Was this typical?

[maxiesmom]

Instead of booking a towncar for my trip last week I decided to rely on Uber/Lyft to get me from and to the airport. I was shocked when I logged in at MCO and saw both Uber and Lyft were over $80 one way, with at least a 30 minute wait. Is that typical for late on a Sunday night? Or did I just have bad luck? Would it have been better to try and prebook a ride? Going back to the airport I did prebook a ride, and it was under $40.

Just curious in case I decide to go the ride share route again. It still did save me a bit over a towncar, but I did not expect that price tag.

 

[sam_gordon]

Supply & demand. We used Uber between MCO and DS after a cruise for 6 of us. It was $60 from the airport and $150 back.

Don't think prebooking affected your pricing much.

 

[georgina]

Late night surge pricing? I usually fly in early morning and out afternoon/early evening. My August Lyft from Universal to MCO was $24 before tip at 2:00 on a Friday afternoon. I had flown in Sunday morning and the ride to Universal was $32 pre-tip 9:30 AM.

I agree pre-booking probably does not make a difference.

 

[maxiesmom]

I was just getting ready to hit book on my phone when a gentleman walked in, and asked if anyone there wanted a taxi. I said how much to Pop and he said $80. So we hopped in. I was traveling with my 30 something nephew, or I never would have done that. It was a pretty sketchy taxi too as the air conditioning didn't work (were flying down the highway with the windows open) and none of the charge ports worked either.

 

[FCDub]

Yikes! NEVER accept a ride from someone asking you. The taxi process is well established as-is.

 

[DVC-Don]

I was just getting ready to hit book on my phone when a gentleman walked in, and asked if anyone there wanted a taxi. I said how much to Pop and he said $80. So we hopped in. I was traveling with my 30 something nephew, or I never would have done that. It was a pretty sketchy taxi too as the air conditioning didn't work (were flying down the highway with the windows open) and none of the charge ports worked either.

Highly illegal taxi. Those people get arrested by the Orlando Police airport section when caught.

 

[Cheburashka]

Instead of booking a towncar for my trip last week I decided to rely on Uber/Lyft to get me from and to the airport. I was shocked when I logged in at MCO and saw both Uber and Lyft were over $80 one way, with at least a 30 minute wait. Is that typical for late on a Sunday night? Or did I just have bad luck? Would it have been better to try and prebook a ride? Going back to the airport I did prebook a ride, and it was under $40.

Just curious in case I decide to go the ride share route again. It still did save me a bit over a towncar, but I did not expect that price tag.

$80 for rideshare for that distance is a ripoff imo. A town car costs a bit more, but is a lot more comfortable. It depends on your priorities which is more important: that amount of savings or more comfort. Some people routinely pick rideshare just out of habit, though, which imo is a bad idea because it isn't always a good deal.

 

[Ross Kratter]

I was just getting ready to hit book on my phone when a gentleman walked in, and asked if anyone there wanted a taxi. I said how much to Pop and he said $80. So we hopped in. I was traveling with my 30 something nephew, or I never would have done that. It was a pretty sketchy taxi too as the air conditioning didn't work (were flying down the highway with the windows open) and none of the charge ports worked either.

Totally illegal.

 

[Marrila]

I was just getting ready to hit book on my phone when a gentleman walked in, and asked if anyone there wanted a taxi. I said how much to Pop and he said $80. So we hopped in. I was traveling with my 30 something nephew, or I never would have done that. It was a pretty sketchy taxi too as the air conditioning didn't work (were flying down the highway with the windows open) and none of the charge ports worked either.

I'm glad it worked out for you but goodness. It's not worth the risk.

 

[MinnieMSue]

I was just getting ready to hit book on my phone when a gentleman walked in, and asked if anyone there wanted a taxi. I said how much to Pop and he said $80. So we hopped in. I was traveling with my 30 something nephew, or I never would have done that. It was a pretty sketchy taxi too as the air conditioning didn't work (were flying down the highway with the windows open) and none of the charge ports worked either.

