Noah Kahan concertgoers report hours-long waits for rideshares

The Noah Kahan concert at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh ended around 11 p.m. Saturday, but for many fans relying on rideshare services, getting home took hours.

NC State oversees security and traffic operations for events at Carter-Finley Stadium. For Saturday's concert, the university designated Lower Bunn Field, at the intersection of Trinity Road and Youth Center Drive, as the official rideshare pickup and drop-off location.

One fan, TikTok user @ashleyjones98, posted that roads leading to the pickup area were blocked, preventing Uber drivers from reaching passengers. She said concertgoers were forced to walk long distances and wait for law enforcement to move traffic cones so rideshare drivers could get through.

She said she had pre-booked her Uber and even left the concert early to make sure she made her pickup time. Despite that, her driver canceled because he couldn't reach the designated pickup area. She said she didn't make it back to her hotel until 1 a.m.

Peter Rowe, another concertgoer, told WRAL it took him nearly two hours to find a ride. He said his Uber driver told him he canceled about 10 rides that night because he repeatedly tried to reach the pickup area but couldn't get through.

"When you see people crying and people in a situation that is pretty dangerous, especially after 1 a.m., you've got a lot of people walking on roads they don't know," Rowe said. "You're just worried for their safety. If we can do something before it becomes an issue that's really tragic, that's what I'd like to see."

After Rowe walked away from Carter-Finley Stadium and reached Wade Avenue, he said he was finally able to find rideshare drivers. But he said a new problem emerged.

"Some were still offering Ubers, but some were only offering cash rides or setting their own prices outside the app," Rowe said.

In a statement to WRAL, NC State said, "We will conduct a post-concert review, as we do with other large events, assessing event operations including traffic, parking and rideshare to evaluate what went well and where improvements can be made."