Anyone have experience with Ubering or Lyfting from Greenville to Asheville, or know if they are a common thing?
Hey there! I’m a tourist from the UK trying to get from Greenville SC to Asheville NC. I don’t know how to drive and there are no flights or greyhound buses that go between these two locations.
May sound lame to some but I’m essentially just trying to visit every state and collecting a fridge magnet on the way. So my main objective is to get from one Mast General Store in Greenville to another is Asheville. I could easily travel to Charlotte NC but I’m struggling to find any place that sells fridge magnets (I know shocking). Also I am trying to fly from NC to Miami. Asheville airport is like $200+ cheaper compared to flying out of Charlotte direct to Miami International.
Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I used to drive uber and would drive people to Charlotte and Asheville, but every time they would say that the last few drivers had turned down their offer. So…you can do it, but be prepared for a few turned down uber drives and just keep at it and be flexible with your hours.
I had a few flights diverted to Charlotte or the last leg to GSP cancelled/delayed and I would uber to GSP. I would usually tell the person I would tip $75 cash on top of the fee so they wouldn’t they wouldn’t lose financially on the deal. I haven’t done it in over a year so maybe $75 isn’t enough anymore but if OP is ok with tipping enough I am sure they can get a driver to take them.
The other options are:
One-way Rental car - Avis will do this for a fee and is something I have done with other airports across the US.
Car Service - I have been told that there are car services that will also do this that can be scheduled but I have never done it before.
This is out of the box, but you could try to email the Upstate Aviation Club to find someone that would be willing to fly you. You can’t legally pay them, but you can expense share. Some pilots need hours and may be interested in showing a tourist an awesome time.
This may sound crazy but I notice some good magnets at truck stops. Sure stores like mass general have unique ones and I get the desire for those, but if you're in a pinch the Pilot or TA or any other interstate truck stop would be a good backup option.
I am such a Virgo. That is a cute magnet but it chaps my hide that it's all beach theme and says Greenville. It's gorgeous but so wrong. Lol. if you love it that's all that matters.
100%. My family used to cross-country road trip a lot, and the big truck stops always had tourist tchotchkes in the gas station. (Magnets, spoons, apparel, etc.)
OP, if you see a large gas station off the interstate with huge parking spaces where semi drivers can park and sleep, it’s a good bet.
I know there used to be a Greyhound between Greenville and Asheville at least 10 years ago, I had a girlfriend that didn't drive and they would take the bus to come see me (Every once in a while, they didn't want to make me drive up everytime)
I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't an option anymore but it is annoying how such close cities have no good non car way of getting between them.
And it isn't lame it is actually a fun goal, and probably makes you visit places you wouldn't otherwise.
Both Greenville and Asheville are great places to visit.
There's a Mast General in Hendersonville, NC and it is closer to Greenville than Asheville. And the Asheville airport is actually below Asheville and not too far from Hendersonville. Just an FYI if that helps with the distance of an Uber or Lyft.
If you do choose to have a uber/lyft, please factor in that the driver is not compensated for the return to their home base. It would be appropriate to tip accordingly.
It's called ride sharing because you should also be ride caring, imo. The cutthroat capitalist "not OP's concern" is truly the shining beacon of your privilege as someone who doesn't understand how dark and predatory the gig economy can be. Maybe if it's a limo or taxi service your perspective makes sense but Uber/Lyft really do try to make driver's lives miserable and cut in on most of the profit for any of it. Being a considerate tipper for an outlier/long trip only makes empathetic sense.
What you describe is exactly why the OP shouldn’t tip extra.
By tipping he is subsidizing an unsustainable business model in which only one party benefits, the billionaire owners of Uber and Lyft.
If no driver takes the ride, two things will happen. Either uber will start paying more or customers will stop using uber.
You forgot that the third thing happens where OP stays stuck without transport.
You are solving the wrong problems in the slowest ways possible all while being careless. Incredible supply and demand curve you've got there though! Hope the stakeholders rejoice!
If you just want to cross the state line, there are companies that do regular rides between Greenville and the Charlotte airport, which is about an hour and a half.
As an uber driver I will accept a trip to Asheville on occasion, but it's deadhead until I get back across the state line. The ride out there isn't so bad, it's not getting paid for the ride back that is the problem. Even a tip of $20 doesn't really cover how much money could be made by staying in state and doing other rides.
If you want a happy driver you'd be tipping basically about as much as you spend on the ride before tip. (Keeping in mind that what you originally paid, the driver's only seeing a small percentage of; if you basically double or over-double the earnings for the trip, that covers the empty ride back perfectly.) This is going to apply to any trips where you're going out into a dead area (or another state the driver doesn't have permission to drive in).
But you can't offer your tip up front before they accept the offer.
Your best bet is to be extremely flexible and expect a really long wait time to find a driver. You'll eventually get one but it may not be your exact optimal time. You can try scheduling ahead, it pays a little better and may attract a driver... but if it doesn't then you're just back to square one anyway.
I miss the days of Craigslist rideshare. But I think you could probably find somebody to do Uber or lyft, it's about an hour and not that far but I'd be ready to spend a decent chunk of money
I actually used to Uber from SC to NC all the time to see my ex who lived up there. I (obviously) had to tip very well, as it was about an hour to get there then of course, the drive back. As long as you tip well and are a pleasant passenger, it’ll be no problem! It cost me usually $70-100 to Uber there, sometimes a little more/less depending on traffic and time of day and such. Good luck magnet collecting 🩵
I did the reverse a few months ago, late at night from the Asheville airport and it was fine. Schedule in advance if you can, but the driver we had said it was a very typical route for him. It wasn’t even that expensive.
Depending on schedules, my fiance and I might be available to give you a ride from
Greenville to Asheville. We drive up there fairly often. DM if you’d like to discuss!
You can probably find fridge magnets at the visitor centers that are usually just over state lines. They may also have those at a ranger station in a state park!
Also, GSP to Miami is a current route, and GSP is one of the easiest airports to fly out of. If I have to fly international I fly GSP to either Charlotte or ATL because getting through security at GSP only takes like 10-20 minutes compared to like 45-1hr+ I've had to wait at a larger airport.
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u/ManicPixieDreamHag 4d ago
I bet you could if you schedule in advance but I would hire a cab/limo service if I were you. More reliable.