UBER! Use it! You'll love it!

[MillauFr]

The special interests groups (otherwise known as taxi unions) keep trying to get them shut down. They are upset they now have competition.

Also the cab companies are going to have increasing difficulty in getting people to drive for them. Already in San Francisco and Seattle they are short drivers as many of them have quit and started driving for Uber and Lyft.

 

[DisneyFave]

Just wanted to thank everyone for posting about their experiences with UBER. I've downloaded the app for an upcoming trip and see that the expected wait time for a pickup at Beach Club (to take me to MCO) is only 2 minutes. Love that you can track where you car is from your phone--so cool!

 

[chiisai]

Another or uber. Love it! I use it where I live and didn't think about it for WDW. Totally going to, now.

 

[ladynmom94]

Does anyone know if possible to request a minivan or larger vehicle? We will be a party of 6 and would like to go to Universal one day of our trip. TIA

 

[MScott1851]

We just got Lyft here in Memphis and I've been dying to try it, mostly to avoid having to find parking down on Beale Street on a weekend and the added bonus of having a DD. Plus, the video of Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, and Conan O'Brien using a Lyft car cracks me up, and the little pink mustaches are cute.

Watch and laugh... You are welcome! http://youtu.be/VNM7Z7hir_Ihttp://youtu.be/VNM7Z7hir_I

 

[TinyTim2]

Uber has a major lawsuit against them right now. From what I was told a private car was headed to pick up someone and hit a person. His insurance co said he was being used as a taxi and will not cover him. Ubers insurance says that there was no body in the car but the driver so our insurance will not cover him.

 

[beneadams]

50 Free rides right now for two weeks.

 

[pampam]

This is the first I've heard of it. Is it just people that want to use their cars to earn a little extra? How do we know these are reputable people that will be picking us up? Will they be able to pick up for example, 2 people plus a wheelchair? Sorry to be so ignorant, but I've never heard of this before.

 

[beneadams]

they get a background check and the rating system takes care of the jerks out there.

 

[beneadams]

There is a option for special services. you just let driver know. You see vehicle and will know instantly.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Trying to download the App, but it keeps telling my PayPal info is incorrect...

Quick question: Is tip included in fare? I notice payment info is entered at time of request. Is there an option for tip at that time? If so, seems funny - how do I know how much I want to tip before the trip? Would anticipate 20%, but what if I wanted to do more (or less)?

TIA

 

[MAH4546]

Trying to download the App, but it keeps telling my PayPal info is incorrect...

Quick question: Is tip included in fare? I notice payment info is entered at time of request. Is there an option for tip at that time? If so, seems funny - how do I know how much I want to tip before the trip? Would anticipate 20%, but what if I wanted to do more (or less)?

TIA

There is no tipping and no way to include it. You pay the rate, that's it.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

There is no tipping and no way to include it. You pay the rate, that's it.

Wow - this is really going to be way cheaper than a taxi!

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Just wanted to thank everyone for posting about their experiences with UBER. I've downloaded the app for an upcoming trip and see that the expected wait time for a pickup at Beach Club (to take me to MCO) is only 2 minutes. Love that you can track where you car is from your phone--so cool!

How do you do this? Can you set up a time? I entered a dummy p/u between GF and Cirque and the p/u time was 7 min. I's rather set a time to be picked up ahead of time. What if the p/u time is 7 min now, but could be 20 - 30 min another time due to traffic, etc? And is there a way to find out how long the trip would probably take? Not familiar with the time/distances of the various places within WDW.
TIA

 

[GrnMtnMan]

How do you do this? Can you set up a time? I entered a dummy p/u between GF and Cirque and the p/u time was 7 min. I's rather set a time to be picked up ahead of time. What if the p/u time is 7 min now, but could be 20 - 30 min another time due to traffic, etc? And is there a way to find out how long the trip would probably take? Not familiar with the time/distances of the various places within WDW.
TIA

You can't set up reservations on Uber, you need to arrange for a taxi or car service for that.

Uber was started to give car service drivers more business...so they could pick up extra money in between appointments for car service (much more expensive) customers. Uber has grown beyond that, but it explains why they are not reservation based.

Plus, Uber has this thing called surge pricing. If there is more demand than supply, they raise prices on the spot....not while you're in the car, but you'll see a warning about it when you try to catch a ride. Which gets back to why there's no reservations: drivers want the opportunity to earn surge pricing.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Has anybody taken an Uber ride to a park?

I'm wondering where the Uber drivers get to drop people off. The taxi locations are very convenient at Epcot, DHS, and AK. If they get to drop off/pick up in the same place, then I might consider skipping the rental car and using taxis and Uber....

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

You can't set up reservations on Uber, you need to arrange for a taxi or car service for that.

Uber was started to give car service drivers more business...so they could pick up extra money in between appointments for car service (much more expensive) customers. Uber has grown beyond that, but it explains why they are not reservation based.

Plus, Uber has this thing called surge pricing. If there is more demand than supply, they raise prices on the spot....not while you're in the car, but you'll see a warning about it when you try to catch a ride. Which gets back to why there's no reservations: drivers want the opportunity to earn surge pricing.

I see - makes sense. Thanks for the info.

 

[lylone]

Just a word of caution. There have been quite a few incidents here in Atlanta where people have claimed to be Uber drivers, picked people up and driven them to "not so nice" neighborhoods, demanded more money and then dropped them off at another location. Uber drivers don't have "Uber IDs" and don't drive marked cars, soooo be careful...

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Uh oh... Thanks for the head's up!

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Just a word of caution. There have been quite a few incidents here in Atlanta where people have claimed to be Uber drivers, picked people up and driven them to "not so nice" neighborhoods, demanded more money and then dropped them off at another location. Uber drivers don't have "Uber IDs" and don't drive marked cars, soooo be careful...

Have you personally used Uber? Your description of an Uber ride experience isn't accurate.

Anyway, you can't hail an Uber car from the street, you can only arrange for a ride from a smartphone. When you arrange for that ride, you'll see the name of the driver, the driver's rating, the car type, and license plate:


I suspect the incident you mentioned is one where a perpetrator claimed he was an Uber driver, but picked someone up randomly off the street (the passenger not knowing how Uber works), intending to rob the ignorant passenger. An Uber driver only gets paid electronically, so a true Uber driver would not expect a rider to have much cash.

And quite a few of these types of stories are fictions created by taxi drivers, trying to make the new competition look bad. There was particularly disgusting one of these fictions created in DC a few years ago that was entirely made-up.

Uh oh... Thanks for the head's up!

You run this exact same risk with a taxi....actually, the risk with a taxi is higher because with Uber, every trip is logged in Uber's centralized systems with the name of the driver, rider, and the pick up and drop off points. No such secure system exists for taxis.