PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Uber and Lyft customers are waiting longer and paying high fares because of a lack of drivers.
A lot of rideshare drivers left the business during the pandemic. Since more people are getting vaccinated and feeling more comfortable with going out, the demand for Uber and Lyft has risen.
But it has become more expensive.
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"I definitely have not been going much further than South Philly, especially because of how expensive Uber has been, and I don’t feel super comfortable going on the subway right now with all the confined spaces and everything," said Danny D’Vertola, who lives in South Philadelphia.
"I will avoid it, but I will bite the bullet if I have to. It’s not a super great thing.”
"It's expensive. It takes longer, half an hour for a wait when it used to be 10 minutes," said Erin Wallace, the owner of Devil's Den in South Philadelphia.
She described a trend where people are not going to multiple parts of the city for a night out. They stay in one spot or walk to a nearby establishment, instead of hop in an Uber or Lyft to go across town.
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"There are customers that don't want to drink and drive," said Wallace.
"They want to visit a friend. They want to take it safely. They do want to take an Uber, but there just are not enough (drivers) working right now.”
The trend is being seen far beyond Philadelphia. A Bloomberg Second Measure consumer spending study shows as more people have received COVID-19 vaccines, Uber and Lyft have each seen dramatic rises in business.
Lyft saw business rise 80% between the first week of 2021 and the last full week of March. Uber's business rose 76 percent over the same time period, according to the study.
Joshua Scott of Philadelphia has experienced that trend. He said paying $40 or $50 for an Uber or a Lyft ride isn't out of the ordinary.
“I definitely think you need to plan ahead further," Scott said. "If you are meeting with friends or family in the city, getting two Ubers to arrive anywhere near the same time is next to impossible, and you are going to pay."
"It is now a luxury item," he added. "It's not a convenience like it used to be."
Uber and Lyft are trying to get more drivers to get fares and wait time down. Drivers can make more than $30 an hour in this market, and that doesn’t include tips or bonuses. Uber has set aside $250 million in bonuses.
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