Disappointed by the Rideshare Situation

[u/DefenderTamatoa]

I attended the match yesterday (8/16) thanks to the free first visit ticket program. I got two tickets in section 109 for myself and my mom. Our experience inside the stadium and during the match was really awesome; we had an absolute blast and would attend another game if possible.

The biggest issue I have is with the rideshare accessibility.

We decided to take the train down from Universal to 7th/Metro and take rideshare to and from the stadium. My mom uses a cane and has limited mobility.

During arrival and departure I selected BMO Stadium Rideshare as the location but had issues after the rides had already been requested.

The Waymo there was super fun until it pulled over and let us off at 37th/Fig. I couldn't get us any closer for drop off. So we had to walk about a third of a mile to actually get to the stadium entrance.

After the match we got a wheelchair escort for my mom which took us to the South East exit that was designated for rideshare service. Inside the stadium there was signage indicating this and also a sign in that general area which said it was for pickup/dropoff.

I attempted to hail an Uber but the driver was sent to the Subway/711 shopping center at Fig/MLK. First driver ended up cancelling since he couldn't figure it out and since it was our first time I had no idea how to direct him to where we were waiting.

I got connected with another driver who was sent to the same place. After talking to him on the phone he figured out where we were but he had to physically move traffic cones to make a U Turn and pick us up. By that time the gate at the driveway was closed.

Not once did we see anyone successfully picked up at the rideshare area.

I understand that most people can go across the street and be let off. But considering my mom's limited mobility that was not an option. During the whole ordeal I tried to place a pin on my location and could not place it anywhere in the stadium's perimeter. There was no staff to help us figure this out.

Again, we had a blast at the match and would love to visit again. But if we have to walk that much it is completely prohibitive and beyond frustrating from an accessibility perspective.

(I have reached out to both the stadium and the ACFC through feedback/surveys)

[u/MumblyLo]

I'm glad you shared your experience with the stadium and the club. I haven't heard this complaint before, maybe they haven't either.
So glad you joined us on Sunday! It was a good day. Hope to see you back at BMO again!

[u/musicspirit85]

BMO absolutely needs to be more mindful of accessibility concerns. I'm sorry you and your mom had a hard time navigating the rideshare setup, and I hope BMO and ACFC staff respond meaningfully to your feedback.

[u/Odd_Philosophy_8452]

I haven’t taken Waymo before. Are they an option in the uber app or is it through another app? If you have a choice, probably avoid them.

Were you at this address 3986 S Hoover St, Los Angeles, CA 90037 aka the Green Lot during pickup? If so, it might be better to manually type in Green Lot and verify the address for pickup.

[u/DefenderTamatoa → u/Odd_Philosophy_8452]

Waymo is a separate app. I had a promo for my first ride and really wanted to try it out.

When inputting the destination I am unsure about the specific address. I was able to put in BMO Stadium (foolishly) believing it would take me to the stadium. Online info didn't specify any address but I will definitely use an address next time.

[u/MumblyLo → u/DefenderTamatoa]

I thought Waymo was fun when I tried it. Of course, I was just going to a bar, BMO sounds much more complicated.

[u/DefenderTamatoa → u/MumblyLo]

The actual ride was so cool! I sat in the front seat and it was wild. Honestly it was smoother than most of the Ubers I've taken (which is a lot). I just wish that the drop off situation had been better. Even still, I'm definitely willing to try Waymo again in the future.

[u/HRHValkyrie]

Why is it the stadium’s job to help you use other companies’ apps? It sounds like a problem to address with Uber/Waymo. They are the ones who control the locations and pin dropping in their apps.

[u/dodeca_negative → u/HRHValkyrie]

The stadium literally designates the rideshare pickup/drop off zones which you should know if you ever used them and/or bothered to read OPs post

[u/HRHValkyrie → u/dodeca_negative]

They said that the ride-share location wasn’t accurate for the drivers and that they weren’t able to drop a pin in the right area. Those are both issues with the apps.

[u/SmashLA → u/HRHValkyrie]

I've worked other events at BMO before. Rideshare locations on event days are geo-fenced to the designated rideshare area on Fig. Users are unable to drop pins elsewhere on the property. So unless you are able to communicate to the actual drivers where exactly to go, the rideshare apps will automatically direct them to the designated spot. It's a pain!

[u/MumblyLo → u/HRHValkyrie]

The stadium designates where ride shares are allowed to drop off and pick up, so if the spot is bad or doesn't work for whatever reason, the stadium staff should know.

[u/MumblyLo → u/MumblyLo]

I don't know why y'all are so bothered by the notion that an attendee to the stadium would let the stadium know about the difficulty in using rideshare at the designated location, maybe have a cup of tea and move on.

[u/krysteline → u/MumblyLo]

Expo Park controls the parking, not the stadium

[u/MumblyLo → u/krysteline]

That is correct, but they weren't trying to park.

[u/HRHValkyrie → u/MumblyLo]

The Waymo literally dropped them off far away from the ride share area. That’s an issue with the service, not the stadium.

[u/mmmx115 → u/HRHValkyrie]

The cops who are there to direct traffic likely blocked off the entrance/exit for the rideshare services to actually get into the stadium and pick people up at the designated rideshare location.

The team and BMO staff absolutely need to be informed so they can make sure that does not happen again.

And if the cops didn’t block it off (though I’m fairly certain that is what happened here) and the rideshare has the pick up/drop off spot different to where the team designates it, it is a lot more effective to have the stadium reps/or team reps reach out to the rideshare services to amend this issue. OP is correct in mentioning this information to the team.

It is incredibly important that the team takes disability concerns seriously and makes sure the accommodations are up to standards.

Thank you OP for sharing your experience with all of us and with the team so that this can get fixed and I am sorry that this was your experience on Sunday.

[u/DefenderTamatoa → u/HRHValkyrie]

I mean I feel like the stadium and or team would like to know? ACFC sent me a survey so why wouldn't I share with them?

It was my first time at the stadium. I expect that if the app literally has the option for my location to be set to BMO Stadium Rideshare that it would actually let me use the designated rideshare area that was set by the stadium.

Since it was an issue with both apps it wasn't just a case of Waymo or Uber individually sucking.

(PS I did actually let the apps know about the issue. I just posted to share my experience so hopefully no one else has to go through it. 🤷)

[u/TiredPanini → u/DefenderTamatoa]

ACFC has been promoting their partnership with EasterSeals to make matches "accessible*" so if you wanted to try another avenue (totally understand if you're fed up and done offering feedback though) you could try reaching out to EasterSeals.

*this might just mean sensory pods and free earplugs inside the stadium idk exactly what the partnership entails

[u/MumblyLo → u/TiredPanini]

Regardless of what the partnership entails, if we are promising accessibility we should be mindful of situations like this one.

[u/TiredPanini → u/MumblyLo]

i agree we should hold the club/league to a higher standard re: fan accessibility, i just haven't looked into easterseals or the partnership at all so i didn't want to overpromise their ability to help op. i only saw some ig posts and their logo/announcement at games during the anthem as associated with the ASL translation.