Uber drivers getting "lost" due to road construction??

[MKMK]

We frequently use Uber between parks/resorts and have never had a problem until this past Easter weekend. Three of our 4 Uber rides got "lost". The worst was between AK and GF which took 50 minutes. The driver went all the way off property (which he said his GPS told him to do) --- he did turn the fare box off at $30. Each time the driver blamed road construction... but we ended up paying 2X usual rates on 3 of the 4 trips. Wouldn't Uber drivers wouldn't know how to navigate the construction? It felt like a scam... but maybe our bad luck?

 

[joelkfla]

We frequently use Uber between parks/resorts and have never had a problem until this past Easter weekend. Three of our 4 Uber rides got "lost". The worst was between AK and GF which took 50 minutes. The driver went all the way off property (which he said his GPS told him to do) --- he did turn the fare box off at $30. Each time the driver blamed road construction... but we ended up paying 2X usual rates on 3 of the 4 trips. Wouldn't Uber drivers wouldn't know how to navigate the construction? It felt like a scam... but maybe our bad luck?

Most Uber drivers use Google Maps or Waze for navigation. Google usually does pretty well at keeping its maps updated, but there might be a few days lag.

 

[Jimsig]

We frequently use Uber between parks/resorts and have never had a problem until this past Easter weekend. Three of our 4 Uber rides got "lost". The worst was between AK and GF which took 50 minutes. The driver went all the way off property (which he said his GPS told him to do) --- he did turn the fare box off at $30. Each time the driver blamed road construction... but we ended up paying 2X usual rates on 3 of the 4 trips. Wouldn't Uber drivers wouldn't know how to navigate the construction? It felt like a scam... but maybe our bad luck?

I thought with Uber your price was set when you book? Why would there be a fare box? I've only used Lyft that's why I ask.

 

[DLgal]

I thought with Uber your price was set when you book? Why would there be a fare box? I've only used Lyft that's why I ask.

Uber and Lyft base the fares on an "estimated distance." They both charge by the mile. If a driver has to make a detour, the fare goes up. I imagine the driver in this instance simply turned off the app so it would stop increasing the fare.

The final fare is usually close to the estimate, but it's not a set fare.

 

[SteveH]

Something similar happened to my wife in Atlanta, they argued the fare over charge with Uber and the reduced it.

Spring Break probably means surge pricing which means a lot of drivers from out of the area. Our Tampa based driver said he would go to Orlando on the weekends since there was greater demand and he could make more money.

 

[bumbershoot]

Given the fact that I got lost driving on site three evenings in a row in February, it doesn’t surprise me. I’m good at driving around Wdw but still ended up lost. Their signage isn’t following the changes as they go, and it’s a problem.

Best we can do is watch for the signs and help the drivers, who might be following outdated info.

 

[SL6827]

What are the times for surge pricing?

 

[DLgal]

What are the times for surge pricing?

It's not a set time. Surge pricing automatically kicks in when there is higher demand for rides.

 

[AngiTN]

I thought with Uber your price was set when you book? Why would there be a fare box? I've only used Lyft that's why I ask.

No, they do not set the price in stone. They give you a price based on the estimated time and distance and when the trip is final they price will adjust if they time and distance varies from the estimate.

 

[AngiTN]

We had an incident with an Uber driver during our March trip. Going from GF to AoA. In our case, it was not due to construction at all. I can't guarantee it but I honestly got the impression the driver was attempting to increase his fare by intentionally increasing our time and distance, hoping we didn't know the route he should have taken. He started out quizzing us about were we we local, did we visit often, in hindsight, questions that could be used to ascertain if we knew the area well. It is always possible I'm wrong and he really did get lost and missed his turn but there was absolutely no reason at all for him to have missed the turns, not once, but two different turns. He had his GPS on, it clearly showed him where to turn, there was no construction, no traffic to make him miss the turns. He went well past the turns, did a u-turn and then went back to the proper turn, and did it a 2nd time for a 2nd turn. It doubled our fare. I took a screenshot of his route, where the u-turns were clearly shown. I sent a copy of it and a copy of the actual route that should he should have taken and a note explaining my concerns to Uber. They refunded the extra charges I paid.

 

[JimMIA]

Well, first of all, any time you have any question about an Uber charge by all means contact Uber support via your app and let them know. They are very customer oriented and will make an adjustment immediately. That's also true of cancellation fees.

I'll give you an example. Yesterday afternoon, I received an XL request from a local shopping mall. During the ride, the rider informed me that they had previously requested XL but an X vehicle showed up. Their party of 5 could not fit, so the driver canceled the ride as "too many passengers" and the rider was charged a $6 cancellation fee. I told the rider to contest it, but they are from Central America and weren't sure how to do it -- so at the end of the ride, I showed them. I made the contact on his phone, and within seconds he had his $6 back.

*****
On the routing question, it's not unusual for Google Maps to route us to a longer -- but quicker -- route. I don't want to clutter up the DIS posting maps of my drives, but often going a mile or two out of the way via an expressway is better, and the GPS usually will route us the quicker route. I've had numerous rides to and from South Beach to beach areas way north where Maps routed me 5-6 miles over to the mainland, to I-95, and then 5-6 miles back to the beach...saving 30 minutes or more, depending on traffic.

In the Miami market, the rider is given a price, and that is THE price for their ride. In the example above, their Uber fare would not change in my market, no matter what route I take. Drivers are paid by mileage and time, but all of our Uber rider fares are "upfront pricing" and do NOT change. Other markets may vary, and Lyft does many things differently.

