Is Uber safe when traveling alone?

[lissiesmum]

Thinking of staying at the Hard Rock for a much needed solo vacation. I’ve always taken an Uber with a group of people. Any safety concerns for a solo female?

 

[macraven]

I’m a female solo traveler and never any issues or worries with travel arrangements

 

[lissiesmum]

Thank you!

 

[SPAM]

No issues here either.

 

[macraven]

I guess some of the drivers have the same thought at times with, am I going to be safe with this passenger in my car.

 

[GoingSince1990]

I would prefer my wife or daughter to take an Uber as opposed to a legacy taxi. The location is tracked at all times, there is a “panic button” right on the app, and these days it seems that many legacy taxi drivers are only doing that because they are unable to pass the required Uber background check.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

I have taken Uber/lyft several times alone and have never had a problem.
While you can never guarantee 100% safety, I feel safer with Uber and lyft than with a regular taxi. Once your ride is accepted, you can send a screenshot to a loved one of the details of you ride. Enjoy your trip and try not to worry.

 

[DL1WDW2]

The only thing to remember , would be knowing your address when they pick up or drop off but that is with all shared transport not just Uber.
Fortunately traveling from MCO round trip to WDW does not reveal your personal information. ( I used to take a screenshot of the shuttle bus driver van # before I got into , in case I disappeared. )
I have never taken Uber or Lyft , so appreciate the tracking info to consider for safety,
I still believe they do not release public safety incidents unless it makes the News!

 

[SwanVT2]

I used Mears taxi when I had to go to urgent care in Orlando. I was very nervous but had always had excellent service with Mears' shuttles so I trust the company. It worked out very well. In fact, the driver waited outside for me during my appointment!

 

[yellowfish78]

I've done Uber and Lyft alone. I've always made it a point to verify the plates match and then I text through the app to a friend and they can "follow along". I've never felt unsafe in one - shuttle bus drivers scare me more than Uber's!

 

[markb681]

U can select ur driver from the app....so IF ur nervous just choose a female driver

 

[Grumpy92]

I prefer Lyft because they do background checks

 

[MomOTwins]

I have had some deeply uncomfortable experiences with Uber/Lyft drivers and sexual harassment. Some not even subtle or possible to misconstrue. I had a trick set up where if a driver was making creepy comments, I would text my sister I was making a safety call to her and place a fake phone call to her and pretend she was my boyfriend and say things like "Should be there in 15 minutes honey, on "x" street, see you really soon." Just to communicate to the driver that (1) am in a relationship/not interested in the driver; (2) someone would know right away if I went missing and (3) I wouldn't be alone at the destination. So if you have a friend who might be willing to do this, it can be helpful.

The worst experiences were pretty much always when I was ubering in the middle of the night or very early morning (I had a job where I frequently got home after 2am and also had to sometimes catch very early morning flights for work)--so I recognize that I have some "weirder" uber/lyft experiences than what is typical. To that end though, I'd recommend trying to book flights when you know you'll be taking off and landing at regular times (to the extent possible--always a possibility of delays).

One safety tip you should ALWAYS follow is confirming the license plate number matches the one the app so you don't get in the wrong car. This is for safety and also to make sure you don't accidentally get in someone else's uber/lyft and wind up at the wrong destination!

I also recommend keeping your app open and watching the route so you'll know if the driver is taking you the wrong way, and then you can correct them. I have heard accounts of sexual assaults by uber/lyft drivers where the victim said after they wished they had spoken up when they could see they were going the wrong way.

I know this all seems overkill to a lot of people, and is obviously not the norm. But it does happen, and these are simple precautions that aren't a real inconvenience so I definitely recommend them.

 

[MOUSEALERT]

I am from the UK myself and daughter in her 20s order Uber to our hotel on Palm Parkway to the outlets - a 10 minute drive. The driver arrived and took us on a 50 minute drive to an area called Pine Hills and proceeded to tell us how unsafe the area was. He was turning in his seat leering at my daughter who was 27 at the time asking if she done drugs and about her sex life. I have never, ever, ever been so scared in all my life. Was too scared to ring 911 and this may seem overly dramatic to you but as we are from the UK we were scared he may have gun. In the end I made a call to my BIL in the UK he turned and took us back to the outlets. We reported to police and showed them the journey tracker...OMG it was horrific.