Lyft and Uber at unforeseen hours in the middle of the night

[scary_robot_music]

My wife is very active in her church but does not drive, so I drive her to church activities and sometimes stay, sometimes return to pick her up. She's started a new calling where they do planning sessions that often go on for three, four, five, hours or more. Last night's ended long after midnight.

Fortunately she found a ride home so I didn't need to wake our kids up, load them in the car, and drive several miles to pick her up, but I was dreading the next time they go that late and she can't get a ride. Then I remembered that Lyft and Uber exist. I use them for work trips all the time, not sure why having my wife use them to get home from church activities didn't occur to me until just now.

My question is, can I count on there being a driver available to pick her up during the "graveyard shift hours" from, say, 10:00pm to 3:00am? I know you can schedule a pickup, but there's no telling exactly when these planning sessions she does will end.

We're in the US in a city of several million. I only started using the ride sharing services a little over a year ago and only to get around when travelling for work. What do you guys who've been using Uber and Lyft longer than me think?

 

[Maddox]

My wife is very active in her church but does not drive, so I drive her to church activities and sometimes stay, sometimes return to pick her up. She's started a new calling where they do planning sessions that often go on for three, four, five, hours or more. Last night's ended long after midnight.

Fortunately she found a ride home so I didn't need to wake our kids up, load them in the car, and drive several miles to pick her up, but I was dreading the next time they go that late and she can't get a ride. Then I remembered that Lyft and Uber exist. I use them for work trips all the time, not sure why having my wife use them to get home from church activities didn't occur to me until just now.

My question is, can I count on there being a driver available to pick her up during the "graveyard shift hours" from, say, 10:00pm to 3:00am? I know you can schedule a pickup, but there's no telling exactly when these planning sessions she does will end.

We're in the US in a city of several million. I only started using the ride sharing services a little over a year ago and only to get around when travelling for work. What do you guys who've been using Uber and Lyft longer than me think?

Yes, there should still be someone available during the graveyard shift. And if not, there are always taxis.

More importantly, why is your church having 5-hour-planning sessions and what are they for?

 

[scary_robot_music]

Yes, there should still be someone available during the graveyard shift. And if not, there are always taxis.

More importantly, why is your church having 5-hour-planning sessions and what are they for?

Thanks! Hope so. Ride sharing will be a life saver in this situation. If anyone else has any insight, please share.

Why the marathon planning sessions? I can't give too many details because I try to keep things vague when posting on crimethink sites, but they're Catholic and the general attitude seems to be that if you lose your job because you're exhausted from getting to bed at 2:00am on a work night don't worry, the Lord will provide. It's admirable and frustrating at the same time.

A lot of it is probably that they're mostly first and second generation third world immigrants, mostly from Latin America and planning and punctuality aren't generally their thing. Start time might be 8:00pm but it will be well after 9:00pm when everyone has finally shown up, then instead of getting down to business you eat something, joke around, chit chat, etc. Gringos could probably get it all done in an hour or maybe two.

 

[Thomas More]

Before covid, I could always get an uber at any hour, but during and after covid I have found times in a large city where no drivers were available.

Saturday morning rides to the airport have been a problem a couple of times, so now I book ahead.

However, I think late at night is a good time for Uber, because they cater to people needing a ride home from the bar.

 

[God's lonely asperger]

The thread is months old, but I recall a more degenerate friend telling me he spent the night praying at a lady's house, and that he walked off at 3 AM because of urgent church matters.

The thing that stuck to me was that he claimed he "walked off at 3 AM". Obviously he didn't do that in BRAZIL at 3 AM on darker than coal streets. Just rang an Uber.

He lives in a big city (around 1 million pop), and that's how I assume most people get these taxis in unforeseen hours. Travis Bickle works at 3 AM because of this, and his movie is centered around New York unforeseen hours.

 

[God's lonely asperger]

Before covid, I could always get an uber at any hour, but during and after covid I have found times in a large city where no drivers were available.

Saturday morning rides to the airport have been a problem a couple of times, so now I book ahead.

However, I think late at night is a good time for Uber, because they cater to people needing a ride home from the bar.

I use Uber quite a bit (no car yet, and public transportation is utter misery here). Mostly in larger cities, but I don't want to dox pop numbers of every city I go.

I started using it at around 2021. I could get stuff pretty fast around 3 PM, usual evening. Some time after, I've had days of being stuck at 4 PM, and I'm not sure the place I stayed in was that much of a hassle for the drivers. Business times (6 AM, 12 PM, and 8 are my usual ones) take way longer now, and I get (((pop-ups))) now about "hey sir! Pay 5 shekels for some poor guy to give you preference!"
I don't know how much this falls on covid, the drivers themselves (very humble guys, almost exclusively gospel music radios), and the monetization system that Uber uses. Something is up though.

