New Uber Surcharge for Universal Orlando

Gabrielle Russon at the Orlando Sentinel reports a new $4 surcharge for Uber passengers leaving Universal Orlando’s ridesharing pickup area. The new surcharge is being added to pay for infrastructure improvement, new signage, the new rideshare pickup location in the north parking garage, and a soon-to-come lounge for Uber guests. The surcharge is only for guests leaving Universal Orlando from the rideshare pickup location using Uber. Other rideshare services, like Lyft or taxis, are not affected at this time.

Uber is a great option for guests looking to save money traveling from around Orlando to visit the theme parks. Imposing a $4 surcharge could increase to the cost of a one way trip 10-50%, which could raise the cost of a drive to I-Drive hotels to $11 or more. Thankfully there are a few loopholes to save you time and money:

• Use Another Service: Other ridesharing services like Lyft are currently exempt from the surcharge. When leaving Universal, choose Lyft over Uber to save the $4. Lyft’s prices are also comparable or cheaper than Uber’s, so price compare before choosing a service.
• Pick Up at a Universal Hotel: Universal’s hotels are incredibly close to the parks. Walk, boat, or bus to one of the resorts first and then hail your rideshare from the hotel. If you walk, try the following hotels:
  • Hard Rock Hotel for Universal Studios Florida
  • Royal Pacific Resort for Islands of Adventure
  • Adventura for Volcano Bay

At the time there is no information on expanding the surcharge to other services or if Walt Disney World will also start charging for pick ups.

Thank you to Gabrielle Russon at the Orlando Sentinel for the article and @elvenage for the new Uber signage photo.