HOUSTON – You've got the hot ticket, now you need to get to and from the show.
The hottest tickets right now are for Houston Rodeo concerts. Ride-sharing services Lyft and Uber as well as taxis drop off and pick up right outside NRG Stadium. Lyft and Uber are in the Green Lot on one side of the corner of Kirby and Murworth drives, and the taxi stand is on the other side of the street in the Teal Lot.
It sounds like a setup that would make it quick and easy for folks to get to and from the show, but riders tell Channel 2 Investigates that, especially just before and after concerts, it's not either.
"I've been waiting for a regular-sized car for 45 minutes to an hour," one woman said.
There are endless lines of traffic made up of ride-sharing cars and taxis jockeying to get into the Green and Teal lots to drop off or pick up passengers. In the lots, endless lines of people are jabbing at ride-sharing apps on their phones over and over, trying to get a ride. It all adds up to serious frustration for folks trying to have a fun night out. One angry rider summed it up this way: "This was supposed to take away the chaos. It seems like it's just adding to it."
So, on Friday night, we set out to see what it's like to get a ride to and from the Rodeo using Lyft, Uber and the zTrip/Yellow Cab apps.
At 8 p.m., we had three of our interns, each using one of the apps, order a ride from our KPRC studio to NRG Stadium. Lyft arrived first at 8:03 p.m., just moments after Imani placed her request. The price was $17.46. But Imani didn't actually arrive at NRG Stadium's drop-off/pickup point until just after 9 p.m. Why? Her driver didn't take her all the way to that site. At 8:40 p.m., he let her off blocks away from the designated drop-off site and she had to walk the rest of the way.
Julissa's Uber driver arrived to pick her up just two minutes after Imani's ride arrived. Her cost was $15.95. Just like the Lyft driver, our Uber rider's driver had her get out long before getting to the stadium drop-off site. He let Julissa out at 8:37 p.m. near the METRORail. As she was walking toward the stadium, a staffer with a golf cart offered her a lift, but she still didn't get to the ride-sharing drop-off site until just before 9 p.m.
Samara's taxi picked her up from the studio at 8:17 p.m. and dropped her off at NRG Stadium at 8:44 p.m. Her cost was $33.60. That's about twice what the ride-sharing services charged. But, just like the ride shares, Samara's cab driver wanted her to hop out before getting to the official taxi drop-off site. She said she didn't want to, however, so the driver took her to the designated drop-off spot, just steps away from the stadium.
Catching an Uber, Lyft or cab for the ride back made our riders feel like bucking bronco riders. One second, they were hanging on tight to the hope of catching the perfect ride, and the next, they were tossed off in the dirt when their app dropped their ride request.
Here's how it all went down. At 10:37 p.m., our riders started requesting a ride back to KPRC. Moments later, Samara's zTrip app notified her that her cab was just three minutes away. Thirty minutes went by, however, and no cab arrived. Instead, Samara got a notice showing she had been charged $2.80 for a ride that never happened. She used the app to request another cab. This time, the driver called and asked how much extra she was willing to pay for a ride. He also wanted her to leave the taxi stand in the Teal Lot to meet him at a nearby shopping center. When she didn't agree, she was again charged $2.80 for a ride she didn't take. As Samara was requesting a third cab through the app, the manager of the Yellow Cab stand intervened. He made the driver who asked what she was willing to pay come to the cab stand to pick her up. He also made sure the driver took Samara back to KPRC and charged only the allowable city-regulated taxi rate for the trip, $35.20, and nothing more. She was picked up from the Teal Lot at 11:24 p.m. and dropped off at KPRC at 12:18 a.m. Saturday morning.
Our interns trying to get rides back to the station with Uber and Lyft in the Green Lot each tried over and over to book a ride, only to have their apps drop their requests. They got notices that a driver was eight, 15 or four minutes away, but no rides ever materialized. Uber charged Julissa $29 for a ride she didn't take. The charge was quickly removed from her account after she notified the ride-sharing company that she had been billed for a service she didn't get.
Shortly after midnight, Imani and Julissa had had enough. It was late, they were tired and their phones were close to dead from repeatedly trying to book a ride. They gave up and had our photographer take them back to the station. Bill Spencer and his producer, Cathy Tatom, stayed at the Green Lot and kept requesting rides. At 12:31 a.m. Saturday morning, Tatom finally connected with an Uber driver. He asked her to leave the Green Lot and meet him under the sky bridge in front of the NRG Stadium on Kirby Drive. He said it would take him at least another half-hour to snake his way through traffic to actually get into the Green Lot to make a pickup. Her ride back to the station took just 20 minutes and cost $11.13.
