not to drive in a city I am unfamiliar with, especially since my company will pay for Uber/Lyft. There have been the odd problem like dirty cars, aggressive driving but by in large the trips are all rather uneventful. Before Uber/Lyft were around I had about the same fail/success with a traditional taxi.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

I haven't done Uber/Lyft at MCO but have friends who have. They weren't prepared for surge pricing, and IIRC she said it was almost $100. I seems like the only way to have any control in pricing is to either book a car service or take Mears bus.

Ah, that is good to know. We will be arriving the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so I expect that pricing will really "surge".

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

With any service, if you use it enough, you are bound to have a bad experience here and there. I travel a ton for work and prefer not to drive in a city I am unfamiliar with, especially since my company will pay for Uber/Lyft. There have been the odd problem like dirty cars, aggressive driving but by in large the trips are all rather uneventful. Before Uber/Lyft were around I had about the same fail/success with a traditional taxi.

All very true.

 

[Smugpugmug]

The worst experience I had in a Uber/Lyft was when the car absolutely REEKED of weed. That was in my local area and not Orlando/central Florida. In Orlando it's usually fine and uneventful. I've payed around $50 to and from the airport and $25 between WDW and Universal.

 

[Anthony1971]

Surge pricing has to do with the availability of cars. Time of day and weather can play into this as well but mostly very early morning or very late nights. Best to have both Uber and Lyft and check both. Be aware you can wait long after the 2 minutes arrival time with airport traffic but you can track and see exactly where the car is.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I have only used Lyft one time. It was such a bad experience I will not use it ever again.
It was December 2019 and it was the day after Rise of the Resistance opened. The only way to get a boarding group was to be inside the park at opening and try for a boarding group at exactly 7am. We didn’t have a car so we booked a Lyft. Our driver was playing an offensive music video that featured burning crosses, on an iPad taped to his dashboard. We politely asked him to please turn it off. He said… “No, I like it.” He then proceeded to turn the wrong way as we left the resort. My friend knew this because she has driven in Disney World every year for 30 years. So, she advised him to turn the correct way or we would not get to the the park in time. Again, he said no. She then told him to change direction or we would end the ride and get out of the car. He reluctantly changed direction and somehow we arrived alive and on time. Never again!

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

I have only used Lyft one time. It was such a bad experience I will not use it ever again.
It was December 2019 and it was the day after Rise of the Resistance opened. The only way to get a boarding group was to be inside the park at opening and try for a boarding group at exactly 7am. We didn’t have a car so we booked a Lyft. Our driver was playing an offensive music video that featured burning crosses, on an iPad taped to his dashboard. We politely asked him to please turn it off. He said… “No, I like it.” He then proceeded to turn the wrong way as we left the resort. My friend knew this because she has driven in Disney World every year for 30 years. So, she advised him to turn the correct way or we would not get to the the park in time. Again, he said no. She then told him to change direction or we would end the ride and get out of the car. He reluctantly changed direction and somehow we arrived alive and on time. Never again!

I hope you provided feedback on that after you were dropped off. Eeek!

I would have been offended by the burning crosses and I am not a fan of offensive music. I get it that it is their vehicle, but it should be a comfortable service they are offering.

 

[theyoungs07]

I used both between MCO and Pop. I have not had any problems and seem to remember 35-50 for a ride between. Download both apps and check both when you need a ride, I found 10-15 difference between them.

 

[Upatnoon]

We have never used Lyft/Uber. We have read things and have seen stories that are unpleasant, but I am sure those are quite infrequent. Have any of you used Lyft from MCO to your hotel and back and had a bad experience? Safety is priority!

We have done a cab before. Those have been awkward. We have found them to be aggressive and one of them was talking voodoo stuff to us. One went way out of his way to make a little extra and when we said we were paying with a credit card instead of cash, he put a 30% tip on the total and would not change it. He said we either pay cash or 30%.

I've only had good experiences with Uber. Are you specifically looking for bad experiences?

Ridesharing has many advantages over a taxi:
1. You know what you will pay ahead of time. Prices can vary by time, but not once you book a ride.
2. No money changes hands with the driver.
3. You can decide about the tip after the ride is done and the driver is gone.
4. You see who the driver is and what kind of car they have.
5. You can pick different levels of car if you want a nicer ride. For example, UberXL.

Before you try Uber in an unfamiliar, stressful setting, I suggest testing it out with a short ride or two in your hometown so there is no pressure and you become familiar with how it works.

With the app up and running perfectly and you knowing how to use it, you can Uber with confidence.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

I've only had good experiences with Uber. Are you specifically looking for bad experiences?

