Prepare for Uber price surges this Super Bowl weekend: 'Really, really busy'
PHOENIX - As the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs suit up for the Super Bowl, there's another group revving up for a big weekend ahead: rideshare drivers.
For the past month, Uber prices have been hovering at around $20 for a ride from the FOX 10 station to State Farm Stadium. It's roughly the same price for a ride from the station to Old Town Scottsdale.
Thursday night, however, prices shot up to nearly $59 and $64 respectively after events like the Super Bowl Experience and concerts at the Footprint Center.
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In a statement, an Uber representative wrote that the company is working alongside the NFL and the city of Phoenix to forecast demand and improve the stadium's rideshare operation. The representative also added that customers should expect extra wait times and increased prices after the game.
Meanwhile, drivers are fueling up for a busy weekend.
"It's fun, the people are really nice," said Uber driver Teresa Trujillo.
Trujillo started driving for Uber just two weeks ago to cash in on Super Bowl crowds.
"I thought why not? It’s going to be busy, I can do this instead of staying home catching up on Netflix," she said.
The past few days have already been hectic, with business accelerating leading up to Sunday.
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"The Uber app is blowing up right now," Trujillo said. "Especially right now, as people are heading out the house, or they are coming home and want to go home, take a shower and go out again, so yeah, it’s been really, really busy."
She's not expecting to pump the brakes any time soon as the notifications for passengers keep coming in.
"They are just one after the other after the other.' Trujillo said. "But there’s also a lot of drivers out right now too so they’re getting picked up as far as on the app fairly quickly."
Despite the increase in prices, taking a rideshare is cheaper than a DUI and much safer than driving intoxicated, because there's no price that can be put on a human life.
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