NC State Fair & Billie Eilish concerts start. What happens to Uber ride costs?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Taking an Uber may help alleviate parking and traffic concerns near the state fairgrounds.
- Uber prices increase for Triangle riders during peak demand.
- Scheduling an Uber early can help riders save money.
Concerns about heavy traffic began before Thursday, Oct. 16, the opening day of the North Carolina State Fair and Billie Eilish’s first concert at the neighboring Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
Days earlier, the area saw heavy traffic congestion when Chris Brown gave a concert at Carter-Finley Stadium. The buildup was so severe that some people missed the concert or parked along the highway. And that night, the fair hadn’t opened, and no events were happening at the Lenovo Center.
There was, though, construction to widen Interstate 440 between Wade Avenue and Interstate 40 and build an underpass to carry Blue Ridge Road under Hillsborough Street and adjoining railroad tracks.
But even more people could be traveling to the area on Thursday. Last year, 44,326 people visited the state fair on its opening day, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. And the Lenovo Center, where the musical artist is performing, seats 20,000.
On days when Carter-Finley Stadium and the Lenovo Center aren’t hosting events, the surrounding parking lots open to state fair visitors free of charge. But with Eilish’s concerts — as well as those Friday, Oct. 24 (NBA YoungBoy) and Saturday, Oct. 25 (Tate McRae) — fairgoers will likely have fewer parking options and face additional traffic.
Ahead of the first Eilish concert, the Lenovo Center issued an alert, warning visitors to expect heavy traffic and longer travel times because of the show and fair on adjacent properties. Concertgoers were also encouraged to carpool and arrive early.
Cost of rideshare in the Triangle
It’s widely known that rideshare prices increase during periods of high demand. On its website, Uber says several data points — such as estimated trip time and distance along with demand patterns for that route at that time — factor into upfront prices.
The News & Observer wanted to see just how much Uber ride prices would increase for concertgoers during this time of high demand for parking space and rideshare services.
- We selected three pickup locations in the Triangle: our downtown Raleigh office, the Durham Performing Arts Center and Duke University’s East Campus.
- Then we used the Uber app to get cost estimates for a 5 p.m. Thursday pickup from each location to the Lenovo Center, checking prices at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, 10 a.m. Thursday and 5 p.m. Thursday.
- We also checked prices from each location for a 5 p.m. pickup on Wednesday, before the fair and concerts.
How much does it cost to Uber to the Billie Eilish concert?
It would have been cheaper to schedule a ride in advance than to order an Uber for immediate pickup.
When scheduling rides, doing so earlier — further in advance of the desired pickup time — resulted in a lower price. Scheduling an Uber on Wednesday morning for a pickup Thursday afternoon would have saved at least a couple of bucks, compared to scheduling the ride on Thursday morning.
There also was some indication that demand was driving up prices of rides. Ordering an Uber on Thursday afternoon was more expensive than on Wednesday afternoon for all three locations considered. The Uber app showed a note saying fares were “a lot higher than usual” on Thursday afternoon going to the Lenovo Center from downtown Raleigh.
On Thursday afternoon, the price of an Uber trip from downtown Raleigh to the Lenovo Center was about $20 more than a trip taken around the same time a day earlier.
Prices for rides from Duke University and DPAC didn’t change as much from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon, but fares were higher in both cases.
