ARLINGTON, Texas —
Large crowds poured into AT&T Stadium by the tens of thousands at a recent Sunday football game.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic stretched on as far as the eyes could see along Collins Street, but it didn’t stop loyal fans from showing up for America’s team.
Dozens of sports and entertainment fans told WFAA that getting to the stadium is a smooth process, but trying to get a rideshare home after games and concerts is a headache.
Late into the night, when large crowds pour out of the busy stadium, WFAA discovered a plethora of issues with rideshare access outside of the stadium.
"It is an absolute nightmare,” said Devin Hinojosa after attending a TheWeeknd concert in August.
The McKinney resident was among dozens of people who waited in the heat for more than 40 minutes at the stadium’s Rideshare Lot 15. Hinojosa told WFAA she encountered several ride cancellations by Uber and Lyft drivers who told her they couldn’t access the lot. As the minutes passed, she watched the cost of rides spike.
“It’s incredibly frustrating,” Hinojosa said.
Another rideshare customer, Alexandra Britney, dealt with four cancellations from rideshare drivers.
Several rideshare drivers, including Philbert, an Uber driver who asked not to use his last name, told WFAA traffic is to blame.
“There’s nothing you can do with all the crowds, all the traffic, the street is blocked,” Philbert said.
Plans to improve the area surrounding AT&T Stadium’s rideshare lot are underway. The city of Arlington is working on the Randol Mill project, which aims to widen and improve roads along Randol Mill between Cooper St. and Collins St.
Beyond traffic issues, when events at the stadium end, high demand leads to surge pricing from rideshare companies.
“It jumped over 100 dollars in price from one minute to the next,” Hinojosa said.
“$260 to get back home ridiculous,” another rider, who asked not to be named, said.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Some of the cars that pulled into the stadium’s rideshare lot weren't affiliated with rideshare companies. On multiple occasions, private drivers offered rides to people desperate for a ride home.
Raphael Bernardo is one of them.
“I get cash rides, almost all those guys do that,” Bernardo said. “It’s all about the money."
In an interview with WFAA, Arlington Police Dept. Deputy Police Chief Brook Rollins warned against taking rides with drivers who aren’t affiliated with rideshare companies like Uber or Lyft, citing safety concerns.
“We wouldn’t recommend for anyone to get into a vehicle that they don’t recognize as a member of the rideshare company or a taxi itself,” Rollins said.
During concerts and Cowboys games between August and October, WFAA found traffic, long wait times for rideshare and price surge issues persisted Uber and Lyft drivers expressed frustration over the issue.
At a recent Cowboys game in September, Uber driver Alexander Rodriguez drove away from the stadium’s rideshare lot in frustration.
“I have been waiting there for about 30 minutes just canceling rides because it’s really hard to find the people,” Rodriguez said.
Another Uber driver, Rob, echoed that same sentiment. He canceled several rides.
“You can’t find them," Rob said. "I’ve been waiting on her for 15 minutes. She can’t get here."
A spokesperson for AT&T Stadium declined an interview but provided WFAA with some information regarding rideshare at AT&T Stadium.
“We did not receive any calls or email complaints in guest services regarding ride share for The Weeknd,” the spokesperson said. "AT&T Stadium works closely with the City of Arlington and Arlington Police to ensure the best way for all cars entering and leaving AT&T Stadium, as well as traffic and locations of rideshare zones as part of the traffic plan."
Information about the rideshare lot is available at www.attstadium.com – as well as the Cowboys/SeatGeek app under rideshare, taxis, etc.
AT&T Stadium has signage outside and inside of the stadium to show ride-share customers how to access Lot 15
This season, there is a push notification available for each ticket buyer that goes directly to their SeatGeek/Cowboys app for information on rideshare at the end of games as to the exact location of Lot 15
Ride-share apps control costs of rides, we do not have any control with that
“With any major event that we have where we have 80,000 plus people coming, there are probably going to be issues that are uncontrollable,” Rollins said.
WFAA reached out to both Uber and Lyft about the problems. In a statement, a spokesperson for Uber told WFAA that price surge is a growing issue for the company due to driver shortages. Both Uber and Lyft told WFAA they’re currently dealing with a driver shortage in the Metroplex.
Rideshare customers are fed up with price surges.
"They’re taking advantage of us. It's that simple," said Highland Park resident Scott Ginsburg.
During last week’s State of the City address, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross discussed the transportation challenges his city is facing.
“Getting people in and out of Arlington has always been an issue,” Ross said. “There are prospective projects: a high-speed rail, hyperloop, rapid bus transit, all have great potential. The downside to all of these projects is it takes forever. It takes a long time, 10-plus years to make these things happen, and it costs a fortune. We need something now.”
Ross said the city is hoping to launch a regional tri-city VIA, a flat-fee rideshare program, that will transport people between Arlington, Grand Prairie and Mansfield. The hope is to launch the tri-city VIA in the coming months.
It’s a step toward achieving what Ross called much-needed regionalism in the area.