A few questions about scheduling an Uber or Lyft ride in advance
June 5, 2022 10:15 AM Subscribe
I'm going from NYC to Bronxville, NY, where I will pick up a friend, and then we are going to Duxbury, Massachusetts on Sunday, June 26th. I want to travel via Uber or Lyft. Questions:
(1) When I tell Uber that I want to do this as one ride, with two destinations, it's around $700+. But when I tell it that I want to go from NYC to Bronxville, it's around $80, and then get out of the car and get a second Uber, from Bronxville to Duxbury, that second one is about $290 -- so, one ride with two stops = ~$700, whereas two separate rides = ~$380. Is this "normal," that doing one ride/two stops is SO much more expensive than two separate rides?
(2) I was able to plug in an advance date AND one ride/two stops on Lyft (but not the right date because, it was too far in advance for Lyft, so I picked an earlier Sunday just to see), BUT on Uber I was only able to plug in a two-stop ride OR an advance date on my phone.( I tried to go to Uber on my desktop but it got all screwed up, made me change my password, then told me to call some phone number, etc., so I went back to my phone, with the aforementioned problem of Only One Of Those Variables At A Time.) Why is there a problem with this?
(3) Do I save any money booking in advance? Is it MORE money to book in advance? Is Uber "Reserve" the same as "booking in advance"? If I book/reserve the rides, are my fares locked in at that point? How far in advance can I cancel these rides if e.g. I get Covid or god knows what?
(4) Does it make any sense to do Lyft rather than Uber? (I can book the Ubers now for the 26th, but Lyft won't let me book that far in advance -- is it worth it to wait a week to book Lyft instead of Uber? The prices seem comparable)
These questions make it seem as if I should RTFM, but seriously, I've been futzing around with these apps (as well as Googling) for hours, and this is as far as I've been able to get. So thanks for any facts/insights/experiences.
(1) When I tell Uber that I want to do this as one ride, with two destinations, it's around $700+. But when I tell it that I want to go from NYC to Bronxville, it's around $80, and then get out of the car and get a second Uber, from Bronxville to Duxbury, that second one is about $290 -- so, one ride with two stops = ~$700, whereas two separate rides = ~$380. Is this "normal," that doing one ride/two stops is SO much more expensive than two separate rides?
(2) I was able to plug in an advance date AND one ride/two stops on Lyft (but not the right date because, it was too far in advance for Lyft, so I picked an earlier Sunday just to see), BUT on Uber I was only able to plug in a two-stop ride OR an advance date on my phone.( I tried to go to Uber on my desktop but it got all screwed up, made me change my password, then told me to call some phone number, etc., so I went back to my phone, with the aforementioned problem of Only One Of Those Variables At A Time.) Why is there a problem with this?
(3) Do I save any money booking in advance? Is it MORE money to book in advance? Is Uber "Reserve" the same as "booking in advance"? If I book/reserve the rides, are my fares locked in at that point? How far in advance can I cancel these rides if e.g. I get Covid or god knows what?
(4) Does it make any sense to do Lyft rather than Uber? (I can book the Ubers now for the 26th, but Lyft won't let me book that far in advance -- is it worth it to wait a week to book Lyft instead of Uber? The prices seem comparable)
These questions make it seem as if I should RTFM, but seriously, I've been futzing around with these apps (as well as Googling) for hours, and this is as far as I've been able to get. So thanks for any facts/insights/experiences.
I would just use the app when you're ready to go to Bronxville rather than scheduling in advance. I don't think there's any discount for doing it in advance...it might actually cost more. I've never had trouble getting a car to show up quickly. Also- depending on exactly where you're going, it may be pretty easy to just take the Metro North from the Harlem-125th St station instead. I don't have any suggestions on the second part...I've never taken Uber/Lyft that far.
posted by pinochiette at 10:28 AM on June 5, 2022
posted by pinochiette at 10:28 AM on June 5, 2022
Lyft only does trips 100 miles or less according to their website. So that leaves Uber. Here is an article on long distance drives with Uber you might find helpful. Seems like it's better to book in advance and call your driver to make sure they are OK with the long trip. I can't help with the 2 trips vs 1 trip with two stops though.
posted by emd3737 at 11:18 AM on June 5, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by emd3737 at 11:18 AM on June 5, 2022 [6 favorites]
Two trips vs. 1 trip with two stops:
It's been my experience, even in my small city, that two trips are less expensive than one trip with two stops.