*****
On the missed turns/getting lost question -- it happens to the best of us. Even good drivers get distracted by conversations with riders and miss turns. (There is a reason why I happen to know this... )

Construction, malls, apartment complexes, and natural barriers all pose problems for GPSs -- and drivers may, or may not, realize the mistake. Yesterday, I did 11 Uber rides and 3 Lyft rides. In 14 rides, I got directed onto a closed roadway once, and to the opposite side of the Miami River (!) once. The closed road was South Beach's famous Ocean Drive, and I knew most of it was closed, so no harm, no foul.

But the river problem was just a messed up Lyft pickup. It was NOT a rider error; the rider had entered the correct pickup address. I called the rider and got to them, but the Lyft routing was 3 miles off. I find particular difficulty with Lyft on pickup locations -- even though I'm using the same Google Maps I use with Uber. I have no idea why -- it's just a Lyft thing that has something to do with how Lyft talks to Maps. Fortunately, it's just an occasional problem with Lyft.

The rider protection against "long-hauling" (a time-honored taxi stunt) is to follow the ride -- either on your own rider app, or using Maps or Waze. Do the driver a favor and turn your volume off so you don't distract them. And it there is an issue, do as others have suggested and protest the fare. You'll get immediate response.

 

[MillauFr]

The problem I have with the Lyft drivers going between SNA and Disneyland is their navigation system never has them use the HOV lanes. They have HOV lanes and HOV ramps on the 55 and the 5 that are almost always faster than the general purpose lanes. I always have to direct them which way to go.

 

[JimMIA]

The problem I have with the Lyft drivers going between SNA and Disneyland is their navigation system never has them use the HOV lanes. They have HOV lanes and HOV ramps on the 55 and the 5 that are almost always faster than the general purpose lanes. I always have to direct them which way to go.

Are those toll lanes? If so, that's probably the issue.

We have a similar situation here with I-95's express lanes, which are toll even though I-95 is not. For a while, Uber would not reimburse the toll because it was considered optional -- and also because the toll varies depending on demand, from $1.50 to $11.50! The GPS would direct us to the express lanes, but we wouldn't get paid if we took them. NOW...Uber reimburses us whatever we pay. But Lyft still will not reimburse that particular toll.

 

[MillauFr]

Are those toll lanes? If so, that's probably the issue.

We have a similar situation here with I-95's express lanes, which are toll even though I-95 is not. For a while, Uber would not reimburse the toll because it was considered optional -- and also because the toll varies depending on demand, from $1.50 to $11.50! The GPS would direct us to the express lanes, but we wouldn't get paid if we took them. NOW...Uber reimburses us whatever we pay. But Lyft still will not reimburse that particular toll.

They are not toll lanes

 

[joelkfla]

They are not toll lanes

If they're not familiar with the roads, perhaps they don't know where the HOV exits are and they're afraid they will overshoot your exit.

 

[MillauFr]

If they're not familiar with the roads, perhaps they don't know where the HOV exits are and they're afraid they will overshoot your exit.

Their navigation systems are not sophisticated enough to guide them on the fastest route. The navigation systems have no idea on how many people are in the vehicle and therefore avoid HOV lanes.

 

[thegales]

I used Lyft this past February for a pick up at Bay Lake Towers, going to an offsite property. When we got into the car, the driver made a joke about the name of the road of our destination, so I know that the app had the correct destination. However, once we started to move, the map in the app showed our destination as Animal Kingdom. At first, I thought I had messed up, since the previous day, I used Lyft to go to and come back from Animal Kingdom. But I remembered the driver made the joke, so at one point in time, the app was correct. We ultimate got to the correct destination, but Lyft calculated as if we changed our mind mid trip. But the final cost was maybe a $1 more than my other trips. I truly was not concerned about the cost, and the driver and I both chuckled over the experience, and I gave an appropriate tip and five stars.

I did write a note to support explaining the situation, not asking for any refund, but more to just let them know. I was 'matter of fact' in my letter, and not really complaining. Within seconds of hitting send, I got a response where they took $3.83 off my trip. My guess is that is their natural response when anyone complains.

So if you feel you were unfairly charged, it is appropriate to send a note explaining what happened.

And in regards to the drivers getting lost. During crazy times at WDW, you will have drivers come up from Tampa and other locations to get fares, since they know the demand is so great. These drivers aren't as familiar with all the road constructions (or even some of the back ways), so they do tend to get lost more.

 

[NinaBella]

I have had uber drives (in various towns) who were not "from" that area. One literally had a suitcase in the back that was HIS suitcase and he was just there for the weekend staying with a relative and Uber driving at the same time. I have asked drivers how long they have lived in the area and they respond three weeks. LOL.

 

[JimMIA]

I have had uber drives (in various towns) who were not "from" that area. One literally had a suitcase in the back that was HIS suitcase and he was just there for the weekend staying with a relative and Uber driving at the same time. I have asked drivers how long they have lived in the area and they respond three weeks. LOL.

Yes, I've had that too. We were in San Francisco last summer and used Uber about a dozen times. Not one of our drivers was from San Francisco, and some of them were from as far away as Sacramento! But San Francisco is a special case. The cost of living is very high there, but so are the Uber rates.

Orlando is the opposite -- their rates are tied for the lowest in the US (with Detroit) -- so I'm surprised that drivers would make that trip just to drive. I sure wouldn't, even if I had relatives to stay with.

 

[joelkfla]

Don't know if it's true, but I've heard stories of drivers working their way across the country driving for Uber.