Uber in Boston
 

I'm considering using Uber for the first time on my quick trip to Boston as I will need to get to BOS for a 6am flight and the T is unfortunately not an option. So here are my questions:

1. As I'm reading about how Uber works, I've learned that each city has a built-in minimum. What is it for Boston? (For that matter, what is it for Portland?)

2. Will I be charged for tolls in the tunnel for each direction? (Assuming tolls are charged each way; I don't know)

3. Is uberTaxi less or more expensive than uberX early in the morning?

4. For location, will the app accept the name of the hotel as a pickup location or must it have the exact address? For example, using the laptop on the uber website, I used the fare estimator for Logan's Terminal A and the estimator didn't acknowledge Terminal A as the drop off. All it recognized was Logan Airport. I picked the "Sheraton Copley" as the pick up location just to get an idea of the fares; I'm not sure if we're staying there.

5. Does the estimator include tolls?

I may have more questions later. Thanks.

To answer a couple questions: uber in Boston will adds tolls as well as an airport surcharge of $8.75 (to and from BOS). Pick-up/drop-off locations seem to be based on Google maps, so names of a hotel are fine as long as it comes up in the list from which to select when you type it in.

1. I think the minimum fare for UberX is $5.

2. Uber adds $8.75 plus $5.25 for the tunnel toll. The tunnel only has a toll one-way, but Uber charges the toll for either direction when going to/from the airport. The $8.75 is arbitrary, as Logan doesn't charge drivers anything to drop off passengers.

3. UberX is always cheaper, especially as there is no tipping.

4. Hotel name is fine, and probably preferred by the driver.

5. I believe so.

The total fare should be about $20, give or take.

Would I be charged that same $14 in tolls regardless of whether I chose uber or a taxi?

I think a taxi would only have 2.75 in tolls. I still think UberX would be cheaper. Uber substantially undercuts taxis, even before you consider that there is no tipping with Uber.

The tunnel toll is U$3.50 for cars. The actual toll is only charged going into the city center from the airport, not the other direction to the airport from downtown.
Iirc from the last time I did it, taxis charge U$5 extra for going to the airport.

I used UberX last month from my Boston hotel to airport at 3:00am. No trouble getting a pickup at my hotel, and the fare was much cheaper than a taxi.

If you're going to take Uber in Boston, be very careful. It's completely unregulated so you don't know who you're getting into a car with. One of the drivers here was recently arrested for raping female passengers -- I don't know if he's still in custody or not.

Although personally I wouldn't risk my life to save a couple bucks, you should be able to get a permit from any police station to carry pepper spray.

There are quite a few 6 AM flights out of BOS so getting to the airport before the T opens is something we've all had to deal with. For me, I just take a taxi and I've always made it.

I hope you'll make it too, no matter what risks you choose.

When I was in my early 30s, a NYC taxi driver tried to assault me. I got out. So taxi gov't regulation means nothing to me regarding any kind of guaranteed protection from thug cab drivers. There are thugs everywhere; hopefully, I don't come into contact with them! But I appreciate your sharing this with me.

Several years ago, I carried mace on my keychain and it got confiscated at PWM's security. I should look into getting a permit! Good idea.

I knew that the was the case which is why I knew people here would have good advice. It's surprising that even the silver line doesn't begin at an earlier hour.

Thanks.

Great to know. Thanks.

No tipping? No option to pick 20%, 25%, 15%, etc? Seriously??

The pickup location on Uber is based on GPS, it shows as a pin drop on a map. You can test it out by opening the app. You won't need to enter the name of the hotel or address, but you can if you want to be picked up somewhere else.

I think Uber is vastly superior as compared to taxi's in Boston as maybe compared to other cities. I've used it to Logan multiple times with no issues.

Pick up at Logan is a little wonkier because they need livery plates (I think), but drop off is as easy as if a friend did it.

Highly suggested. And yes they are serious about the no tipping thing.

If it's your first time using it, you get $20 off your first usage. If you know anyone else who uses Uber, they can give you a code. Or I can give you mine :)

The person whose code you use will also get $20 off their next trip.

