Why It’s Difficult to Get an Uber Ride from Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies fans are frustrated with what they perceive as a lack of Uber availability after games at Citizens Bank Park.

Uber, which sponsors the ballpark's pickup lot, said it is increasing fares by $5 on all its trips originating from the stadiums in response to a Philadelphia Inquirer article. The Inquirer spoke with industry experts and more than half a dozen Philadelphia-area rideshare drivers, most of whom agreed to share their experiences only on the condition of anonymity. 

Drivers, who work as independent contractors, said they feared retaliation from Uber, which pairs them with riders via an algorithm. Uber also reserves the right to deactivate accounts. Drivers that the Inquirer spoke to confirmed the postgame complaints of Phillies fans, concertgoers, and those who regularly attend events at the complex, who say it's become almost “impossible” to get a ride home, regardless of whether they're traveling to the city or the suburbs.

Uber disputes the claims, saying that its new fare system does “account for whether a particular trip is generally more or less likely to be fulfilled by drivers, based on aggregate patterns on similar trips. Individual driver behavior is not a factor.”

Uber has also noted that a surcharge is included in fares in high-demand areas like Citizens Bank Park. The company does not take in a larger share of driver earnings.

“Beginning immediately, we are doubling the current $5 surcharge for completed trips starting at the arena,” spokesperson Freddi Goldstein said in a statement to the Inquirer. “Drivers picking up passengers from games at Citizens Bank Park will now receive a $10 surcharge in addition to the rate of pay on these rides through the end of the season. One hundred percent of the surcharge goes to the driver.”

Philadelphia-area drivers, however, say the Uber app no longer shows them what riders are paying. They can only view this information on a browser. Drivers also can't determine precisely how a fare is calculated. Additionally, they claim that their pay is a fraction of what it was in the past.