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Does booking in advance or scheduling ahead guarantee my fare on Uber and Lyft?
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The Guru Take
Yes, for Lyft. No for Uber. For Uber, the price is for when the ride is scheduled. Surge applies as well.
For Uber
No, it does not guarantee your fare when you shedule them in advance. Uber's Scheduled Rides are priced the same as any normal Uber ride and is determined at the time the ride is scheduled for.
It is also based on demand at the time of the ride, hence if there is surge pricing, that multiplier will also apply to your fare. Uber app will notify you of these changes when the scheduled request is dispatched.
For Lyft
Yes, they do guarantee the fare that you see when you scheduled your ride. Hence you can "lock" in your rate, and this means that if there is higher PrimeTime surge pricing at the time of your actual travel, you will still pay the previously agreed fare. (However, remember that Lyft can only be booked up to 7 days in advance and they may specify PrimeTime when scheduling.)
Here's Lyfts statement: "We predict what Prime Time will be at the time you schedule your ride. When you confirm your ride request, Prime Time is locked at that rate. Even if Prime Time is higher or lower at the actual pickup time, your Prime Time amount is the same as the original estimate." (source)
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Comments
I take care of my sister who lives across the country in a special facility. Every Sunday I schedule her a ride to church. I have been using Uber but I cannot figure out how to add special pick up notes without getting up at 4:30am, waiting to be assigned a driver and then adding the notes of which gate to go to. Is there a better way?
Yeah, scheduled rides won't work if you are trying to leave a note for the drivers. You have to send those notes at the time of the ride/pickup.
May I suggest maybe calling a local taxi company? Having a local dispatcher and a taxi driver may end up being more reliable. I've had friends who do this exactly. They just make it a routine recurring ride for them every week. The driver ends up knowing the rider and in a few cases I know, they always helped them on and off the car. Maybe set this up and use Uber as a back up?
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Even the price to book straight now wasn't guaranteed. My ride would cost $13, they stated. How is it possible to reserve an Uber or Lyft in advance? words from letters
It didn't even guarantee the price to book right away. They said my ride would be $13. I clicked on the link it, took me to the Uber app anyways, had to put in the same info again. It was almost $17 why have the extra app?
How can anybody schedule an Uber or Lyft in advance? What does Uber and Lyft do when there are no cars available?
You either get a huge delay or they cancel your request.
https://help.uber.com/riders/article/scheduling-a-ride-in-advance?nodeId=63165ec1-0910-409e-972f-0b8d8df1a605
I scheduled for a ride throu uber for tomorrow. When is the money taken out of my account??
Hi, the transaction will be handled by Uber entirely. Uber will charge your card at the end of your ride.
That's funny bc the VERY FIRST TIME I used Uber, they charged my card BEFORE the ridd, scheduled a driver and then CANCELLED the driver!!!
I don't know if that's typical but it certainly put me off!!!
Are you saying Lyft didn't copy Uber for once?
Big win for Lyft!! Way to go!