That left Spencer still waiting for a Lyft. He finally got one at 12:47 a.m. Saturday morning, two hours and 10 minutes after we started requesting rides. Spencer's Lyft dropped him off at the station at 1:05 a.m. and he spent $11.56 for the trip.
When we set out on this adventure, we had expected to encounter surge pricing. But it took us so long to get rides back to the station that the surge prices had already been dropped from the fares.
So, what can you do to avoid the frustrations we, along with thousands of other folks, encountered while trying to get to and from these popular Rodeo events? Our Uber driver on the way back to the station had these suggestions:
We also asked Lyft, Uber and zTrip/Yellow Cab for comments about our experiences. Here are their responses:
Lyft:
"We continue to collaborate with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to improve the rider and driver experience. Because of the large event, some riders and drivers are experiencing heightened demand, in addition to longer ETAs. We are doing everything we can to continue to improve rider and driver experience during the Rodeo."
Uber:
"We really appreciate the opportunity to share our perspective.
"Uber is not the official rideshare sponsor of the rodeo and had no say when it came to operating pick-up and drop-off logistics efficiently. Last week we reached out to the event organizers to ask for their feedback on how things are going. In past years we've been able to provide constructive, real time feedback to organizers on similar challenges rideshare companies face at the rodeo.
"Our goal is to make sure people can always push a button and get a ride within minutes - even during a big event. Dynamic pricing helps ensure that choice is always available, because when lots of people are trying to get a ride at the same time fares increase to get more drivers on the road. Riders are shown the price of their ride up front in the app before they request.
"If a rider has any issues, they can report it in the app directly"
zTrip/Yellow Cab:
"This past Friday night was a record breaker with Cardi B performing at the Houston Rodeo. The record crowd lead (sic) to record traffic, frustrating many people as they tried to make it home after a fun filled performance. Although taxis have a designated pickup and drop off area at the TEAL Lot, it was difficult for taxis (or any other vehicle) to navigate anywhere around NRG Stadium after the concert. We have all heard the stories of $15 ridesharing trips turning into $100+ trips on the way home, but Yellow Cab Houston follows the City of Houston taxicab rates and never surcharges."
What can zTrip/Yellow Cab do to fix these issues for the remaining weeks of the Houston Rodeo?
"Unlike other ride hailing apps, zTrip gives passengers the choice to pay with cash, credit card, or a corporate account. Although many users may register their credit card when first downloading zTrip, a credit card is not required to download or use the zTrip app. After downloading zTrip, the default payment method is 'In Vehicle' versus 'In App.' Users can change their preferred payment method to 'In App' to pay via the credit card they select in their 'Payment Options.' This will conveniently pay for the fare through the zTrip app instead of paying the driver directly."
What should riders expect to pay? Are there upcharges negotiated with the driver at big events like Rodeo?
"The City of Houston regulates the taximeter rates that all taxicabs charge throughout the city. By ordinance, the rates are posted on the inside of each taxi so that passengers may check to ensure that they are being charged properly. There are never any extra charges like surge pricing, Prime Time, or cancellation charges for special events like the Rodeo. The rates are always the City of Houston meter rates."
What should riders do if they are charged for rides they didn't take while trying to get a ride to or from the Houston Rodeo?
"Yellow Cab Houston has a 24/7 dispatch phone number (713-236-1111) if a passenger wants to dispute a charge or if they have any other customer service issue, they would like resolved. Passengers may also reach out to the City of Houston's Administration and Regulatory Affairs Office at 832-394-8803 to file a complaint on a taxicab driver."
Channel 2 Investigates asked officials at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for an interview so we could ask questions about the problems, but they declined our request and issued the following statement instead:
"The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo brings approximately 2.4 million guests to our grounds each year and often hosts more than 100,000 guests daily. Transportation and safety are top priorities for the Rodeo. Prior to the 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, we hired an engineering firm to develop a traffic and transportation plan.
"The Rodeo monitors egress from our event daily. The Rodeo will continue to evaluate and adjust as needed. Based on our daily surveys, our guests rated our rideshare services on March 1 as one of the highest nights of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, despite having a record-setting crowd in the stadium.
"Each year we work to provide as many transportation options as possible, including adding a new parking lot available off North Stadium Drive. In addition, we encourage guests to utilize METRORail, as well as park and ride locations across the Houston area."