NJ: Uber says there are better options than Uber for getting to the World Cup

While Uber dropped the price for its Uber Shuttle for Tuesday’s World Cup match at MetLife Stadium, the ride share company is encouraging fans to use public transit instead.

Even Uber’s spokesperson is taking NJ Transit.

“We’ve got shuttle tickets available for our shuttle, but people really should consider taking NJT, that’s how I’m going,” said Josh Gold, an Uber spokesperson.

Uber Shuttle seats, which now cost $29 instead of $49, must be reserved in advance for the trip home, he said. Fans cannot reserve for regular rides.

The New York New Jersey World Cup Host Committee had the same advice for fans.

“We continue to urge people to take public transportation to the matches for the fastest service,” said committee spokeswoman Natalie Hamilton. “All passengers who took public transportation were off stadium property within two-and-a-half hours post-match.”

Tickets for the Host Committee’s $20 shuttle buses were sold out by early Monday afternoon for Tuesday’s match.

As of 2:30 p.m., 14,175 of NJ Transit’s $98 train tickets had been sold, which is approximately 20% ahead of where sales were at the same point for Saturday’s game, said Kyalo Mulumba, an agency spokesperson.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said sales were brisk. “Those are increasing, as people hear how efficient and effective (mass transit) is,” she told NJ.com on Monday. “So, certainly, that’s the bright spot.”

On Saturday, crowds of fans waited at the designated ride share pick-up area at Meadowlands Racetrack. Fans who left the stadium later and walked 1.3 miles to the racetrack were connecting with Uber and Lyft ride-share apps and having their rides accepted by a driver, but the drivers could not get to the pick up area.

“Higher congestion around the stadium due to lower public transportation utilization, as well as Knicks Finals gridlock in NYC (that) impacted all vehicles moving in and out of Manhattan on Saturday night,” Hamilton said

Uber will increase signs around the stadium to better support drivers and improve routes into the Racetrack, she said. While Uber is a host city sponsor, Lyft was available at the Racetrack pick-up point, Hamilton said.

“Uber successfully helped move approximately 6,500 people, many of them through Uber Shuttle,” Gold said about Saturday’s first World Cup match.

More than 80,000 people attended that match, according to the host committee, with 21,000 riding NJ Transit and 16,013 using host committee shuttle buses.

“At events of this magnitude, some waiting is inevitable, which is why we have been encouraging fans for weeks to use public transit and other designated transportation options,“ Gold said.

The original plan for World Cup transportation intended ride shares to be a supplemental transportation option for the matches, Hamilton said. FIFA eliminated use of parking at MetLife stadium for security and other purposes.

“This is a public transportation first event,” she said.

Average wait times on Saturday were lower than what we’ve seen at events with this level of demand at MetLife, and reliability was stronger overall, Gold said.

“That was largely because the vast majority of fans used NJ Transit, the official shuttle, or Uber Shuttle,” Gold said. “We did have some longer wait times after the Knicks game around 11 p.m., but the Uber shuttle option was available until 12:20 a.m., for those who wanted it.”

NJ.com staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

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