Everthing you wanted to know about Uber/Lyft at WDW

[JimMIA]

I had my first Uber experience on Monday. Our driver was horrible. DD scheduled in advance but driver was 10 minutes late showing up. When he opened his trunk to put our luggage in there was a wheelchair so only one suitcase fit, the others had to go in the front seat. The driver then told us he knew a "shortcut" to the airport to get there quicker. He drove down a highway, made a u turn about a mile from one exit and went back to to the exit he missed. He turn off the highway and took roads with lots of traffic. My daughter could see the speedometer which hit 80 mph frequently. He wove in and out of traffic and almost sideswiped numerous vehicles. DD finally told him she was getting car sick just so he would slow down. That didn't work. He did not seem to know where he was going. We only went through one toll booth, the driver did not have Sunpass and had to stop to pay cash. It ended up taking us an hour to get from Disney property to MCO. If DD had his license number she would have text 911 to pull him over the drive was so bad. Neither of us felt safe.

This driver had a 4.9 rating. I'm not sure I will ever use Uber again. DD did contact Uber about this driver. She has used Uber quite a bit, she told me this was the worst experience she ever had that all the other trips have been fine.

I realize that it was a fluke we had a terrible driver but be aware that they are out there. I'm not sure how he got such a high rating. I would rather pay a little more for a safe driver who was better vetted by a company than go through that experience again.

As a driver for both Uber and Lyft, and on behalf of other drivers everywhere, please thank your daughter for reporting him.

Uber takes complaints very seriously -- especially safety complaints. They will suspend his account while they investigate your complaint, and will deactivate him if they think that's appropriate. We don't need morons like that driving.

Some things are excusable -- others are not. It is quite possible to make an occasional navigation error; I made one last night. But it is not acceptable to make an illegal U-turn with riders in the car to compensate. It is not acceptable to drive 80 MPH and weave in and out of traffic like a 20 year-old boy. The proper, ethical correction is to proceed to the next exit, reverse course legally -- and at the end of the ride, do a fare adjustment to eliminate any overcharge to the rider. Unsafe driving is never permissible, and it sounds like this clown has a whole bag of unsafe driving habits.

A dirty car and driver rudeness are also not acceptable. His refusing to slow down in the face of rider complaints is rudeness...in addition to stupidity.

On his rating, he might be a new driver and only have had a few rides -- like 10. Nine 5-stars and one 4-star would give him 4.9. I sincerely hope your daughter gave him 1-star in addition to the complaint.

Please don't take this one example as typical of the service you will receive from Uber or Lyft, and thanks again for doing the right thing and filing a formal complaint.

 

[joelkfla]

I had my first Uber experience on Monday. Our driver was horrible. DD scheduled in advance but driver was 10 minutes late showing up. When he opened his trunk to put our luggage in there was a wheelchair so only one suitcase fit, the others had to go in the front seat. The driver then told us he knew a "shortcut" to the airport to get there quicker. He drove down a highway, made a u turn about a mile from one exit and went back to to the exit he missed. He turn off the highway and took roads with lots of traffic. My daughter could see the speedometer which hit 80 mph frequently. He wove in and out of traffic and almost sideswiped numerous vehicles. DD finally told him she was getting car sick just so he would slow down. That didn't work. He did not seem to know where he was going. We only went through one toll booth, the driver did not have Sunpass and had to stop to pay cash. It ended up taking us an hour to get from Disney property to MCO. If DD had his license number she would have text 911 to pull him over the drive was so bad. Neither of us felt safe.

This driver had a 4.9 rating. I'm not sure I will ever use Uber again. DD did contact Uber about this driver. She has used Uber quite a bit, she told me this was the worst experience she ever had that all the other trips have been fine.

I realize that it was a fluke we had a terrible driver but be aware that they are out there. I'm not sure how he got such a high rating. I would rather pay a little more for a safe driver who was better vetted by a company than go through that experience again.

IMHO, All of your criticisms are valid, except for the wheelchair. A driver should not be excluded from driving for Uber or Lyft because he/she requires a wheelchair. But I think he should have offered you the option of cancelling with no charge and requesting a different driver, when there was not enough room for your luggage.

 

[sharonmickey]

IMHO, All of your criticisms are valid, except for the wheelchair. A driver should not be excluded from driving for Uber or Lyft because he/she requires a wheelchair. But I think he should have offered you the option of cancelling with no charge and requesting a different driver, when there was not enough room for your luggage.

