# Uber is back in Vegas



## classiclincoln (May 7, 2016)

Just got back from a conference in Vegas.  Stayed at the Bellagio and instead of renting a car, used Uber instead.  They were not there back in July when we were there last, but saw they were "reinstated" in September.  First time using Uber (no need for taxis where we live) and it was fast, easy, efficient and cheaper than using a taxi.  Did round trips from the Bellagio to the Rio and from the Bellagio to the Neon Museum for half the cost of a taxi.  Just make sure when you use Uber, you find out where the pick up spot is and go there before you request one.  Most of the resorts have the pick up spot near the taxi stands but the Rio was on the side.  Since the Ubers got there within 3 minutes of the request, you may have a longer walk than that to the pick up spot.

So, now an alternative to taxis in Vegas.


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## TUGBrian (May 8, 2016)

absolutely loved uber in our last trip to vegas (october 15)...had zero use for a cab or a car the entire trip!


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## tompalm (May 8, 2016)

Thanks for posting this. I need a 6 a.m. pickup next week when I leave the Hilton Flamingo timeshare. Should I set it up the night before, or wait until I wake up the next morning. I haven't used Uber before, but have the Ap on my phone.


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## VegasBella (May 8, 2016)

We have Lyft as well in Vegas now. So plenty of options.

The other day I saw a row of Uber and Lyft cars lined up to pick people up from my gym. I was surprised people use them for the gym.


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## csxjohn (May 8, 2016)

VegasBella said:


> We have Lyft as well in Vegas now. So plenty of options.
> 
> The other day I saw a row of Uber and Lyft cars lined up to pick people up from my gym. I was surprised people use them for the gym.



Yep, walk/run back ad forth to the gym and maybe save money by not having to join.:hysterical:


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## Ty1on (May 8, 2016)

VegasBella said:


> We have Lyft as well in Vegas now. So plenty of options.
> 
> The other day I saw a row of Uber and Lyft cars lined up to pick people up from my gym. I was surprised people use them for the gym.



Makes sense if the gym is in a constantly crowded parking lot....

We used Lyft to get to the airport and back and I loved it.  I don't ever want to take a taxi again.

Before you are ready to order, you can put the trip in the app, and it will show you a map of current locations of available drivers, and their ETA.  You can use that to determine when you should actually order the ride.  For example, for us, it was about a 6 minute lead time, so we ordered 10 minutes ahead of when we needed it.  By the time we ordered, there was one within 3 minutes, so we got going a few minutes ahead of plan.  Contrast that experience with calling for a cab 45 minutes ahead of your desired time, and hoping they show up on time if at all.


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## TUGBrian (May 8, 2016)

tompalm said:


> Thanks for posting this. I need a 6 a.m. pickup next week when I leave the Hilton Flamingo timeshare. Should I set it up the night before, or wait until I wake up the next morning. I haven't used Uber before, but have the Ap on my phone.



dont believe they do scheduled pickups like that, just hop on the app on your phone around 5:45 and im sure a driver will be within 10min from you.

last time I was there UBER wasnt permitted to take folks to the airport...might want to check on if thats still the case.


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## Ty1on (May 8, 2016)

TUGBrian said:


> dont believe they do scheduled pickups like that, just hop on the app on your phone around 5:45 and im sure a driver will be within 10min from you.
> 
> last time I was there UBER wasnt permitted to take folks to the airport...might want to check on if thats still the case.



They are good to the airport now.


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## donkeyteeth (May 10, 2016)

We used Uber in Vegas last month...also used the local taxi's.  

It would be well worth using the Uber.  The taxi drivers are CRAZY!!  It's either full speed or braking!  You will need a drink after that ride!

The Uber driving was "normal".  Just ask the taxi attendant at the hotel where the Uber pick up is.  Sometimes its in a different location than the taxi stand.


