Reply to I am a DC uberX driver since 2013 and have SEEN IT ALL...so please, AMA

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was in San Diego a few weeks ago and at the airport there, they have a special pick-up area just for Uber/Lyft. Same with some hotels in Las Vegas -- they have marked pick-up/drop-off points. Never seen those around here though. How do you feel about them?

In SD airport, the pick-up point was just past the taxis, and in the parking lot, so a slightly longer walk. In LV, it's also not in the taxi area, but usually on the side so a less prominent space.[/quote]

np. I'm just wondering how that works for the drivers, if there are 7 or 8 of them idling adjacent to each other at the airport, does the business keep going to whomever has the fastest finger to respond? [/quote]

Uber uses geo-fencing in the driver app at airports to keep the madness contained.  A driver cannot receive a request for an airport pick-up if they are on airport property and not in the TNC waiting area.  Think of it as a designated "corral" where drivers wait in queue and the order is first in, first out.  I have NEVER waited in the corral at DCA.  If it's busy there, it's unnecessary.  I get many requests from DCA when I'm leaving out of DC on the 14th Street Bridge or even across the Potomac over at JBAB because the corral has been emptied out.  At Dulles however, I'll wait a bit.  It's super-profitable to take a ride to Dulles, wait a half-hour in the corral, and then catch another paid ride out back to DC.

If you'd like to see some international culture, go check out the TNC corral lot at Dulles on a busy day, lol.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DH is a professional business traveler, but doesn't use Uber because Dulles airport isn't really set up to do it. He'd rather climb in an open taxi than wait 5 min on the uber (I think they wait in the cell phone lot). Any thoughts on whether that would change?[/quote]

Frequent Dulles traveler here. In Uber, you can now specify which door you're at so they know where to drive up. Tell him to order the Uber when he's a few minutes away from the door, like when getting off the airtrain.

Still, it can indeed take a while. The arrivals lane gets backed up with traffic so drivers (Uber or not) get stuck for 5-10 minutes getting through. Blame it on Door 1 (int'l arrivals) and the chaos of all the afternoon arrivals from Europe. Taxis go to the lower level so no traffic for them.[/quote]

Screw taking Washington Flyer out of Dulles...there is no bigger boondoggle in DC than their monopoly arrangement with MWAA.  Dulles hint: walk the middle level and find an empty door to request from.  You'll save yourself and the driver a ton of time.  Also, it takes about five minutes for the driver to get from the TNC lot to the Arrival doors.  And yes, the Door # option feature on the pick-up screen is one of the rare uber improvements.  Please use it as it works great from a driver's end.

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