If you live in the New York City area and aren’t a huge fan of public transportation, you probably live for Uber. And your life probably got even more convenient in 2014 when Uber Eats was established, making meal delivery even easier. However, you’ve also probably heard recently about the caps put on Uber and Lyft in New York City. So, the question on everyone’s mind is, what could this cap mean for Uber Eats?
According to The New York Times, this vote to keep new Uber drivers off of NYC streets for the next 12 months has caused a lot of controversy. While this move will obviously help out existing Uber drivers and New York cabbies, as they won’t have to deal with as much competition, many everyday travelers and commuters will once again have to struggle to get rides. Uber spokesman Josh Gold said in an interview this past week, “New Yorkers have been demanding that our leaders fix the subways; instead, they have decided to break Uber…”
People clearly have a lot of strong feelings about this Uber cap, as it affects thousands upon thousands of jobs and commutes every day. But, what does this mean for Uber Eats? Uber Eats is a lot more low maintenance as it doesn’t actually take people from Point A to Point B, but could it also fall victim to higher pricing and longer waits?
Here’s The Deal
The Uber Eats website has an online pricing page that reads “Prices and offers on ubereats.com and in the Uber Eats app may differ from prices and offers in the restaurant.” Okay, fair enough, Uber Eats can’t always control how much every item in NYC is going to cost. The FAQ page on the same site also explains how the company’s busy fees work: the fees are determined by how many people in the area want to use the Uber Eats service. So then I wondered if the Uber Eats app could tell me any differently.
What’s Up With App?
I used my own Uber Eats app and typed in the address of a random apartment for sale in Hell’s Kitchen to see if there was anything amiss in terms of pricing. I first checked out how much it would be to order a kale salad from Westville West in the West Village (say that three times fast!). The restaurant, which is 15 minutes’ drive from “my house,” would get the food to me in 35 to 45 minutes with a $4.49 booking (aka delivery) fee. Not too bad, not too bad.
So then, I decided to try something a smidge more casual, namely McDonald’s. This option was a little farther away; it was in Chinatown which is a 20 to 25 minute drive from the apartment I set at my location. The M&M McFlurry, although it’s not every Spoonie’s fave, would get to me pretty quickly—20 max. And, the booking fee is only $2.99. While that is a little steep considering that the ice cream itself is only $3.79, I def could’ve picked a closer Mickey D’s.
So What Have We Learned?
After some serious sleuthing, I was able to figure out that there shouldn’t be any real change to how your Uber Eats works in NYC. Just like all things in the city, during rush hour and busy times, food delivery can take a little longer, even Uber Eats.
And as it turns out, the same issue struck London last September. Uber was actually banned from the English capital last fall, but since Uber Eats isn’t a private hire company—really, anyone can be a driver—the company wasn’t affected by the ban of the ride sharing service.
So, in conclusion, New Yorkers don’t have to worry about their late night munchies being stopped in their tracks due to the cap on Uber and Lyft in NYC. Go ahead and order away on Uber Eats! Or, maybe, just go out and get your food in person? Either way, we won’t judge.