Brilliant way to build new business and grow current business simultaneously. ^

This indeed would be my first time. I'm not going until the middle of August so if the offer is still available and my friend and I are not staying at a hotel with shuttle service, I'll PM you if that's all right with you. Thank you!

It really is a smart business plan!

Feel free to PM. Happy to help

Thanks. Quick question — Are tolls included in the $20 discount promo code?

To be honest I'm sure sure.

I can't find any of the fine print with a quick scan. It just says "they'll get their first ride free (up to $20)."

Sorry not much help there.

Normally, these promo codes just deduct $X from whatever your final total is - so yes, it should cover your tolls as well. :)

The drivers get a background check, and the car's every move is tracked, so not only do you not get taken for a ride, but there's a record of WHO is driving you and WHERE they drove you. You don't get that in taxi.

Yes, they are.

What taxi company do you drive for?

LYFT
 

So many smart people on here, yet nobody suggested for the OP to use Lyft!

Lyft provides the same service as Uber, yet on the way to Logan airport, it DOES NOT charge tolls or any other arbitrary surcharge! It only charges tolls when they are incurred. I took Lyft from the financial district and it cost me $10 :cool:. A taxi would have been $30 :td::td::td:.

Great tip, I didn't realize they didn't charge any fees/tolls.

That is rough on the drivers though. They make about $8 before gas/car/insurance, and then have to pay a $3.50 toll or drive an extra 15 minutes back to busier parts (they can't pick up at Logan, and East Boston has low demand). I sure wouldn't want to make $3 for taking someone on a 30 minute round-trip ride to Logan.

Thanks about Lyft. With both of them, if I need to get to BOS at 4:45am from Copley Sq, for example, when do I request a car from my iphone?

I've always taken the T to BOS so I actually don't know how long it will it take at that hour to get to Terminal A by car.

Seriously doubt it, from my experience. From Somerville, a whoooooole lot further from the airport than the Financial District, (recently) by taxi it costs $35 including tolls and airport surcharges.

I'd estimate 10 minutes max. (through empty streets at that hour and right into the tunnel ; A is the first terminal)

Taxi from South Station to BOS is almost 20$, usually like $18 or something that I round up to $20.

Definitely less than $30, but Lyft does seem like a bargain (although if I'm bargain hunting I'll just take the T).

Ok....I'm going to download Lyft. For whatever reason, both the Uber app and website don't recognize my password. I noticed it yesterday and when I clicked for them to email me a link to reset the password, nothing ever was emailed to me. Not even in the spam/junk folder. So I tried again this morning. Nothing. I went to the uber facebook page and heard back from them about an hour later with instructions to email their support area. So I did. That was 3 hours ago. So I give up.

I will try Lyft. Will they pick me up a brand new customer at a Copley Sq hotel at 4:30am? I can't risk not getting to the airport.

I took Lyft to BOS Friday morning and it worked perfectly. The driver arrived at 4:15am which was 4 minutes after I went on the app. He was friendly, interested in chatting about my trip, and hoped I'd return to Boston soon. Interesting, he said there were two routes to BOS — the express route or the local roads which he said were fine before 6am. I said that I wanted to take the express route which was 90 East. If the local route took longer, would the driver have made more money? Just curious. I stayed at the Westin Copley Place — he picked me up at 10 Huntington Ave.

With the $20 promo code, the trip cost me absolutely nothing. Does it get better than that? I did tip the driver.

Thanks everybody for your assistance! No more taxis for me.

As an aside, I read that Uber charges an $8.75 "Logan Massport Surcharge & Toll" to BOS and that there is a class action lawsuit involving that.

There's two tunnels to the airport. The "local" I'm guessing in this instance was probably the Sumner/Callahan tunnels (Route 1A), with the express being the Ted Williams Tunnel (I-90), the newer tunnel built in the 1990s. Certainly agree that at that hour they're likely a wash time wise, but at certain times of day they can vary a lot. The distances are short enough that you're not talking about much of an issue either way in the pre-dawn hours.*

*The only caveat I can think of is that sometimes the airport exits themselves are very backed up at key flight times (like when people are arriving for the early morning flight push). I have seen instances where there's a backup in the Ted Williams for the airport exit, and at the exit off 1A. One advantage to 1A is that there is another exit just past the main airport exit where you can double back to the airport pretty easily.

