Uber v Mears

[Elmo007]

We are a party of two going to Pop Century. A reserved time on Uber seems to be about the same cost as two tickets on Mears. However I could not tell if the Uber reservation is subject to surge pricing. Does anyone know if surge pricing is a concern? If surge is not an issue who is more convenient and reliable to Pop, Mears or Uber?

Thank you

 

[sponica]

For me, it's a matter of what terminal am I landing in....I just don't want to go to baggage claim and then crossover to the other side for Mears Connect.

 

[Elmo007]

So surge is not an issue?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I wouldn't bother to reserve. IME the rideshares are so plentiful around MCO, you will be waiting something like 3min or so, just long enough for your driver to physically get through the mess of loading areas. Make sure you've got your bags in hand before booking the Uber, they're faster than the checked baggage is.

 

[Itoddmickey]

All my prior trips via air, i've prearranged private car services but the services i've used become more and more expensive with each trip. My most recent trip in February I used Uber. I thought about reserving but that cost was almost as much as a my private car service. I ordered the uber while I was walking out of the terminal, had to wait 5 minutes (traffic, they were only a few blocks away) at 9:30AM on a Friday. Total cost with tip, $41, for terminal to Port Orlean, which is 10-20 cheaper than my private car service. Did the same for my return trip to the airport for the same price on Sunday 5PM. Will absolutely use Uber/Lyft going forward as long as i'm not coming in at some crazy time.

 

[Mle8308]

So surge is not an issue?

It could be if there is strong demand. Hard to tell until you actually book. If it is too high, you can still go to the Mears location and use their services. You may have a longer wait because it wasn't reserved in advance, but they will put you on a bus.

 

[clarker99]

Used Lyft in January and it was cheaper than Uber. I wouldnt pre-book as I found it more expensive.

Lyft/Uber take you directly to your destination while bus will have multiple stops.

 

[Lewisc]

So surge is not an issue?

It's now called dynamic pricing. The fare is tweaked rather then increased by whole integers, ie doubled.

Sky high pricing isn't common in Orlando, might affect Uber but not Lyft (or vice-versa), generally comes down if you can wait a few minutes and doesn't apply to taxi fares.

 

[M23F5]

Agree with previous posters, from the times I have checked, reserving always costs more. I do suggest checking both Uber and Lyft as I have saved money comparing the two. I also prefer either over Merz so that I am in control of the timing and not waiting for others in addition to going to my hotel only.

 

[Jimsig]

Have both the Lyft and Uber apps downloaded and you can compare prices when you arrive and decided which one to take if it's a big difference in price.

 

[Tbiafore]

if you had 4 people (for an Uber/Lyft) ride, how does that compare to pricing over Mears? Seems like Uber/Lyft would not only be faster, but cheaper as well. Is that right?

 

[clarker99]

if you had 4 people (for an Uber/Lyft) ride, how does that compare to pricing over Mears? Seems like Uber/Lyft would not only be faster, but cheaper as well. Is that right?

I think it works out to be close to the same price but ride share is just so much faster and convenient.

 

[Lumpy1106]

We did Mears for our last trip (family of 5) and will not ever again. There is absolutely nothing "magical" about it. With some limo services (which would pencil out cheaper than Mears for us) they will even make a stop at a grocery store so you can stock up for your trip. The savings there over delivery makes any difference worth it.

To answer OP though - TO WDW I think we had one stop before us - not bad. It was the return to the airport that turned us off. We were asked to be ready in front of our resort, what turned out to be over 30 minutes before we even got a text that the bus was coming (Mears set the time in an email). Mind you, this had us standing out in front of our resort BEFORE 6a. It was a good 45 minutes before the bus actually picked us up. We then boarded the bus, no apology for being late. Imagine for a minute if WE had been 45 minutes late getting to the bus - The bus would have left us stranded and we would not have gotten a refund, and rightly so, right? The bus then stopped at 3 more resorts before heading to the airport. The driver played, not Disney content, but Christian Rock for the entire trip.

We wrote to Mears to complain and got no response. The silence spoke volumes - we are done with Mears, and will continue to relay our story to any who will listen.

 

[Tbiafore]

How about luggage space. If you have 4 people, each with a carry on and a drop off (large luggage), will that even fit into a Lyft/Uber in addition to the 4 people? Anyone done this or have experience with this?

 

[clarker99]

How about luggage space. If you have 4 people, each with a carry on and a drop off (large luggage), will that even fit into a Lyft/Uber in addition to the 4 people? Anyone done this or have experience with this?

You will likely have to request an uber XXL if you have 4 people and 4 Large luggage.

For my family of 4, we pack 2 Large suitcases and 1 medium size and we can just get away with an Uber XL (Toyota Rav4 size vehicle).