The driver we had did not require a wheelchair. I'm not sure who it belonged to but it wasn't the driver's. He made a comment about forgetting to take it out. So I believe my comment about the wheelchair is valid. The driver did not have a handicap license or sticker on his car. He just didn't bother to prepare his car before picking us up, the trunk had items in it and the car needed gas.

I also forgot to mention the driver had to stop for gas as soon as he picked us up because he did not have enough gasoline in the car for the trip to the airport.

 

[JimMIA]

The driver we had did not require a wheelchair. I'm not sure who it belonged to but it wasn't the driver's. He made a comment about forgetting to take it out. So I believe my comment about the wheelchair is valid. The driver did not have a handicap license or sticker on his car. He just didn't bother to prepare his car before picking us up...

"Pobody's Nerfect."

To me, that's a forgivable mistake, although I agree with Joel that he should have offered you to option of canceling without charge. I'm sure most drivers have made a mistake like that -- I know I have.

I've also had riders make some pretty fundamental mistakes of a similar nature. One woman left her entire purse in my car one day. Another rider left a large bag containing critically important medications for a terminally ill relative (a fellow passenger on the ride) in my car. Fortunately I was able to get both back to them quickly.

I also forgot to mention the driver had to stop for gas as soon as he picked us up because he did not have enough gasoline in the car for the trip to the airport.

Ooops! No excuse for that one! Gas is rather basic!

But don't worry about this driver. He won't be around long.

 

[cruisin5]

Is there a difference between lyft and uber or are they essentially the same?

Is it possible to see the rating of a driver before accepting the pick up?

 

[AngiTN]

As a rider I find Lyft and Uber 100% interchangeable.
Many vehicles that we ride in have signs that show their drivers are driving for both (have Lyft and Uber emblems)
Uber does offer a Family option that Lyft does not (car seat)

The rider doesn't accept a pick up, it's the other way around

 

[JimMIA]

Is there a difference between lyft and uber or are they essentially the same?

Is it possible to see the rating of a driver before accepting the pick up?

They provide the same service, and essentially do the same things in similar ways.

From a consumer standpoint, you will see little, if any, difference at WDW and as Angi has correctly noted many of us drive for both companies simultaneously. Both companies are very customer-oriented and you should be pleased with both.

In most markets, there are some differences in the companies products (types of rides). There also are sometimes differences in the two companies efficiency/reliability. By that I mean that in some markets, one company may have a much larger market share and many more drivers than the other company. More customers and more drivers = quicker, more convenient pickups for both driver and riders.

Also, be aware that both companies use "dynamic pricing," meaning that the actual fare may differ from the standard fare because of increased demand. The trick is, however, demand varies considerably between the companies, so you may see a higher/lower price with one at any time. For that reason, I recommend that riders have both apps on their phones and compare prices -- especially during busy time.

At WDW, I think you should get great service from both companies. Lots of riders, lots of drivers, great efficiency and reliability. At home, you may find one clearly better than the other, but if there is a significant difference you'll notice it fairly quickly.

 

[tinkerone]

Doesn't the driver rate the client as well? I was trying to find this in my profile but it isn't there that I can see.

 

[Best Aunt]

Doesn't the driver rate the client as well? I was trying to find this in my profile but it isn't there that I can see.

In Uber, if you look at the top left corner of the screen, there are three lines. If you tap on them, you will see your name. Your rating from the drivers is underneath your name.

I haven't used Lyft yet, so I can't answer that one.

 

[JimMIA]

I haven't used Lyft yet, so I can't answer that one.

I can't find it on the Lyft app. It may be one of those things that you can only see on your Lyft online dashboard. Lyft makes very little info available directly on their apps.

Drivers for both companies see the rider rating as part of the ride request, and it is one of the factors we use in deciding whether or not to accept a ride.

 

[AngiTN]

I looked at the Online Dashboard for Lyft and still don't see the rider rating. I thought I'd seen it somewhere. Maybe it shows when you start a request?

 

[JimMIA]

Doesn't the driver rate the client as well? I was trying to find this in my profile but it isn't there that I can see.

To answer your question -- drivers are required to rate every rider. It's part of the process of ending a ride.

 

[Best Aunt]

Drivers for both companies see the rider rating as part of the ride request, and it is one of the factors we use in deciding whether or not to accept a ride.

