Recent Uber/Lyft experience ... was it just us? Really long waits.

[CaliforniaGirl09]

My husband, son, and I all visited the parks March 7-12 for the first time since the shutdown. We are frequent visitor (3-ish) trips a year and have relied on Uber/Lyft exclusively for our transportation in the last 5 years or so. I thought it was 3 or 4 but looked it up ... time flies!

Anyway, we check both apps before booking and go with the combo of fastest/least expensive. We were super frustrated this week as it seemed as if every time we hit book, it took a while to find a driver, and then it was usually 10-18 minutes away--most often someone still in the process of driving someone to their destination--and the estimated pick up/drop off time had changed significantly. I have never noticed this happening before. On previous trips, our drivers were usually picking us up in 3-5 minutes. Rarely was it over 15 minutes, which seemed the norm this time. I can understand one off timing, but it really felt as if we were being given the bait and switch--especially by Uber. We had 8-10 trips, and for the first time I was really disappointed.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything similar, and/or whether things have changed. Maybe they changed the apps and I'm doing something wrong? My husband thought there might be fewer drivers? It didn't feel that way, but maybe ...

 

[NEMouse]

I am following as we are planning on using Uber for early ADRs next month And as this is not the first I have read of delays so I wonder if we should spend the extra money to rent a car. Between the rental and parking fees, I would prefer not to spend money unnecessarily but I also want to be where I need to be....

For those using Uber, did you notice a better experience if you book the night before?

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I am following as we are planning on using Uber for early ADRs next month And as this is not the first I have read of delays so I wonder if we should spend the extra money to rent a car. Between the rental and parking fees, I would prefer not to spend money unnecessarily but I also want to be where I need to be....

For those using Uber, did you notice a better experience if you book the night before?

So it sounds as if it wasn't just us? I hadn't heard anything before our trip, but I didn't really search it out either. I still found it much more convenient than a car, but it was frustrating to have the times not be what we signed up for. Anecdotally, it seemed as if Lyft was more accurate, but we didn't track it.

A typical example, I hit the uber x yesterday for a ride to the airport, as due to drop off time, it looked to be the quickest. Instead, we waited 18 minutes for the guy to drop someone off at HS and then come get us. We've never had so many drivers accept rides while still in the process of dropping others off. This seemed to be the norm. The good news was that the ride to the airport was super quick, we had left plenty of time, and it only cost $23 before tip!

 

[JimMIA]

Joel can probably answer this better than I, but it could be that the drivers closest to you were highly-rated and see both the drive to pickup and the length of the ride. If you have a drive-to of 8-10 minutes for a short ride, smart drivers won't accept those rides. That certainly wouldn't explain the airport ride, but it might have been a factor in some of the other rides.

Usually the companies use "stacked pings" like you experienced when adding the ride to a dropoff will provide faster service for the rider. Here in Miami, the stacked pings usually involve pickups at exactly the dropoff point with Uber. It's not unusual for the new riders to open the doors for the exiting passengers!

Lyft's "stacked pings" were always a mess here, so I never would accept them, but it may be different in Orlando.

 

[FCDub]

There’s a pandemic, with presumably fewer drivers who want strangers sharing an enclosed space with them. 10 minutes does not sound like an extraordinarily long time.

 

[Ensusieasm]

My Lyft experience was one and done. We were trying to get to HS in time for getting a boarding group for Rise. Back then you had to be inside the park when the gates opened. The driver was playing a loud music video with burning crosses on an iPad on his dashboard. I asked him to turn it off and he said, “No, I like it!” Never again.

 

[JimMIA]

My Lyft experience was one and done. We were trying to get to HS in time for getting a boarding group for Rise. Back then you had to be inside the park when the gates opened. The driver was playing a loud music video with burning crosses on an iPad on his dashboard. I asked him to turn it off and he said, “No, I like it!” Never again.

You should have reported him to Lyft. That's not a Lyft problem; that's an individual driver problem.

 

[Ensusieasm]

My Lyft experience was one and done. We were trying to get to HS in time for getting a boarding group for Rise. Back then you had to be inside the park when the gates opened. The driver was playing a loud music video with burning crosses on an iPad on his dashboard. I asked him to turn it off and he said, “No, I like it!” Never again.

You should have reported him to Lyft. That's not a Lyft problem; that's an individual driver problem.

Yes, I did report him to Lyft, but I still have no confidence, and won’t be getting another ride from Lyft or Uber.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Joel can probably answer this better than I, but it could be that the drivers closest to you were highly-rated and see both the drive to pickup and the length of the ride. If you have a drive-to of 8-10 minutes for a short ride, smart drivers won't accept those rides. That certainly wouldn't explain the airport ride, but it might have been a factor in some of the other rides.

Usually the companies use "stacked pings" like you experienced when adding the ride to a dropoff will provide faster service for the rider. Here in Miami, the stacked pings usually involve pickups at exactly the dropoff point with Uber. It's not unusual for the new riders to open the doors for the exiting passengers!

Lyft's "stacked pings" were always a mess here, so I never would accept them, but it may be different in Orlando.

I had no idea about highly rated drivers being able to see the length of the ride--thanks for the info. That might explain it as most of our rides were definitely in the 10 minute range. I also didn't know about stacked pings. Will check that out. Thanks!

 

[JimMIA]

I had no idea about highly rated drivers being able to see the length of the ride--thanks for the info. That might explain it as most of our rides were definitely in the 10 minute range. I also didn't know about stacked pings. Will check that out. Thanks!

There's nothing for you to check out on the "stacked pings." You will often not be aware of it, unless it's causing a delay like you had. When it works correctly, it's a good thing for both drivers and riders.

 

[DVC-Don]

There’s a pandemic, with presumably fewer drivers who want strangers sharing an enclosed space with them. 10 minutes does not sound like an extraordinarily long time.

Since the pandemic came along a lot of Uber/Lyft drivers have left. I live an hour south of MCO and some days all I get is "No Vehicles Available" in early mornings, evenings and weekends.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Since the pandemic came along a lot of Uber/Lyft drivers have left. I live an hour south of MCO and some days all I get is "No Vehicles Available" in early mornings, evenings and weekends.

That was what my husband suspected. I will pass on that he was right Thanks!

 

[Tink3815]

We visited early in March and did not rent a car. Stayed at CSR and went to Disney Springs for dinner or lunch . Did Uber a few times. Something strange happened one afternoon. Checked the Uber price around Ragland Road and was around 10.00. Walked over to the Uber pick up area and when I checked again it was now 17.00. I turned off and back on my phone and checked again. The price was back down to 10.00. Is this a common thing to happen when requesting rides. We did wait about 15 minutes one night for our ride. Most were about 5 minutes only.

 

[JimMIA]

We visited early in March and did not rent a car. Stayed at CSR and went to Disney Springs for dinner or lunch . Did Uber a few times. Something strange happened one afternoon. Checked the Uber price around Ragland Road and was around 10.00. Walked over to the Uber pick up area and when I checked again it was now 17.00. I turned off and back on my phone and checked again. The price was back down to 10.00. Is this a common thing to happen when requesting rides. We did wait about 15 minutes one night for our ride. Most were about 5 minutes only.

Yes, that can easily happen. If you are ordering a ride during a busy period, the price can change quickly because both companies use "dynamic pricing," meaning the price fluctuates with demand. The more demand, the higher the price. But you did exactly the right thing -- don't order the ride, close the app, and then retry.

Of course, you run the risk that the fare could go up even more, but usually if you just wait patiently for a bit the prices will come back down.