You’ll have to walk to get Uber, Lyft at inauguration
Uber and Lyft are working with officials to make sure drivers and riders can get around Washington during the inauguration Friday, when as many as 800,000 people could crowd the city’s streets as Donald Trump become the nation’s 45th president.
A good portion of downtown D.C. will be designated a “vehicle-restricted zone” Friday, accessible only to government vehicles. Ride-hailing apps will be restricted from dropping off or picking up passengers inside that zone.
The security perimeter will go into effect 48 hours before the ceremony and last until Sunday morning in some areas.
Uber and Lyft have become used to updating their apps to reflect real-world conditions, especially at crowded events. These have included the Republican and Democratic conventions, the Super Bowl, large trade shows and the Coachella music festival in California.
The security and numbers of a presidential inauguration are something new, for the simple reason that four years ago, neither Uber nor Lyft operated in Washington. Both launched there in August 2013.
Uber has become an integral part of Washington’s transportation network. According to the company, in the past three months, more than 1.6 million riders took an Uber, driven by one of the service’s more than 38,000 active drivers.
Uber has worked with officials for months to prepare for Inauguration Day, the company said. Its engineers altered its navigation systems to account for road closures and blackout zones and changed dispatch algorithms, so vehicles won’t be matched with riders on the other side of a barrier.
People looking for rides will get in-app messages if they’re within the vehicle-restricted zone, telling them where they must walk to get picked up.
In addition, Uber will offer inapp guidance at locations such as the Kennedy Center where it expects large crowds will be looking for rides.
Lyft vehicles will be staged at the Kennedy Center, RFK Stadium and Capital Riverfront, Lyft said.
Uber suggests that its drivers from outside the area come to the District to offer rides to deal with anticipated high demand. It will direct many of them to specific Metro stations that experienced overflow during the inaugurations in 2009 and 2013 to offer rides to people unable to get on public transportation.
Even so, Uber cautions everyone to expect a rough ride.
“Visitors and residents alike should expect major transportation disruptions and challenges as they navigate the events, crowds and congestion,” the company said.