Ahead of Saturday’s big game, Kaitlyn Durkosh of Uber wanted to provide some tips for using the Uber ride service, given with game days there also tends to be road closures, traffic, limited parking and lots of fans in need of a safe, reliable ride.
- For the best chance of successfully requesting a ride, we encourage riders to walk away from Neyland Stadium and towards our designated pickup and drop-off zone along Volunteer Boulevard. All cars will exit towards Neyland Drive to avoid construction. (Click here for map).
- Riders should call their driver once he/she has accepted the trip request so that they can plan the pick up, given that traffic will likely be heavy and roads could be blocked off.
- We suggest that riders always cross-check the vehicle make and model, and license plate number listed in the app to ensure they’re getting into the correct vehicle.
And, given demand will likely be high, dynamic price (or surge pricing) may kick in. Here is some information on surge:
- During times of peak demand – when there are not enough drivers on the system – fares increase so as to incentivize more drivers to meet that demand.
- Dynamic pricing is an algorithm that automatically kicks in when demand outstrips supply, and solves for the perennial challenge of never being able to get a ride after a major sporting event or during bad weather.
- Because Uber doesn’t employ drivers, every driver has a choice of how he or she spends his/her time. Dynamic pricing helps bring demand and supply into line, when necessary by incentivizing more drivers to come onto the platform.
- Once demand falls or supply increases sufficiently, prices quickly go back to normal.
- The fact that dynamic pricing is in place is communicated repeatedly to a user – and requires confirmation – before the user can request the trip. When the multiplier is more than double, riders must type the amount in to confirm. There is also the opportunity to get a fare estimate in the app ahead of requesting a ride.
- For a video explanation, please see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of4ycDqZD-w.