@me when there is a more general meta thread about taxis and (Je)Uber. It is a topic that interests me a bit.

 

[SpyofMoses]

I've considered something like this before. A coworker used to use Uber to get to and from work exclusively. He didn't have a license to drive, and didn't want one. He worked out the math and figured out that he'd be paying only a little more money than he was already spending on Uber. It made me think of selling my car and using the cash for paying down debt quickly, but the truth is, I love the freedom of driving myself whenever to wherever. Plus road trips are one of my favorite things to do.

As for Uber as a whole, it has been a very reliable way to get to the airport any and every time I've needed it. There are some older guys I've met(and one I'm friends with personally) who quit their jobs to drive for Uber "full time." They love it. They set their own hours, often taking the long rides to and from airports regularly. They like driving, and they're outgoing guys. There are some younger guys who are driving for Uber "in the meantime," while they look for something else. They don't usually like it too much, although none seem to hate it outright. This gives the impression that with a decent car and the right time and place to get steady gigs, Uber (and Lyft) can be lucrative.

As for relying on it exclusively, I would only do that if my daily work commute was walkable. You never know.

Lastly, I'll share a rumor I heard recently. A man I was talking to had just gotten back from a trip to California. He said he took Uber everywhere, and he couldn't help but notice that every driver was a foreigner who barely spoke English(if at all) and they all were driving brand new cars. It made him wonder how they're all getting into a new car right away after just arriving as an immigrant in the US. "What are they all being brought in and given a car to drive for Uber right away or something? " Couldn't blame him for such speculation.

 

[Thomas More]

I've considered something like this before. A coworker used to use Uber to get to and from work exclusively. He didn't have a license to drive, and didn't want one. He worked out the math and figured out that he'd be paying only a little more money than he was already spending on Uber. It made me think of selling my car and using the cash for paying down debt quickly, but the truth is, I love the freedom of driving myself whenever to wherever. Plus road trips are one of my favorite things to do.

As for Uber as a whole, it has been a very reliable way to get to the airport any and every time I've needed it. There are some older guys I've met(and one I'm friends with personally) who quit their jobs to drive for Uber "full time." They love it. They set their own hours, often taking the long rides to and from airports regularly. They like driving, and they're outgoing guys. There are some younger guys who are driving for Uber "in the meantime," while they look for something else. They don't usually like it too much, although none seem to hate it outright. This gives the impression that with a decent car and the right time and place to get steady gigs, Uber (and Lyft) can be lucrative.

As for relying on it exclusively, I would only do that if my daily work commute was walkable. You never know.

Lastly, I'll share a rumor I heard recently. A man I was talking to had just gotten back from a trip to California. He said he took Uber everywhere, and he couldn't help but notice that every driver was a foreigner who barely spoke English(if at all) and they all were driving brand new cars. It made him wonder how they're all getting into a new car right away after just arriving as an immigrant in the US. "What are they all being brought in and given a car to drive for Uber right away or something? " Couldn't blame him for such speculation.

I think they are leasing the cars to drive for Uber. There are programs designed to provide cars for this purpose.

 

[eradicator]

The answer will depend on what city/town you’re in

 

[scary_robot_music]

The answer will depend on what city/town you’re in

That's why I specified that we're in the metro area of a major US city with a population of several million. I figured the answer would be different for smaller towns.

 

[eradicator]

Probably you’re fine . I’m in nyc and can get an Uber at all hours in a few minutes . Maybe other cities are different. At worst you could call for a taxi ?

 

[easy_c]

My wife is very active in her church but does not drive, so I drive her to church activities and sometimes stay, sometimes return to pick her up. She's started a new calling where they do planning sessions that often go on for three, four, five, hours or more. Last night's ended long after midnight.

Fortunately she found a ride home so I didn't need to wake our kids up, load them in the car, and drive several miles to pick her up, but I was dreading the next time they go that late and she can't get a ride. Then I remembered that Lyft and Uber exist. I use them for work trips all the time, not sure why having my wife use them to get home from church activities didn't occur to me until just now.

My question is, can I count on there being a driver available to pick her up during the "graveyard shift hours" from, say, 10:00pm to 3:00am? I know you can schedule a pickup, but there's no telling exactly when these planning sessions she does will end.

We're in the US in a city of several million. I only started using the ride sharing services a little over a year ago and only to get around when travelling for work. What do you guys who've been using Uber and Lyft longer than me think?

So. I used to have to routinely order 4 AM Lyfts for work back in the day. I had one of those travel every week jobs.

The answer is "kind of". If you're in a large city like that a driver will be available. HOWEVER I recommend you hail a half hour early. It can take some time to get a driver.