Ridesharing has many advantages over a taxi:
1. You know what you will pay ahead of time. Prices can vary by time, but not once you book a ride.
2. No money changes hands with the driver.
3. You can decide about the tip after the ride is done and the driver is gone.
4. You see who the driver is and what kind of car they have.
5. You can pick different levels of car if you want a nicer ride. For example, UberXL.

Before you try Uber in an unfamiliar, stressful setting, I suggest testing it out with a short ride or two in your hometown so there is no pressure and you become familiar with how it works.

With the app up and running perfectly and you knowing how to use it, you can Uber with confidence.

I am happy to hear good experiences. <3

I take the mindset that most experiences ARE good and the bad ones are few and far between. I asked about bad ones because I figured there would be only a few handfuls.

Thanks for posting. This is helpful.

 

[SteveH]

I use Lyft and Uber all the time when traveling, only had one time it wasn't great - 3 drivers dropped us before even arriving (this was in Chicago) since they couldn't figure out how to get to the hotel due to one way streets, at least that was what the bell captain said. If anything I've had more issues with cabs, except for Chicago.

But around Disney, no problems, but to/from the airport as well as from a few resorts back to our resort hotel - I'm not about to navigate Disney transportation after a few hours with our buddy Trader Sam

 

[kylenne]

I’ve been taking rideshares at home and on vacation at Disney and other destinations for years now, and never had a safety issue even as a solo femme traveler late at night. There are safety tools built into the apps for your peace of mind. The worst I can say is on Disney property out of dozens and dozens of Lyft rides I had 2 guys that had no idea where they were going. One made me late to an ADR at Disney Springs bc he was new to the area and unfamiliar with the drop off procedures and it was my first time there so I had no clue either. Ever since then DS is the one place I always spring for a Minnie Van rather than regular Lyft. The other time was when a guy was talking so much on the phone he missed the turn off for AK, then had no idea where to drop us off so did so in the parking lot and we had to get a tram. But two minor annoyances in probably upwards of a hundred rides over years is pretty great.

 

[Lewisc]

Before you try Uber in an unfamiliar, stressful setting, I suggest testing it out with a short ride or two in your hometown so there is no pressure and you become familiar with how it works

Orlando has a lot of ride share customers. A lot of drivers looking to pick up rides. Pick up and drop off locations are concentrated. Prices are reasonable.

Experience regarding pricing and wait time may be completely different at home.

Ride share companies sometimes offer discounts to new customers. The offer may only apply for a week or so. It may be limited to a few rides.

I'd wait to sign up until just before your trip.

 

[lampshadehead]

I use Lyft and Uber all the time when traveling, only had one time it wasn't great - 3 drivers dropped us before even arriving (this was in Chicago) since they couldn't figure out how to get to the hotel due to one way streets, at least that was what the bell captain said. If anything I've had more issues with cabs, except for Chicago.

But around Disney, no problems, but to/from the airport as well as from a few resorts back to our resort hotel - I'm not about to navigate Disney transportation after a few hours with our buddy Trader Sam

Totally agree with the streets seemingly confusing some of the Chicago Uber drives. I rarely had weird Uber experiences, until Chicago LOL. They weren't absolutely terrible, just weird. But, I also met a driver there that must have have been the BEST driver I have had ever. Funny how its goes...

 

[SPINster]

I've never had any issues MCO-WDW or within WDW, the cars have always been clean and in good condition.

My bad Lyft experiences:
1. At the end of HHN at Universal, our driver arrived, some group swooped in and offered him $$$ and he removed my ride and we had to wait another 30 minutes for a driver. Lyft didn't do anything about it, I didn't have a screenshot of the original driver ID info so couldn't report the specific driver. It was 3am, I was incredibly angry.
2. In PA, had a driver playing a radio station that was raging about homosexuality/LGBT issues, anti-woman, etc. Asked the driver to turn off, he just lowered volume. Reported the driver, no idea if Lyft did anything about it.
3. In NYC, had a driver who was scrolling through Youtube and playing music videos on his phone while driving. Reported to Lyft, ride was refunded and driver was removed from the platform.

 

[lampshadehead]

We have never used Lyft/Uber. We have read things and have seen stories that are unpleasant, but I am sure those are quite infrequent. Have any of you used Lyft from MCO to your hotel and back and had a bad experience? Safety is priority!

We have done a cab before. Those have been awkward. We have found them to be aggressive and one of them was talking voodoo stuff to us. One went way out of his way to make a little extra and when we said we were paying with a credit card instead of cash, he put a 30% tip on the total and would not change it. He said we either pay cash or 30%.

Cabs, I wanted to support them when the rideshares taking over, hit them hard. That was until a ride home from the Airport where the driver seemed angry, swearing under his breath and driving eratically. That was the last time I have taken that cab service and have used Uber / Lyft ever since.