Apparently, getting out of the area surrounding Levi’s Stadium was a nightmare after Saturday night’s “Stadium Series” game between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings. With about 70,000 fans in attendance, and the majority leaving after the Kings clinched a 2-1 victory, the parking lots were difficult to navigate. The lines for light rail were ridiculously long, too.
.@RosenbergMerc The start of the VTA line to leave Levi’s Stadium: pic.twitter.com/Xzc7F8ch3p
— John C. Baker (@jcb10) February 22, 2015
According to NBC Bay Area, a tattoo artist who decided to take Uber home after seeing how long he’d have to wait for VTA got a rude surprise after he got home.
A South Bay man is asking ride-sharing service Uber to reduce his fare after being charged $452 for a 30-minute, 12-mile ride.
Rafael Hernandez, a San Jose resident, used the Uber service Saturday after the San Jose Sharks game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. He said he opted for Uber, knowing surge pricing was in effect, due to the light rail being packed.
Hernandez is apparently trying to get Uber to reduce his far. Good luck with that.
Courtesy NBC Bay Area
My first thought after reading this story was: “Maybe don’t click affirmative on 4.9x surge pricing, Rafael.” My second thought was: “Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s is going to be interesting.”
While Hernandez probably should’ve been a bit more observant before requesting a ride, $452 is insane. I just checked Virgin America, and $452 was an exact match for the highest-priced flight from SFO to JFK in March. A taxi ride from my apartment to SFO (15 miles or so) costs about $50-$60. The most expensive UberX ride I’ve ever taken was probably around $40. However, I’ve never tried to take Uber in a suburb on a Saturday night when the surrounding streets were bumper-to-bumper, and it looks like Hernandez chose a more expensive SUV option.
Uber actually seems like they’re trying to work with Levi’s Stadium patrons.
Uber is partnering with Levi’s® Stadium to bring reliable rides to the new home of our favorite San Francisco football team.
This is a first-of-a-kind partnership between Uber and a professional football venue in the Bay Area — a touchdown for sports fans.
We’ll be enhancing the gameday experience at Levi’s® Stadium with a new dedicated Uber pickup and drop-off location. This will make it easy for fans to request a ride when headed to or leaving the stadium.
Don’t want to get stuck in gameday traffic? Uber vehicles will be picking up fans just a few blocks from the stadium, with a dedicated Uber zone at the intersection of Calle De Luna and Lafayette Street.
Either the same deal doesn’t exist for hockey fans, or Hernandez paid the price for not getting a ride from the “dedicated Uber zone.” Actually, Uber only promises that the rides will be “reliable,” not cheap. Hmmm …
