Unless you drive and have your own car, it can sometimes be difficult moving around and getting places. Relying on public transport is one solution though it does mean that you may need to leave for your intended destination a lot earlier that you would if you were driving yourself.
Buses and trains run to schedules, and you may find that you need to take a train that arrives at your destination a couple of hours earlier than you need to be there. In situations such as this, there really isn’t anything you can do. It’s not like you can ask the train to depart a little later, so you aren’t hanging around at your destination for a few hours.
Sometimes you need to be somewhere at very short notice. Maybe a friend or family member has had an accident and needs immediate help. Maybe your employer has called and needs you to cover a shift at the last moment. Whatever the reason, having to travel at the last moment is never an enjoyable experience.
Sign up to a Ridesharing Program
Ridesharing is a very popular solution to people who have to get somewhere quickly without any time for planning the journey. It offers you the ability to arrange for you to be picked up and dropped off at your destination at the last moment. Gone are the days when you’d be waiting for a bus or even trying to hail a taxi in the rush hour traffic. By signing up with a ridesharing program, you can quickly and easily arrange your transport.
The two main players in the ridesharing market are Uber and Lyft. Uber is the most famous and is found in more than 45 countries around the world and in over 250 individual cities, while Lyft operates in more than 60 cities in the United States and a number of countries in South Asia.
Using Ridesharing
You’ll need to sign up for membership and download an app to your mobile phone in order to use the service. The apps for both Uber and Lyft are available for iOS and Android devices, and work in a very similar way, so if you are using both services, you can easily switch between them.
You can use the services for all types of uses, whether you simply need to be taken to a doctors appointment, or if you need a rideshare with a baby on the way to a meeting somewhere downtown.
Once you’ve downloaded the app and signed up, you simply enter the destination to wish to be taken to, and any vehicles that are close by and can take you will respond. All payments are handled through the app, and the drivers do not handle any cash or credit cards.
The prices you’ll pay for the service will depend on the type of vehicle that you will use, as well as the distance between your pick up point and the destination you wish to be taken to.
Travelling with kids
If you are planning to use a ridesharing service and are travelling with an infant or young baby, then it’s important that you plan the journey in advance wherever possible.
One of the most important things to have is your car seat, which is very important for the safety of young travellers. Many Uber and Lyft vehicles won’t be fitted with a child or booster seat, so it’s important that you take yours with you for the journey. However, there are some ridesharing services in certain major cities who are able to provide a child seat, though there will be an extra cost for this.
Another thing to consider is the size of the vehicle you will use. If you are travelling with a single child, then any size vehicle should be more than sufficient for your journey, but if you are travelling with 2 or 3 children, then you’ll need to make sure you book a larger sized vehicle for the trip.
Travelling with children can be a little messy at times, so be prepared that you might be asked to pay an additional charge if you make any mess or cause any damage during the journey.
Some final thoughts
Ridesharing services have really helped out huge numbers of people who are forced to make sudden journeys that they may not have been planning to make. There are even people who use them for scheduled journeys, as well as those that pop up at the last minute.
The services and their apps are very easy to use, and you’ll quickly pick up the process of how best to use the ridesharing services that operate in your town or city.