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## tompalm (May 12, 2016)

In Vegas now at the HGVC  Flamingo and the Uber pickup is about 20 yards away from the taxi pickup. I plan to ride one to the airport on Monday and will find out if it is possible to catch one from the airport.  I agree with the above about Taxi drivers in Vegas being crazy.  The guy that drove us from the airport a year ago, had a car that looked like a pig pen and his brakes make a lot of noise. He was dirty and stinky and no class. Almost felt unsafe.


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## topmom101 (May 14, 2016)

My daughter and I used Uber twice while in Vegas last month and it was a great experience.  I wish I had known about them when we arrived and needed a taxi to get from the airport to our resort (Tahiti Village) which was only about a mile away. The charge was $22 including tip. Called Uber to drive us to the airport from same resort and only paid $11.

BTW, if this is your first time using Uber you can get a free ride. Just ask someone who has previously used them to send you the link and your first ride is free (up to $15).

My daughter's friend sent the link to her which gave us a free ride. My daughter then sent the link to me and we got a second free ride.

I will be happy to send the Uber link to anyone who wants it. Just pm me your email address.


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## tompalm (May 16, 2016)

I just got back and Uber let me down on my first ride. I was staying at the HGVC Flamingo and checking the fare to the airport. It showed an estimate of $12-$14 to the airport on May 14th. However, on May 15th, Uber sent notice of an increase of 1.7 percent for rides on Las Vegas Strip.  I had to accept the increase to request the ride on May 16th expecting that I would pay about $20, or a little less than a taxi.  The Uber driver picked us up and headed straight for the interstate which was a surprise because I had taken a taxi many times before and never gone that way. It is more direct to go east down Flamingo and right on Paradise to the airport.  But, the driver insisted his way would be faster and proceeded to keep driving west or away from the airport.  He was speeding and doing 70 mph in a 35 mph zone as we got close to the airport.  I kept telling him to slow down and if we got pulled by a cop, that we might miss our flight. He slowed down to 50 mph but still kept speeding after I asked him to slow down four different times. To make matters worse, he missed the terminal #3 exit and ended up going way to the east of the airport before we got back.  I thought that Uber would charge us for the most direct route to the airport and didn't say anything.  About three minutes after getting out of his car, Paypal and Uber sent me notice that I was charged $35.  I wrote Uber and Paypal a note saying that I should not have to pay more than $20 because the driver went the wrong way. I am still waiting to hear if I get a refund. 

With the fare increase in Vegas, Uber is not that great, especially if you are going to the airport to catch a flight and you don't have time to waste. There were plenty of taxi cabs lined upped outside Flamingo at 7 a.m. and I had to wait five minutes for the Uber driver to show up.  So next time I plan to take a taxi on the way to the airport. On this trip, Uber took a lot longer and cost more.


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## Ty1on (May 17, 2016)

If you were worried about a 10 minutes ticket making you miss, you were probably better off taking the freeway.  The shortest route can be 10-20 minutes longer and you can't drive 70.

That said, you should report your experience to Uber.  If your driver ran up your fare, he is doing it to others.


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## topmom101 (May 17, 2016)

That's terrible, Tom.  You should definitely contact Uber and give that driver a 0 rating.


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## tompalm (May 17, 2016)

topmom101 said:


> That's terrible, Tom.  You should definitely contact Uber and give that driver a 0 rating.



Thanks.  I replied to the email they sent me with my charge on it and didn't hear back until today. But late yesterday after I got home, I explored their website and found a link for customer support and all they wanted to know was my starting point and end point and charged me for the shortest distance that is $14.35 with the new fare increase. So it is a lot cheaper than a taxi when driven right and if a driver starts taking a longer route, I will make a big deal about it as if I was in a taxi. 

Regarding first ride free: I didn't get that because I didn't have a promo code. That happens when someone refers you and provides their user ID. So if anyone wants a free ride, feel free to use my promo code that is ubertompalm.

