HOUSTON, TX – With the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo wrapping up its 2025 season at NRG Park, Uber and Lyft drivers are sharing the most common mistakes passengers made during the high-demand event—many of which led to trip cancellations, delays, and account penalties for drivers.
The most frequent issue, drivers say, was riders requesting trips while still inside the stadium. Drivers are paid only pennies per minute to wait and are not permitted to remain idle in pickup zones. Traffic controllers and security regularly force drivers to move when riders are not ready, forcing drivers to cancel trips—cancellations that still count against their records, even when passengers are at fault.
Drivers also reported that many riders dropped pins in areas clearly blocked off to traffic by police or outside of designated rideshare pickup zones, creating additional confusion and congestion around NRG Park.
Poor communication was another common complaint, with many riders failing to answer messages or calls, making it difficult for drivers to locate them in the crowds.
Several drivers also noted that riders attempted to exceed vehicle capacity by trying to fit six or seven passengers into a standard car designed for four. Drivers emphasized that this is not only against company policy but also illegal. Texas law requires every passenger to be properly seatbelted, and in the event of a crash, the driver could be held responsible if someone is injured or killed and was not properly restrained.
Drivers also said some riders became argumentative or refused to exit the vehicle when told that their group exceeded the legal seating limit.
Despite these challenges, a lot of the drivers we spoke to praised Apex Security for efficiently managing the Yellow Lot, the official rideshare pickup zone. They credited Apex staff for calling out license plate numbers and rider names to help facilitate quick pickups and keep the line moving smoothly during peak hours.
