Will an Uber driver go into a hospital garage and take me to my car?

August 11, 2023 3:32 PM

I need to pick up my car at a hospital garage about half an hour away. It will require that the driver take a ticket for the bar to lift. I don’t expect he will be in there long enough to incur a charge but I’m wondering what the policy is here and how it’s handled. I would prefer not to have to walk to the vehicle because it’s a pretty good distance away and my balance is not great. Thank you!
posted by manageyourexpectations to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total)

Take some extra cash with you to give them to pay for their exit. I can't imagine it would be a problem if you just ask nicely and explain.
posted by fritley at 4:03 PM on August 11, 2023

I recently had a broken ankle, and had to ask a Lyft driver to take me inside a medical center's paid parking lot so he could drop me right by the entrance. I told him I'd give him a large tip, and I did. I did it through the app but if I'd thought ahead I def. would have brought cash. Like you, I assume that he turned right around and was able to exit without paying.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:11 PM on August 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

Maybe hospital security could take you?

I recently had to go to a hospital I was unfamiliar with, parked and walked/staggered in. I was there for five days, and when it was time to leave I had NO idea where my car was. Nasty snowy weather outside as well. They rolled me to the exit in a wheelchair, and I asked the desk clerk what I could do next. He called security, they rolled up, asked to see my registration. Of course, it was in the car, but I had my license and keys. We drove through a few lots. I kept pushing the panic button on the key fob, and eventually we found it. He checked the registration to make sure it was my car, and I drove home.
posted by Marky at 5:59 PM on August 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

This is going to vary wildly from facility to facility, best just to phone and ask the hospital. EG: Our hospital, when we still had to pay and they still had gates, would just lift the gate for any ticket presented within a few minutes of initial entry because often you would enter and there would be no parking available.
posted by Mitheral at 8:57 PM on August 11, 2023

Cash is king. Make it "worth their while". Any decent human being would do this for you, probably for free, but $20 will almost guarantee it.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:20 PM on August 11, 2023

I agree. Bring cash, more than the ticket could cost. So if a ticket is $1, bring $5; if the ticket is around $5, bring at least $10, and so on. That way they are compensated both for any ticket costs and also the time/trouble of navigating a parking structure.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:50 AM on August 12, 2023

Response by poster: Thank you everyone! I brought a little cash with me and gave the driver $10 and I’m sitting in my car now about to head home. I really appreciate this community!
posted by manageyourexpectations at 7:56 AM on August 12, 2023 [11 favorites]