I am glad this worked out for you! When Lyft first started in Boston early morning hours might have been tough but there are a lot more drivers now.

Regarding the route: from the Westin, there are really three ways he could have gone. It sounds like he took you through Back Bay and the South End and onto the HOV entrance to the Ted Williams Tunnel (Route 90 East) - which at that hour is the quickest and most direct. Alternately, he could have taken Storrow Drive, through Leverett Circle, into 93 South, to the Callahan Tunnel, a slightly shorter route mileage-wise but only by a hair and not as quick. Lastly, if traffic was horrendous, a third option would be to take the Mass Pike on-ramp under the Westin, headed West, and slingshot back East at the Allston-Brighton toll plaza. At 11 miles it would cost more, but some days is actually quicker than being stuck on the former options.

Do drivers in either Uber or Lyft have incentive to take longer routes? Is the fare also based on transportation time?

The fare is both distance + time, but drivers get paid more for distance than they do for time, so in general it is in their interest to drive you a longer route that is quicker, e.g. going on the highway or taking a toll road. Although they rarely deviate from what GPS "tells them" to do, as the passenger it is in your best interest to know the most efficient route and communicate it ahead of time, especially if it goes against GPS guidance.

So to provide some of my recent data points...I often head to the airport from the Fort Point area (5 min walk from South Station).

- Lyft to airport $12 (inclusive of $3 toll)
- Uber from airport $22 (inclusive of $5.25 East Boston toll + $8.75 "airport surcharge")

For the times/places where I travel, Uber still seems to have the most drivers, but surge pricing can spike very quickly and last for a while. Lyft has pretty good coverage throughout downtown Boston and surrounding cities/towns, but wait times are usually a few minutes longer than Uber. Prime pricing kicks in during about the same peaks as Uber, but tend to not last as long or be as high as Uber (in my experience).

Can I take Uber from Logan still?
 

I heard Uber is banned from Logan but I am also reading that people are still able to take Uber from Logan.
I hope someone will clarify. I wish to take a cab/Uber to an off-site Hertz rental in Revere, MA. Picking up the car in Revere will save me $200 vs picking it up at Logan.

Yes, you may, FROM Logan, but be warned that the availability is not good (only the licensed livery drivers can pick up, I think, though it is still the low-cost "UberX"). Also there are many surcharges.

You need to be picked up at the Limo area.

I wonder if one would have better luck taking the free shuttle bus to the Airport stop on the blue line. Could Uber do a pick up there?

Or how about a pickup at the door of the Logan Airport Hilton?

That's a great idea and the shuttle buses run frequently.
I looked at the fare estimator and UberX is available whereas inside the airport only the higher priced UberBlack (livery drivers) are available.

I don't think shuttle buses run as frequently to the Hilton.

You do not need a shuttle for the Hilton - it sits in the middle of the airport and you can reach it via climate-controlled indoor skyways.

The Hyatt definitely needs a shuttle.

I just looked up the Uber fare calculator from Airport Hilton and there are surcharges because it is located inside the airport.

Another reason to use Uber less and less.

Correct.


Uber has always been available at Logan. In order to pick up at Logan, the driver has to have livery plates, and clearance from Logan Airport. All Uber Black drivers have this, and some UberX drivers do. The app will only show drivers that have this permission.

Personally, I have never had an issue finding a driver at Logan. There is now surge pricing at the airport so that will likely increase supply (and price). For years, the airport never had surge pricing on airport pickups, so when it was busy the drivers had incentive to leave the airport and go back to the downtown area and get a surge ride.

The Lyft fare was $20. I remember pricing taxis and the estimated base started at $30. So are you just against Uber? My experience with Lyft at 4:15am makes me wonder why would ANYONE would take a taxi in the early morning when the T isn't open?