Tell Me All About Uber Black….

[kristenrice]

I was thinking about reserving an SUV town car service since we were going to arrive late, but our flights changed and now we are arriving at 11:15am. We have no park plans for the day and so we are in no hurry. Since we are arriving on 2 different flights, I’d rather not “schedule” anything. Since I still want to “arrive in style” and splurge a little, Uber Black looks like it might be a good fit. Is there decent availability? What types of vehicles are used? It says they use “professional” drivers…what does that mean?

 

[JimMIA]

Here's a link: https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/orlando/vehicle-requirements/

I believe the "additional document required" is a CDL (commercial license) and/or special permitting to operate at MCO. In other words, they have to have the same licensing, permitting, and insurance as a limo service.

I also think Uber Black in Orlando is actually provided by Mears (could be wrong about that).

 

[CBMom01]

In Chicago, Uber black used to require a livery plate and whatever the associated DL requirement is. Haven’t used it in a while

 

[Anthony1971]

Uber Black is nothing different than using a traditional service as most of them are due to the requirements. With surge pricing with Uber I would consider reserving a car if you are looking for a more upscale ride to Disney. I have seen prices 2-3 times the normal prices lately at different times and especially at airports when a lot of people decide to use the service at once. However if you are willing to close the APP and check a few minutes later you usually get better pricing if not repeat.... But that would defeat the whole purpose of willing to pay for a better service.

 

[kristenrice]

I checked the UberBlack price around 11:15am today and it was about $77. The towncar through Mears is $115 (includes tip) and about $80 (before tip) from other sites that i checked. The main difference is that I can make the decision on the spot AND I can wait until we are all there to get the ride. Since we are arriving on different flights, I don’t want to worry about delays. If one of our parties is delayed, we will split up and just use our DME backup.

 

[kristenrice]

Now that I’ve been looking a little more at my Uber app, I see that the Uber Black option (about $77) seats 3 people so it would be a car. In order to get an SUV, I would need to opt for the Uber Black SUV w/ car seat option (about $95). What do they do with the car seat if you don’t need it? Does it sit in a seat or in the trunk? We will have (3) carryons and (3) backpacks so I want to make sure we will be able to fit our luggage in the trunk if a car seat will be in there too.
On a slightly different note, I read an article (can’t remember where) and the author said that he doesn’t tip UberBlack drivers because they are getting paid 4-5x more already and so it is “built in” to the fare. This sounds WAY wrong to me, but he did point out that he always tips the “regular” Uber drivers and he seemed to use all of Uber’s services quite regularly. Since I have used Uber/Lyft exactly 8 times (and never UberBlack), I would appreciate input on this opinion. I have no problem tipping, but is the 20% that I normally tip an acceptable amount? I don’t want to “double-tip” and I always go up or down depending on the level of service.

 

[JimMIA]

Now that I’ve been looking a little more at my Uber app, I see that the Uber Black option (about $77) seats 3 people so it would be a car. In order to get an SUV, I would need to opt for the Uber Black SUV w/ car seat option (about $95). What do they do with the car seat if you don’t need it? Does it sit in a seat or in the trunk? We will have (3) carryons and (3) backpacks so I want to make sure we will be able to fit our luggage in the trunk if a car seat will be in there too.

The car seat is kept in the trunk. It's impossible to tell if you'd have enough room without knowing the model of the car. You would definitely have plenty of room in the SUV, with or without car seat.

On a slightly different note, I read an article (can’t remember where) and the author said that he doesn’t tip UberBlack drivers because they are getting paid 4-5x more already and so it is “built in” to the fare. This sounds WAY wrong to me, but he did point out that he always tips the “regular” Uber drivers and he seemed to use all of Uber’s services quite regularly. Since I have used Uber/Lyft exactly 8 times (and never UberBlack), I would appreciate input on this opinion. I have no problem tipping, but is the 20% that I normally tip an acceptable amount? I don’t want to “double-tip” and I always go up or down depending on the level of service.

That's nonsense -- just some cheapskate making excuses for not tipping.

FYI, Uber and Lyft have not paid drivers a fixed percentage of the fares for several years. I'm not current on what they are paying, but I see complaints all the time about 25% or less so I'm confident the driver is getting considerably less than half of what you are paying. Tips have NEVER been included in Uber or Lyft fares.

The tipping amount is up to you, and yes 20% would certainly be adequate. That's 20% more than many (probably most) riders tip.