Take Me to the Mardi Gras: Catching a Ride to and from the Parades
NEW ORLEANS - Getting
around New Orleans during Mardi Gras can be a challenge, and finding places to
park safely and legally once you get to the parades can make things even more
stressful. If you’re planning to leave the car at home and catch a ride to and from
this year’s parades, NOPD is offering some tips to help you get around safely.
Vehicle
traffic and public transportation operations are affected by street
closures along the route on parade days, February 17-19 and February
24-28, so be sure to plan ahead. In addition to the actual parade route, there
are a number of street closures needed to accommodate the proliferation of
Mardi Gras floats traveling back and forth from their storage dens. Streets in
the Lower Garden District, Irish Channel and Garden District will be affected during
the hours before, during and after this year’s Mardi Gras parades so if you're the one behind the wheel be patient, be sober and be buckled up.
In order to operate as effectively as possible on both sides
of St. Charles Avenue, Uber has worked out a system that that allows drivers to
operate within two distinct regions of the city – “The Box,” or the area
between St. Charles Avenue and the Mississippi River – and everywhere else.
The Box, as defined by Uber, stretches from Napoleon Avenue
to Canal Street and the river side of St. Charles Avenue to Tchoupitoulas.
If you’re in The Box and you want to go to another
destination inside The Box, you’ll catch an Uber that only works within those
boundaries. For example if you’re at
Magazine and Race streets and you want to go to a destination inside The Box –
like Tchoupitoulas and Seventh Street – your Uber driver will come to your
location and take you to your destination. No big deal.
However if you’re inside of The Box and you want to go to a
destination located outside of The Box – like Mid-City or Lakeview – you’ll need
to find your way to the edge of The Box to catch an Uber that isn’t locked in to only servicing destinations within the region's boundaries.
Messaging about The Box will appear when a user opens the app around the parade route. It will include a colored notification at the bottom of the screen. The complete Uber Mardi Gras Ride Guide is available here.
The City’s taxicab companies will be operating as usual, and
the Department of Safety and Permits encourages revelers to make sure they’re only
taking licensed New Orleans taxi cabs. All cabs are required to take credit
cards and the meter must be engaged during the trip.
The department also reminds riders using ride services like Uber
or Lyft to make sure you verify the vehicle and driver match the information
provided by the app before getting into the car. Click
here for more general Uber and taxicab safety tips.
Any complaints or issues with cabs and other ride services can
be reported on the
department’s website or by calling 311.
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