RIDEGURU
I need to travel from Bethesda, MD, to Annaplolis MD, for a conference that has a "hard" 9:30 am start. The distance is about 50 miles (less than an hour depending on traffic). I'm worried that none of the Uber drivers will want to accept my request, and I'll be stuck at the last minute with no transportation. Is my worry unfounded? --John
Long Trips to Non-customary Destinations
Posted 6 years, 3 months ago
Posted In
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Posted By
John C. Jost (jjost)
8
Rider
Ride Apprentice
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Comments
if you preschedule your ride on Lyft - drivers will see pick up location and destination and payout, on a long ride like this I am certain it will be scooped up within seconds - this is easy $50.00 for a driver in under an hour.
so schedule one on lyft and one on uber, then when it is time - and driver is dispatched call the driver right away as uber rdivers do not know destination, if he bails you have your Lyft option
This is a dirty trick. I went to a destination one time and the passenger was getting into a Lyft car.
I drove on thinking I would Email Uber and tell them what happened and they would adjust for the trip. After three Emails I gave up.
The next time, I will just wait until Uber tells me to cancel. The passenger will the be charged $5.00, and I will at least get $3.75.
Yeah, I've seen this too. That's why they decreased the time they have to cancel to 2 minutes, right? This passenger scam used to be much worse. I think Uber and Lyft are trying to fix the problem.
Try Lyft's advanced booking. Unlike Uber's they are actually posted where the drivers can view them, and the drivers are supposed to be available for you.
That is indeed a raunchy traffic time in DC. Make sure to give yourself enough time. In terms of driver availability? Drivers are definitely out and about around 7 to 8, so you shouldn't have trouble getting a ride. Once drivers learn their destination (after accepting of course), they'd love to take you on an hour ride.
Bethesda is a popular area for Uber, so there won't be a case there will be no drivers. It'll be a matter of how long you will wait for one (if it's busy). 15 minutes max.
They won't know your destination until they accept the ride. You could offer them a big tip to compensate for the ride back...