In my opinion, there is very little reason to ever schedule a ride. Most pickups happen within 10 minutes, and I've always made it on time. I've also been spoiled silly by living in New York City.
Scheduling rides don't always make the most sense, especially because I don't know what may happen the day of. The last thing I want is an Uber to show up while I'm still cramming things into a suitcase or when I've misplaced something (it's happened).
Here's the one exception: The one time it is a good idea is to schedule pickups is when departing from a conference, event, or festival. The last thing you want to do is compete with hordes of people competing for the same Uber drivers.
(Because not everyone gets there at the same time, but everyone does leave at the same time.)
Especially in towns where people have their own car. Especially if it involves a ride to the airport.
For those wondering, Uber Reserve lets travelers schedule rides up to 90 days in advance while Lyft lets travelers to schedule rides up to 30 days in advance. Generally, there is no financial advantage to doing this.
Scheduling a ride, strangely, does not guarantee a ride. The request goes out about half an hour before the scheduled ride, though it might make life a little easier so you are not sweating bullets the day of a flight.
There's nothing worse than standing with a suitcase, leaving an Airbnb, requesting Uber drivers for over an hour, and wondering whether you're going to miss your flight out of the country. 🙋
