[dsil]

Hold on, what you're missing is the last part of the essay, the difference in value of time spent driving vs time spent riding an Uber.

Say you averaged going 45mph. Then your 9000 miles took 200 hours. And you'd spend $4000 extra to use Uber, so not having to drive would cost $20/hour.

Depends how you'd use that time, but for many it would be well worth $20/hour to be able to do other things, like bill hours.

[btilly]

And if you're prone to motion sickness, like I am, then the value of that time you get back is approximately $0.

[mikeash]

Quite possible negative. For many people it can easily be a net negative to be driven around rather than driving one's self simply in terms of how you feel afterwards. All else being equal, I'd prefer to drive than be driven. Sometimes not all else is equal, like parking is hard, or I'm taking a trip and need to leave the car for the wife, and then I take a taxi or Uber or something. But I would assign a value of something like $50/hour to not being in a taxi/Uber.

[rdl]

I prefer driving, but am ok with being a passenger in the right car with a driver I personally know (i.e. my driver, vs. even a random guy from the motor pool, and certainly not UberX or a black car/taxi driver). For me I'd pay $50/hr to drive on a great road, $20 for most roads on e.g. the Peninsula, $0 for stop-and-go or SF anytime, -$20 to have a meh driver drive me around (black car or great uberx) or a very luxurious or empty train; $0-20 for a great driver I know and trust, -$50 for most taxis or a slightly crowded train, and -$100 for Thai taxis or public transit on wheels.

[wise_young_man]

Do you take hour long Uber rides? Because if most are 10-20 minute rides the distractions are not going to be helpful for productivity, so it may be hard to bill anything.

[mastermojo]

Most people are always balancing the time/money tradeoff with how much they enjoy the task.

i.e do I do my own laundry, clean my own place, drive my own car, cook my own food?