I'm only 4 miles, so the trip costs about 9 bucks each way. I don't have a second car and even if I did, my office charges 300 (pre tax so really less) to park. And if I'm forced to stay late, I can expense the ride home. So I'm pretty sure it's cheaper than driving myself.
But I could do public transit for around 2.50 each way. But adding about 15-20 minutes transit time.
What I really should do is bike to work. It's better for my health, wallet, and environment. I really have no excuse.
I bike commute 8-9 months of the year, but currently am ubering both ways during this wet El Niño winter we are having as I live without a car.
I estimate my Ubers this year will work out to around
($20/day for uber * ~60 winter work days) = $1200
Most people with modest vehicles will see a total cost of car ownership costing them somewhere in the $5-10k/year range. So I could double or triple my already heavy reliance on uber and come out ahead.
TLDR: For those with short commutes, a heavily uber-assisted bike commuting plan is a huge financial win. And this is not even considering the downstream value of the productivity and health benefits resulting from regular exercise. Or the value of the time I can now spend reading instead of driving.
I'm assuming you're in the SF Bay Area -- there have only been a handful of days when I've had to break out the rain gear so far this season (today was one of them). Maybe 5 days max.
If a person is willing to bike to work when it's dry in the morning (even if it might rain on the way home) there's probably only around 20 - 30 days when they'd need Uber, so that'd cut the Uber expenses by 1/3 to 1/2.
Totally. I'm the first to admit that I'm a lazy bike commuter and with a little grit could greatly reduce my commute costs.
The point I was trying to illustrate for anyone reading is that uber is cheap, not expensive, when used to obviate the need for private vehicle ownership.
Uber Pool is like $6 from Union Station to my office, no tip. I rarely have to put up with another person and many drivers don't even seem to realize they are supposed to wait for one.
I'm in Chicago and it's about an $8 cost per trip on average to go from one part of the city to another. The subway system is about $2.50 for the same trip but it's not on demand.
If you only care about cost in a big city there are likely less expensive options but if time is more valuable to you then cost isn't the big concern.
not the person you were asking, but that would really depend. It costs $18 to take the caltrain both ways from San Jose, and I could see uber being cheaper if he both lives and works in Santa Clara, for example.
Why would you compare a Caltrain fare from SJ to SF to an Uber ride within Santa Clara (especially when there's only one Caltrain station within Santa Clara's city limits, so it's unlikely that he'd take Caltrain if he were staying in Santa Clara)
It would cost $60 - $80 for a one-way Uber trip from San Jose to SF, Caltrain would be around $16/day with a discounted 8-ride ticket, around $10.50 per day if you use a Caltrain monthly pass.
Even if you put 4 passengers in the car, it'd still cost you $35/day for Uber.
No, my point was that riding Uber to work can be cheaper than public transport depending on where he lived). I think he gave a clearer answer as a reply.
But I could do public transit for around 2.50 each way. But adding about 15-20 minutes transit time.
What I really should do is bike to work. It's better for my health, wallet, and environment. I really have no excuse.