I think someone like that has approached us every single time we have been at the airport for a ride. I always have prebooked a private service or used magical express or sunshine flyer so I have always told them no thank you. Now I am very glad I did that

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Someone offered us a ride unsolicited at the MCO airport to Disney property about two trips ago. Had a great experience. Professional driver, immaculate vehicle, everything worked, and I felt safe every step of the way. We paid $80 and it was so good, I asked him for his card so we could pre-book him next time.

Obviously everyone’s mileage varies and no one would advise you to get into a car with a stranger if you had any qualms about it at all. I’ve taken rides from illegal taxis in other places in addition to Florida. It’s just people trying to make a living. Am I worried I might be kidnapped or murdered? Sure. But I always worry about that with taxi or Uber/Lyft too.

Anyways to the OP - as everyone else said you probably got hit with surge pricing. If everyone on your flight is checking and booking at the exact same time then the available drivers probably got booked up quickly. I’ll go to the bathroom or slowly make my way to the pick up area and when I check again in 10-20 mins, prices will have changed again quite dramatically. Sometimes Lyft and Uber prices don’t move in lockstep so one might be $40 and another is $70. Or, I’ll just hop in a taxi, illegal or otherwise, that happens to be convenient when I get outside of baggage claim.

 

[_19disnA]

I would never get in the car of some stranger who is offering people a ride. WAY too sketchy for me. Pricing for any of those on-line taxi services supposedly can vary based on demand.

 

[EACarlson]

I'm surprised that Orlando hasn't done what Vegas did a few years back. It's a flat fee from the airport to each section of the strip, which part of the strip your hotel is on determines the cost. I think it was $32 to the Mirage. If Mears Taxi offered that many people would take that over rolling the dice on how much the surcharge is going to be for Uber/Lyft.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

I was just getting ready to hit book on my phone when a gentleman walked in, and asked if anyone there wanted a taxi. I said how much to Pop and he said $80. So we hopped in. I was traveling with my 30 something nephew, or I never would have done that. It was a pretty sketchy taxi too as the air conditioning didn't work (were flying down the highway with the windows open) and none of the charge ports worked either.

FYI - having a 30 something nephew would not have saved you from a person with ill intent. You made a bad choice but got very lucky.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Instead of booking a towncar for my trip last week I decided to rely on Uber/Lyft to get me from and to the airport. I was shocked when I logged in at MCO and saw both Uber and Lyft were over $80 one way, with at least a 30 minute wait. Is that typical for late on a Sunday night? Or did I just have bad luck? Would it have been better to try and prebook a ride? Going back to the airport I did prebook a ride, and it was under $40.

Just curious in case I decide to go the ride share route again. It still did save me a bit over a towncar, but I did not expect that price tag.

Bad luck/timing combination.
I've had that happen at various times.
Lesson I've learned, you wait a few minutes and it changes on one or both services. Sometimes just takes changing car class. I'll check both XL and Comfort, for instance. Often only 1 will be in low availability/high demand. Just keep swapping between them and I bet you'd have gotten a better rate pretty quick

 

[georgina]

The idea that paying 3 or 4 times as much for a towncar would be more comfortable is ridiculous to me. I’ll stick with rideshare. I’m a high anxiety person but have never worried about being kidnapped or murdered, and I travel as a solo female.

 

[JLTraveling]

The idea that paying 3 or 4 times as much for a towncar would be more comfortable is ridiculous to me. I’ll stick with rideshare. I’m a high anxiety person but have never worried about being kidnapped or murdered, and I travel as a solo female.

Agreed on all counts.

 

[mom2rtk]

The idea that paying 3 or 4 times as much for a towncar would be more comfortable is ridiculous to me. I’ll stick with rideshare. I’m a high anxiety person but have never worried about being kidnapped or murdered, and I travel as a solo female.

I make sure to check the license to confirm it's the car I ordered then let it go.

 

[kylenne]

I practically grew up in illegal cabs (it's an NYC thing) and that sounds sketchy even for me. FWIW I use rideshare constantly as a solo female traveler to and from the airport at all hours, but it's not safety that would stop me at MCO, rather the unpredictability of surge pricing. I'm just eating the extra money and booking a town car our TA recommended for me and my partner's upcoming trip. We check bags so the door to door service is nice, and it's one less thing to stress about knowing transportation is already paid for.