I'm guessing the reason is that the driver is missing out on other fares by waiting for you during the stop that you make along the way. However, this is only speculation on my part, and I am neither an economist nor a driver for either Lyft or Uber.
posted by virago at 11:31 AM on June 5, 2022
It's been my experience, even in my small city, that two trips are less expensive than one trip with two stops.
I'm guessing the reason is that the driver is missing out on other fares by waiting for you during the stop that you make along the way. However, this is only speculation on my part, and I am neither an economist nor a driver for either Lyft or Uber.
posted by virago at 11:31 AM on June 5, 2022
Best answer: One trip is going to cost a lot more because the chances of someone in Duxbury wanting to go to NYC at the time of you getting dropped off is effectively 0, so you're paying for the time and mileage back with no passenger. As evidenced by the first fare, a driver in the greater NYC area can pull in $80/ride and there's so many people in need of transit there they can stay constantly busy so they'd need a high incentive to be willing to take it. Particularly since you'd be asking a single driver to be on the road for somewhere around 9 hours. I've done a lot of professional driving and the idea of being behind the wheel for 9 hours almost non-stop makes me cringe.
Whereas their algorithm has looked at driver history and is willing to bet that someone will be willing to take the gig for $290, even though they'd not have a passenger for most of the ride back. It's still a long drive but it's not hitting the 8 hour point (which I wouldn't be surprised if that triggered a bump).
As far as scheduling ahead, I only use it when I think drivers are going to be scarce but my city is way less 24/7 than NYC. The rates have never been significantly different than on-demand ones.
If you're going to schedule ahead, I'd build on at least an hour buffer between the two rides so you're not left scrambling if traffic or whatever delays your first leg.
posted by Candleman at 11:39 AM on June 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
Whereas their algorithm has looked at driver history and is willing to bet that someone will be willing to take the gig for $290, even though they'd not have a passenger for most of the ride back. It's still a long drive but it's not hitting the 8 hour point (which I wouldn't be surprised if that triggered a bump).
As far as scheduling ahead, I only use it when I think drivers are going to be scarce but my city is way less 24/7 than NYC. The rates have never been significantly different than on-demand ones.
If you're going to schedule ahead, I'd build on at least an hour buffer between the two rides so you're not left scrambling if traffic or whatever delays your first leg.
posted by Candleman at 11:39 AM on June 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Unless Uber and Lyft have changed their policy since the last time I scheduled a ride (and based on looking at their webpages I don't think they have) a scheduled ride is not what you might think it is -- it only means you're scheduling a request for a ride. For instance, from Uber:
HOW SCHEDULED RIDES WORK
The Scheduled Rides feature allows you to book a trip in advance by selecting a 10-minute pickup window. The driver will be requested on your behalf and will arrive in the 10-minute window you've selected. In the case where a driver is not available, you'll be notified. ''
Ah, I see: it looks like Uber Reserve actually is different:
Upfront Driver Matching: When possible, a driver will accept your request before the pick-up time rather than shortly before the ride. You will be notified when a driver accepts your trip request in advance.
and may cost more:
Improved Scheduled Rides Pricing: All reservations will have an upfront price (UFP), which includes a reservation fee.
which makes sense because you're getting a level of lock-in you don't have with "schedule a ride."
So I think that handles your (3).
As for (4): These aren't plane tickets; I don't think availability is going to disappear in a week. So I think you might as well wait so you can compare prices, especially given that Lyft is letting you specify both advance date and one ride / two stops. (But it's not clear to me Lyft actually has the equivalent of Uber's "reserve" feature.) Regarding this:
Lyft only does trips 100 miles or less according to their website.
