Uber? Lyft?

[jklingel]

Picking up a coach in Iowa this spring and don't want to get into the toad routine right away. Are Uber and Lyft pretty easy to find in the Lower 48? I am thinking of using them for a toad this year; I have enough on my plate already. Thanks.

[Biljol]

Its all going to depend on where you are at most city’s will have some Uber or lift but not the rural areas.

You can install the app and see the location of most of there cars by moving around the map by setting your pickup location using a zip code.

Look at where you going and see if there are any rides there.

I am in quartzite AZ right now and not a single one near but some in Blythe.

[SomeDay]

We do lots of long time trips of several weeks/months, as well lots of shorter ones and we've never ever toad since we started in the late 90's and 2003 with our current 36ft A Class.

We use public transport (eg: LA & NYC) in some places if it's easy enough and depending if there are 3 of us usually an Uber/Lyft in likes of Vegas, Santa Barbara etc. We also walk a tremendous amount. When we did the Utah Parks, we just drove into them with the RV, and parked out of harms way earlier in the day, and then either walked to vantage points or caught the shuttles within. We got to see the same views as others with a toad for the most part, so it's never bothered us. Also not having a toad forces us to walk more for my diabetic blood sugar control needs as well. Plus we boondock/drycamp for the vast majority of the time.

So "if" you are like us and typically don't get frazzled when things aren't quite as easy always as one's used to convenience wise, and it doesn't phase you, I'm sure you'll be fine with a combo of: Uber/Lyft, Public Transport and if necessary a rental here and there.

It's really no hassle to stop at a grocery store or otherwise enroute with the RV and pick up anything we're going to need for our next stop or several. I'm pretty organised so don't tend to run out of things when we are parked up.

Having been there and done that so to speak, I'd start off without a toad and see how you feel = can always add at a later date if you find it too inconvenient for how "you" roll.

Happy Travels. SD.

[BillJinOR]

If your camping in cities uber is great, but I doubt many camps are in cities. NO, Uber and Lyft are not useful in many communities small towns and outlying areas aren't rideshare friendly. I've thought the same for different reasons and actually looked. I suggest you Try to "test" book a uber from your favorite campground. You'll find what I did it doesn't work. Set the towed up and be done with it. Or camp in Cities Maybe pack a couple bikes ?

[Dutch Star Don]

We've always had a toad or travel with another couple that had a truck trailer. We wouldn't be without a toad. There are some that make Uber and Lyft sound magical as a toad, not true. Like others said, they're only available in larger cities, where most don't camp.

A few scenarios......you've driven all day and you've stopped for the evening. It would be nice to just grab the toad and go out to dinner.....oops, no toad, but you could wait an hour for someone to pick you up. Most likely, you just scratch going out.

One of you gets sick, not sick enough to call an ambulance, but would like to go to urgent care. Oops, no Uber or Lyft in the area.

After a week or so on the road you need groceries. You're in a nice campground and you would like to go into town and go shopping. Oops, no Lyft or Uber near the campground.

You're driving along and God forbid, the coach breaks down. You're towed to a shop a 1000 miles from your house. Now what? The rental car fleet is still a mess as many rental car companies sold off their fleet during the pandemic.

Even though National Parks often have small towns near the park, they're still in rural areas where no one is participating in Uber or Lyft.

I think the above paints a pretty good picture why a toad is needed. Its lovely that someone likes to walk everywhere, but do they walk on the freeway, major highway, to the store for 8 bags of groceries, to Urgent Care, in the rain.

Either you pack everything you need and go to a specific campground where you stay within the confines of the campground for a week (no toad needed) or you're traveling the country. In our younger days, we went to a boating campground or a National Park where we stayed the entire time, no toad needed. We were younger and healthier and could pack all of our food for the week. Now we move every few days and like to sightsee in our toad.

[jklingel]

Thanks for the replies. I kind of figured a toad would be the most predictable way to go but I am trying to avoid getting into that for a couple of reasons. We will digest all this and make a plan.

[DAN L]

Originally Posted by jklingel

Thanks for the replies. I kind of figured a toad would be the most predictable way to go but I am trying to avoid getting into that for a couple of reasons. We will digest all this and make a plan.

How about a regular "taxi"?

[dizcom]

You can plan around having a toad. We take trips with the toad and some without. There's always Walmart if you need something, and you can park your rig there. Truck stops also have restaurants, shops and a healthy amount of supplies. Plan to stop before you hook up. If you find yourself in camp tethered, it's really not that big a deal to unhook and just drive your rig over. If you feel like exploring the local area and need to get in someplace where your rig doesn't fit, rent a car. Google maps is great for finding large parking lots to park your rig. Just do a little more planning.



We love our toad, but we've never had a problem with an Uber or Lyft ride, taxi or rental every place we've gone. If you want to go someplace remote, you've got a giant RV with tons of storage and a refrigerator and freezer, just stock up before you go. Make friends with your campground neighbors also. I can't count the number of times we've shared a ride somewhere with the people in the campground parked next to us.

[jklingel]

All good ideas. Thanks.

[PB2]

If you're going to be in an area for a few days a rental car makes some sense. We've used Turo (https://turo.com/) in the past and it has worked great. If you're not familiar with Turo, it's like Air BnB for cars. You rent a car from a private individual. The cost is usually less than the national rental companies and many times the owner will deliver the car to you.


We're headed to Florida soon and will do the Turo thing there. Better than fiddling about with a towed - at least for us.

[klspahr]

I wish ZipCar would station a couple of their cars at campgrounds. I think they would do a ton of business!