Uber & Lyft Pickups Banned from Ultra Music Festival

There is a new update in the ride service situation for Ultra 2019. According to the Miami Herald, the festival organizers, Miami county regulators, and Uber/Lyft representatives have finalized a transportation plan.

The main issue was the exit strategy. The Rickenbacker Causeway is the only road connecting the city of Miami to Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, leaving attendees with only way way out. Ultra is expecting up to 60,000 people, which would make the traffic situation unbearable for residents and attendees. A representative from Uber shared the concern of the company and county officials.

“The potential of having thousands of attendees trying to find their Uber in congested, narrow, and low-visibility areas off the Rickenbacker Causeway poses a significant safety risk, which is why we worked with law enforcement and aligned on restricting pickups on Virginia Key” 

As a result of the Uber/Lyft ban, transportation might seem messy. Luckily, we’re here to break down your options.

Getting there

Just to clarify, the ban is only on pickups. You may still take a ride service to Virginia Key. In fact, Uber has not restricted its drop-offs at all. Lyft, on the other hand, will prohibit drop-offs from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the days of the festival. Lyft is also selling promotions for discounted rides throughout MMW and Ultra weekend. This will come in handy if you’re planning on using these services to get you around town. 

Getting Out

Your only options to leave the festival grounds are through the shuttle buses or ferry. The bright side is that the shuttle is included with your ticket. The downside is that there will most likely be a lot of lines and chaos. Taking the ferry is a cool option, but it does cost extra. A three-day ferry pass is $149.95.

The shuttle buses will take you to three mainland hubs: Arsht Center Station, American Airlines Arena, and the Vizcaya. The ferry takes you to the Bayside Market.

From there, you are free to Uber, Lyft, or walk all you want. Explore Miami, go to an after-party, or whatever you want. When you’re ready to go home, whether it’s Kendall or Coconut Grove or up North in Ft. Lauderdale, you also have options. Miami-dade is allowing the Metrorail and Metromover to run 24 hours a day for that weekend.

If you’re heading to Ft. Lauderdale or West Palm Beach and don’t feel like driving or paying for an expensive ass Uber, you can opt for the Brightline, a fast train service. Use the promo code GOSMART while booking your ride and you’ll receive 25% off the SMART train option.

For more details, you can visit Ultra’s transport site. The festival is right around the corner so get excited!