I have definitely gone (somewhat) farther than 100 miies in a Lyft, but not nearly as far as Bronxville to Duxbury. Seconding the suggestion that you really need to make sure your driver has a way to opt out of your request. (I have been told that Lyft allows drivers to decline long rides without penalty within their system, but it's hard to be sure about claims like this.)
I encourage you to post a summary to this thread after you actually take the trip because I'm quite curious about how this is going to work in practice!
posted by escabeche at 1:07 PM on June 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
HOW SCHEDULED RIDES WORK
The Scheduled Rides feature allows you to book a trip in advance by selecting a 10-minute pickup window. The driver will be requested on your behalf and will arrive in the 10-minute window you've selected. In the case where a driver is not available, you'll be notified. ''
Ah, I see: it looks like Uber Reserve actually is different:
Upfront Driver Matching: When possible, a driver will accept your request before the pick-up time rather than shortly before the ride. You will be notified when a driver accepts your trip request in advance.
and may cost more:
Improved Scheduled Rides Pricing: All reservations will have an upfront price (UFP), which includes a reservation fee.
which makes sense because you're getting a level of lock-in you don't have with "schedule a ride."
So I think that handles your (3).
As for (4): These aren't plane tickets; I don't think availability is going to disappear in a week. So I think you might as well wait so you can compare prices, especially given that Lyft is letting you specify both advance date and one ride / two stops. (But it's not clear to me Lyft actually has the equivalent of Uber's "reserve" feature.) Regarding this:
Lyft only does trips 100 miles or less according to their website.
I have definitely gone (somewhat) farther than 100 miies in a Lyft, but not nearly as far as Bronxville to Duxbury. Seconding the suggestion that you really need to make sure your driver has a way to opt out of your request. (I have been told that Lyft allows drivers to decline long rides without penalty within their system, but it's hard to be sure about claims like this.)
I encourage you to post a summary to this thread after you actually take the trip because I'm quite curious about how this is going to work in practice!
posted by escabeche at 1:07 PM on June 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
OK, my friend from Bronxville responded. Check your MeMail for the driver's contact info.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 3:38 PM on June 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 3:38 PM on June 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: escabeche, I will definitely post about how this all turned out, after my ride to Duxbury on June 26th -- AND, I haven't even mentioned that on Thursday, June 30th, when my Duxbury sojourn comes to an end, I will need an Uber or whatever to go from Salisbury, Connecticut back to Bronxville (to drop off my friend) and then another to get myself back to NYC. (Another friend who will be staying in Duxbury with us is going to drive us from Duxbury to her home in Salisbury that morning -- cheaper trip from Salisbury to our destinations) !! another whole bunch o' travel mishegas awaits!
posted by DMelanogaster at 4:05 PM on June 5, 2022
posted by DMelanogaster at 4:05 PM on June 5, 2022
I don’t think that this has been mentioned, but the New York City taxi and limousine commission enforces special rules for Uber and Lyft rides that begin in the five boroughs. In particular, only drivers who are registered with TLC driving a vehicle with “T” plates can pick up in NYC. There is also a minimum per-mile driver pay rate that I think applies to round trip mileage when out of town; that alone gets you over $500 starting from NYC. So the reason why the ride with a stop is so much more expensive is because you would have to follow NYC rules all the way to Duxbury.
posted by goingonit at 5:01 PM on June 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by goingonit at 5:01 PM on June 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
This is not an ethical use of those services, and I urge you to reconsider this plan.
posted by Charity Garfein at 5:41 PM on June 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by Charity Garfein at 5:41 PM on June 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
Response by poster: Charity Garfein, what are you talking about?
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:04 PM on June 5, 2022
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:04 PM on June 5, 2022
To answer some of the remaining questions with a sample size of one - I scheduled an Uber XL in advance for an early morning ride from the suburbs to an airport that occured yesterday.
1) Lyft would only let me set a reminder and I couldn't actually schedule it in advance.