In your opinion, is there a rating point below which drivers might not pick up passengers? In other words, should we as passengers be worried if our rating is below a certain point?

 

[joelkfla]

In your opinion, is there a rating point below which drivers might not pick up passengers? In other words, should we as passengers be worried if our rating is below a certain point?

I've seen drivers say they won't go below 4.5, or even 4.7. You will likely get a ride unless your rating is really awful, but there's a better chance of getting an inexperienced driver or lower rated one.

I think most drivers routinely rate passengers a 5 unless there's a problem, as that's what they ex[ect riders to do.

 

[JimMIA]

In your opinion, is there a rating point below which drivers might not pick up passengers? In other words, should we as passengers be worried if our rating is below a certain point?

Yes, but how drivers use ratings is extremely variable depending on a multitude of factors.

I personally do not have any set cutoff point. But I drive part-time, and about 75% daytime. Everybody is good when the sun's up, so I pay little attention to rider ratings. I have taken a rider with a 3.6 rating, and he was perfectly fine.

I do, however, consider the rating in certain situations.

• Rating counts a lot with me if you are requesting a low-fare ride (Uber Pool/Lyft Line). I don't like those rides anyway, and don't usually accept them, but a low rating is a definite deal-breaker for a Pool/Line ride.
• At night, or during big events, I pay attention to rider ratings. That's when they are likely to be problematic, and there are plenty of great riders waiting for me to pick them up.

Should you be worried if your rating is below a certain level? Depends.

You're not going to go without a ride; someone will pick you up. You may wait a little longer, and you may get a lower-rated driver or a new driver. But you'll get a ride. Companies do not deactivate rider accounts for low ratings average like they do drivers.

If someone's rating is low, getting it back up is usually fairly straightforward:

• Respect the driver's time --
  • be completely ready for pickup when you order the ride. If you make the driver wait, you could get a cancellation fee or it could affect that rating.
  • don't expect the driver to make stops unless you discuss that with them up front
• Respect the driver's car -- this is just common sense
  • don't slam doors
  • don't smoke, drink, or eat
  • don't leave trash in the car
• Be civil -- Lyft used to use a slogan something like "Your friend with a car" to describe ridesharing. The driver is sharing their personal vehicle; they are not your servant.
• Tip the nice driver -- If your rating is low, there is no more sure-fire way to get 5 stars than to tip the driver. If my rating was low (it's not), I would tip in cash before getting out of the vehicle so the driver knows you tipped.

 

[JimMIA]

I think most drivers routinely rate passengers a 5 unless there's a problem, as that's what they ex[ect riders to do.

Agree. I have a little over 1,000 rides and I can count the number of times I've rated a rider lower than 5 stars on one hand. A couple of those were people trying to defraud us out of an XL/Plus fare...which is one star and a formal complaint to the company.

I rate every rider 5 stars unless there is something seriously wrong with their behavior.

 

[AngiTN]

In your opinion, is there a rating point below which drivers might not pick up passengers? In other words, should we as passengers be worried if our rating is below a certain point?

There is actually something about this on the Lyft app (even though you can't see your rating on Lyft) which is wacky, right?
https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/213586008-Driver-and-passenger-ratings#passengerrating

 

[JimMIA]

There is actually something about this on the Lyft app (even though you can't see your rating on Lyft)

Right, but that's written for drivers, not riders.

Uber, incidentally, no longer lets drivers change rider ratings. We rate in order to close the ride out, and that's the end of it.

That's why I said to tip in cash if your rating is low -- so the driver will know it before they rate you.

which is wacky, right?

No...that's Lyft.

 

[AngiTN]

Right, but that's written for drivers, not riders.

Uber, incidentally, no longer lets drivers change rider ratings. We rate in order to close the ride out, and that's the end of it.

That's why I said to tip in cash if your rating is low -- so the driver will know it before they rate you. No...that's Lyft.

Yes, I know. But I found it interesting to read anyway.

 

[joelkfla]

Tip the nice driver -- If your rating is low, there is no more sure-fire way to get 5 stars than to tip the driver. If my rating was low (it's not), I would tip in cash before getting out of the vehicle so the driver knows you tipped.

Yes, in the past there was some discussion among drivers about down-rating passengers who didn't tip. With tipping now in both apps, and potentially showing up as late as a day after the ride, hopefully that's not happening anymore.

But you're dealing with human beings, and offering a nice tip on the spot is sure to enhance your driver's opinion of you.