Here is what they stated. 
In order for a promotion to apply to a fare, it must be entered before the trip ends. In this case, no promotion code had been applied by the time your first trip ended.


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## suzanne (May 18, 2016)

I have never used Uber can some explain how it works? From my apartment in Vegas to Airport,  Super Shuttle wants $60.00 plus tip. I have heard Uber is cheaper. I just don't know how to use them.

Suzanne


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## tompalm (May 18, 2016)

suzanne said:


> I have never used Uber can some explain how it works? From my apartment in Vegas to Airport,  Super Shuttle wants $60.00 plus tip. I have heard Uber is cheaper. I just don't know how to use them.
> 
> Suzanne



Download the Uber ap to a smart phone. Create an account with your PayPal payment or credit card payment info. Open the ap to see if they have cars in your area and it will state how long it will take before a car can get to you.  Also, you can get an estimate for your trip if you want. You might need to walk to a uber pickup zone to get a ride. So if staying in the Flamingo timeshare, the pickup zone is next to the taxi pickup area for the casino. 

Uber works well in the city where a lot of people iive. My home is 10 miles from downtown and there are no Uber cars in my area. Also, lots of cab companies have a contract with their local airport, so it might not be possible to get a cab from the airport. To get a $15 discount on your first ride, put a promo code in before the ride is over. Feel free to us mine "ubertompalm".


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## topmom101 (May 19, 2016)

The way my kids told me it works is that someone who has used Uber before sends (text) you a link. You download the link and then your first ride, up to $15 is free.  For each link that you send, and after that person has taken their ride, you also get a free ride.

That's how they grow their business base.


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## TUGBrian (May 19, 2016)

yep, for us there was a way to send the "sign up for uber and get your first ride free" link to an email address from within the app.

so if you have multiple folks with you in vegas, have them all sign up =)


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## tompalm (May 19, 2016)

topmom101 said:


> The way my kids told me it works is that someone who has used Uber before sends (text) you a link. You download the link and then your first ride, up to $15 is free.  For each link that you send, and after that person has taken their ride, you also get a free ride.
> 
> That's how they grow their business base.



That is the easy way to open an account because the promo code is already in the account setup. But, if you already opened an account and put in your payment information, that link might not work because the account is already setup. The better way is to go to account settings in the top left corner of the ap and click on promotions and then put in your promo code prior to the end of the ride on your first ride. But, you should put the promo code in before the ride in case you have any problems.


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## Bob B (May 19, 2016)

So how do you know that Uber will, in fact, be cheaper than a cab? I thought it was a fixed amount from point to point, but it sounds like that is not the case.


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## tompalm (May 19, 2016)

Bob B said:


> So how do you know that Uber will, in fact, be cheaper than a cab? I thought it was a fixed amount from point to point, but it sounds like that is not the case.



The rate per mile is cheaper and as long as the driver goes the most direct route, it will be a cheaper ride. HAWAII, Las Vegas and Ney York have the most expensive taxis in the country. So Uber is a lot cheaper in those areas, but it should be cheaper in any city.


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## classiclincoln (May 19, 2016)

You can go here to figure the taxi fare.  

https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=LV

Before you actually book the Uber, you can ask it to calculate the cost.

Or, you can use this site:

http://uberestimate.com/


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## TUGBrian (May 19, 2016)

plus the uber driver doesnt have a meter that stays running in traffic/stop lights/etc.


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## tompalm (May 23, 2016)

classiclincoln said:


> You can go here to figure the taxi fare.
> 
> https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=LV
> 
> ...



I did all that prior to my ride and the fare estimate was less than $15. However, the driver took a longer route and missed the exit for the airport causing the distance to be more than twice what it was supposed to be. I was charged $35. So I recommend anyone that rides on Uber or takes a taxi use their smart phone GPS to make sure the driver is taking the shortest distance and call them on it if they are running up the fare.  Uber did credit my account $20. But it was a hassle to get that fixed.


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