Start checking Uber and Lyft as soon as you land

Given how frequently I fly, I’m fortunate to live pretty close to my home airport. Normally, when I forgo parking fees and take a nine-minute Uber or Lyft ride to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), it costs between $14 and $16.

As most frequent ride-hailing customers know, though, the price you actually find when you plug in a ride is not always what you’d expect. This was particularly true in 2020 and 2021, when driver shortages fueled a combination of long waits and often unpredictable surge pricing.

For more travel news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for TPG’s daily newsletter.

After a flight earlier this year, I plugged my address into Uber as I walked toward ground transportation. I was surprised to find the cost at almost $40 for the brief ride. It was a similar story on the Lyft app.

I pondered going to get a taxi, but instead decided to just wait a bit and then check back; I accepted the fact that I’d probably be sitting around for a half hour in hopes of overpaying by $15 to $20, instead of by $25 or more.

After just two or three minutes, though, I was pleasantly surprised that the fare didn’t just drop by half ... it dropped right back to where I’d normally expect it. I paid a quite typical $14.97 for the ride home.

It’s a reminder that the price you find when you plug a route into your ride-hailing app can largely be a snapshot in time. If you’re hoping to save money, there are a few tactics you can try, whether you’re landing at an airport or leaving a busy gathering.

Look early, check often

A variety of factors drive the price you’ll pay for a ride through ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft. Namely, it’s a supply-and-demand equation: If a lot of people are looking for rides and a relatively small number of drivers are available, there’s a good chance you’ll pay more.

It’s the reason you can end up paying a lot more than normal when trying to get a ride after a concert, sporting event or at an airport after a bunch of flights just landed.

As I learned earlier this year, the price can change dramatically from one moment to the next, so one of the best things you can do is monitor the situation as closely as possible.

This means checking your Uber or Lyft app as soon as you land, potentially while you’re still in your seat on the plane.

If it’s going to be a 25-minute wait for a ride, this may be a good time to go ahead and book your ride (or at least once you’re off the plane).

Checking early can both give you a good sense of how long you might be waiting for a ride — and thus when you might want to book it — and what the prices are.

If the fare is higher than you’re expecting, you may want to take your time heading to the airport exit, refreshing the app to see if the prices start trending downward again. If you find a great fare, it may be a good time to hustle to the pickup area so you can lock the good price in before it spikes.

Of course, if you book your ride early, it's important to be sure you have enough time to actually make it to the rideshare pickup area before your ride arrives, or else you could face cancellation fees. So be sure to consider factors like how long it will take you to walk to the pickup area, and whether you checked luggage before locking in a ride.

Consider other Uber, Lyft app functions

If you don't think fares on Uber or Lyft are going to come down or if you’re waiting and not having any luck, you may want to consider one of the other functions the apps offer.

In addition to sharing and splitting a ride with a stranger — a more feasible option now than it was during the height of the pandemic — there are also ways to essentially de-prioritize yourself in the queue in favor of a better fare.

Namely, Lyft has a "wait and save" function where you can delay your pickup a bit but enjoy a discount on your ride. This could be an especially useful option when you’re still far away from the pickup area.

There are also ways to book a ride in advance, locking in your price ahead of time. For instance, Uber Reserve is available for typical rides as well as for pickups from dozens of airports nationwide; you can schedule it up to 30 days ahead of time, and your driver will be alerted of your flight status. Be sure to check and see if the price is right before booking this way.

Bottom line

Even though more drivers have joined Uber and Lyft in recent months, there are still times when you’ll find fares far higher than you’d like when trying to get a ride from an airport. By beginning your ride-searching process as soon as you land — and checking back often — or using the alternative ride options the apps offer, you may be able to ward off unpleasant wait times and prices.

Read more:

• Practical Pointers: Want to get into your hotel room early? Try this
• Practical Pointers: Download this app before you head to the airport
• Uber Rewards to end later this year
• Here’s why your next New York City Uber could be a yellow taxi