What Is the Current Situation with Uber/Lyft in Las Vegas?

Last winter we were hearing that Uber and Lyfts were few and far between due to a shortage of drivers willing to work and that rates had gone sky high. We have always rented a car on our trips to Vegas, but because of rental rates now and the amount of travel we usually do, we're thinking of not renting on our next trip. What is the current situation with these companies and can we count on getting transportation when we need it?

A veteran Las Vegas source says, “Since surge pricing went back into effect [last May], things have loosened up, though only a little, in terms of getting rides. It's certainly nothing like it was before March 2020.”

According to a KVVU-TV report, the travails of the ride-sharing industry have been the best thing that could have happened to Las Vegas’ taxicab business, which had fallen on hard times when Uber and Lyft were at their most ubiquitous (i.e., pre-pandemic).

“If you compare the fixed-zone price for a cab with the Uber and Lyft prices that can vary and are generally surge priced, especially during events, you’ll find that the taxi ride is cheaper,” Nevada Taxicab Authority Interim Administrator JD Decker told KVVU.

Decker also reported that demand for cabs is back to what it was before COVID-19 hit and staffing levels of taxi drivers are up as well. “That's a huge deal, especially when you consider that just a year ago, we were at about twenty percent of our demand.”

That doesn’t mean cabs are a panacea. Decker concedes that if you’re not on the Las Vegas Strip or downtown, where the clamor for cabs is the highest, you might have trouble getting one.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak capped ride-share surge pricing in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. That, along with extra unemployment payments and drivers' COVID concerns, particularly riders who refused to mask up (some attacks on drivers from passengers irate over the mask mandate have been reported here), created a disincentive for Lyft and Uber drivers to hit the roads. The lifting of the ban last May brought more drivers back to work, but not nearly enough to handle the hordes of visitors that have been descending on Las Vegas since the spring. At the height of the rush, wait times for ride-shares exploded by upwards of 250% and a number of would-be passengers simply gave up and found other rides.

Plus, as the regulator noted, the fixed taxi rates in the tourist corridor render taking cabs less expensive than Uber and it could actually be the more reliable option nowadays.

That said, the taxi alternative isn't the answer to all your prayers. But as the invisible hand of the free market works its magic, more and more cabbies on the roads will mean that Uber and Lyft have to be more competitive, as in less expensive and more reliable.

But if you want to be absolutely positively certain of getting to where you want to go, especially beyond the Strip and downtown, renting a car is still and always the best option. Prices have been coming down since the worst of the shortage a year ago. A quick check finds daily prices starting at $50, including taxes and fees, from non-airport locations ($90 from the airport), while weekly rates go as low as $270 non-airport ($430 airport). That was two weeks in advance; prices are sure to be lower the further out your dates.

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Comments

Mike Oct-07-2021

Rent a car!

Renting a car is the best way to go in LV because you get to enjoy more time on your trip at a cheaper price.  The Maryland Pkwy and Decatur Street are excellent parallels to the LV Strip because they rarely jam up, take you to and from downtown and the strip and offer plenty of east-west streets to dip in and out of the LV Strip, avoiding long LV Strip backups.  Popps Philly and Crab Corner Maryland, here I come!

Carl LaFong Oct-07-2021

Fixed rates are misleading

I was at McCarran last week and some of their signage about the fixed rates is incorrect. Rate displayed and charged in the taxi is actually higher. Rideshare options are still cheaper in some situations.

Rob Reid Oct-07-2021

It's a no win right now

As of our last trip a couple of months ago, there was no good answer.  Car rental rates were Uber :-) exhorbitant and rideshare options were few and far between and much more expensive than they have been in the past.  

We originally start renting cars because of long haul issues with cabs, particularly from the airport.  On our last trip, cabs were about the only option left to us, so we went back to them.

I'm hopeful that the rental car situation will sort itself out and we can go back to renting cars, although even that option has been increasing in price over the years, pandemic issues aside.

jay Oct-07-2021

Price assurance

When I use a rideshare app to go from point a to point b, I have a quoted price. If I like it, I select it and have price assurance. Until the Cabs mature their model and offer the same thing you are still at the mercy of the meter being at whatever $$ amount when you get to where your going. Vegas I know well enough to ensure I am not being long hauled but drop me into some random city that I have never been, forget about it. This coupled with the majority of people looking at their phones than out the window they could be driving around the same block for two days and the patron wouldn't even notice. 

I used to rent via PriceLine for 9.99/day and even if I parked the car with the Valets it was cheaper than the round trip to the airport. 

I would think that "paid" parking must have been the biggest lift to both the rideshare and taxi companies.

Kevin Lewis Oct-07-2021

The best alternative

...is to drive your own car wherever you want to go. As in, don't hop on a plane and go to Gouge City at all. Services still suck and the price of everything is still sky-high. Feh!

That said, if you MUST go to Vegas now, the preferable gouge is to rent a car. Neither the ridesharing services nor the taxis are reliable.

Walter Suttle Oct-07-2021

Turo

A service I considered was Turo, that is the Air BNB of autos. They have all kinds of cars and prices. 
I ended up with a rental car company due to finding a cheap one.
You might try auto slash rental service, they appear to be a broker of some sort.
I check many times before a flight because prices can change.

Hobbs Oct-07-2021

Car Rental

Try Costco. Saved 128.00 last week over other options on a four day rental. With Southwest offering 39.00 from Dallas non stop, car rental is the most expensive part of the trip, but its not worth it to bother with the hassle and restrictions of cabs and ride share.

rodfan Oct-07-2021

Lyft

My husband and I always rent a car.  But this was a quick trip with my sister to see Sir Rod.  It cost $15 to the Paris on a Tuesday, $11 back to the airport today.  Almost no wait, maybe 5 minutes or less.  Very easy with no complaint at all.  I know for a fact a cab was more.

Carl LaFong Oct-07-2021

Kevin, again is wrong

For us to rent a car last week, the price would have been $700-ish before any parking charges at various casinos. Instead, we used a taxi twice and rideshare 9 times for a total of about $200, and their services were reliable.

Roy Furukawa Oct-07-2021

The One Thing Rideshare Always Beats Cabs

Rideshare beats the cabs in the department of cleanliness and appearance. How some cabs sound, the rideshare might also be safer vehicles overall. I think right now I am with @Mike, rent a car, the money will be well spent if the alternative is you have to wait forever for rides.

Mike Oct-08-2021

Rental car savings

Bundling has always saved me on rental cars.  Allegiant isn't perfect, but they save you a ton when you book hotel and car with flight.  $680 for direct flight, bags, 5 nights at Sahara and enterprise (fastest line at Rental Center).  Id stay at 4 queens to avoid stupid resort fees, but it wasn't available.

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