2) Price given when I scheduled with Uber did NOT reflect the $25 advanced reservation fee I was charged on top of the other miscellaneous (city, gas surcharge, etc) fees. Roughly went from $90 price originally quoted to $120.
3) The night before, I checked and a driver's name was already on the upcoming ride. About an hour ahead of time (when you can no longer cancel for free), I got a notification with a different driver's name. I'm not sure if it's actually "booked" well in advance and the original driver bailed, or if the ride just gets assigned out one hour in advance. Either way, after reserving the ride, I didn't have to do anything else to confirm.
posted by hankscorpio83 at 6:51 PM on June 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
1) Lyft would only let me set a reminder and I couldn't actually schedule it in advance.
2) Price given when I scheduled with Uber did NOT reflect the $25 advanced reservation fee I was charged on top of the other miscellaneous (city, gas surcharge, etc) fees. Roughly went from $90 price originally quoted to $120.
3) The night before, I checked and a driver's name was already on the upcoming ride. About an hour ahead of time (when you can no longer cancel for free), I got a notification with a different driver's name. I'm not sure if it's actually "booked" well in advance and the original driver bailed, or if the ride just gets assigned out one hour in advance. Either way, after reserving the ride, I didn't have to do anything else to confirm.
posted by hankscorpio83 at 6:51 PM on June 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
Leaving aside the generally shabby ethics of Lyft and Uber, a *9-hour ride* is not a fair expectation for a low-wage worker in their own vehicle.
posted by Charity Garfein at 8:38 PM on June 5, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Charity Garfein at 8:38 PM on June 5, 2022 [6 favorites]
Consider booking with a private car service(s). Your rideshare driver will not be compensated for the time/gas/mileage for returning to New York, effectively cutting their wages in half.
Lyft and Uber can give you cost estimates based on mileage, but there’s still the X factor of an independent contractor being willing to accept your trip (and not cancel when they see your destination). Booking with a private company will guarantee ahead of time that someone will show up and be able to plan their schedule around being out of town for a day.
As a rider, I’d also be more comfortable asking for stops/breaks with a car service driver than a gig worker.
posted by itesser at 8:45 PM on June 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
Lyft and Uber can give you cost estimates based on mileage, but there’s still the X factor of an independent contractor being willing to accept your trip (and not cancel when they see your destination). Booking with a private company will guarantee ahead of time that someone will show up and be able to plan their schedule around being out of town for a day.
As a rider, I’d also be more comfortable asking for stops/breaks with a car service driver than a gig worker.
posted by itesser at 8:45 PM on June 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
Response by poster: ROUGH calculations:
Fees to driver for both trips including tips: ~$520; minus gas (~150@$5/gallon) = $370 for 14 hours work = ~$26/hour
(not counting auto insurance, etc., figuring driver is making many many trips per year, repairs, etc.)
Is that a poor wage for an Uber driver? What would the usual hourly wage be for trips within e.g. Westchester county? Would this driver have guaranteed trips all day for those two days that would pay them for 7 hours of driving per day?
Just wondering.
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:19 AM on June 6, 2022
Fees to driver for both trips including tips: ~$520; minus gas (~150@$5/gallon) = $370 for 14 hours work = ~$26/hour
(not counting auto insurance, etc., figuring driver is making many many trips per year, repairs, etc.)
Is that a poor wage for an Uber driver? What would the usual hourly wage be for trips within e.g. Westchester county? Would this driver have guaranteed trips all day for those two days that would pay them for 7 hours of driving per day?
Just wondering.
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:19 AM on June 6, 2022
Response by poster: Damn I totally forgot to take Uber's 20%.
I'm exploring private care services now.
Um, car services. Though I need a care service after this discussion.
posted by DMelanogaster at 8:09 AM on June 6, 2022
I'm exploring private care services now.
Um, car services. Though I need a care service after this discussion.
posted by DMelanogaster at 8:09 AM on June 6, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you want to call the Bronxville based service ahead of time, I have a friend in that area and I can ask them where they would call if they were planning such a trip
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 10:20 AM on June 5, 2022 [14 favorites]