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Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

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Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#21

Post by ghaff »

starik36 wrote: post #11

I think the biggest impact is going to be felt with current generations of 18 year olds. My kid (about to be 18) has no interest in getting a driver's license and neither are any of his friends. He's happy to be taking Uber and Lyft anywhere he goes. And between the cost of the vehicle and insurance, it's cheaper for me as well. When I was 16, I couldn't wait to get a car.

I didn't drive a lot (or own a car) until I graduated from school. But I do have trouble wrapping my head around not getting a driver's license past a certain point--whether they get one while in school or not. Even had Uber/Lyft existed at the time, I literally couldn't have done my first job (I regularly had to drive hours to a job site) and I would have been at least reliant on other people at other jobs.

Vacations and weekends would be even more limited.

I certainly get not owning a car, especially in a city. That's basically a decision about economics and hassle. But even the couple I know who live in SF without a car use rentals and Zipcar all the time (in addition to Uber/Lyft).

Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#22

Post by bpicolo »

brndnmtthws wrote: post #20

Automobile ownership is dumb, but ridesharing isn't the answer either. Cities need to invest in public infrastructure, especially fast efficient public transit. People should also rediscover the joy of human power (walk, bike, run).

I'm sure people in the US would love to walk to work, but the layout of US cities doesn't lend itself to that. People tend to live pretty dang far from where they work in the US.

Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#23

Post by msmith10101 »

brndnmtthws wrote: post #20

Automobile ownership is dumb, but ridesharing isn't the answer either. Cities need to invest in public infrastructure, especially fast efficient public transit. People should also rediscover the joy of human power (walk, bike, run).

Couldn't agree more. Ridesharing is a terrible solution to the transportation problem. And the artificial markets that Uber/Lyft have created here are not sustainable.

Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#24

Post by Ascetik »

electricslpnsld wrote: post #18

How sustainable is Lyft's pricing in comparison to Uber? I've been getting absolutely dirt cheap Uber Pool fares in the Bay Area. From my apartment to work the fare is often less than two dollars (which is around what BART would cost me), and I've even had fares less than dollar. I would be amazed if this is making anyone a profit, but if the price even doubled I would be way less likely to use Uber/Lyft on a whim.

I honestly don't see how anyone makes money with fares so low.

Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#25

Post by brndnmtthws »

bpicolo wrote: post #22
brndnmtthws wrote: post #20

Automobile ownership is dumb, but ridesharing isn't the answer either. Cities need to invest in public infrastructure, especially fast efficient public transit. People should also rediscover the joy of human power (walk, bike, run).

I'm sure people in the US would love to walk to work, but the layout of US cities doesn't lend itself to that. People tend to live pretty dang far from where they work in the US.

Move to a different city.

Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#26

Post by Retric »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #6
Retric wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any ride sharing trip is going to be Driver Start > Pickup > Drop-off which is by necessity longer than pickup > drop-off. The only possible benefit is if people take public transit more or take fewer trips, which is not something you can see from ride sharing numbers.

> Any ride sharing trip is going to be Driver Start > Pickup > Drop-off which is by necessity longer than pickup > drop-of You forgot "circling for twenty minutes searching for parking." Include the parking footprint of private cars and I think ridesharing comes out ahead.

That's only relevant in places limited to street level parking.

The general case is driving to a parking lot/garage which could make the trip shorter or longer depending on where it's located relative to your destination. You might spend more time driving in a garage, but that does not impact street level congestion compared to all those extra Miles drivers add going to pick you up.

As to density, cars parked in a garage take up vastly less land than than moving cars on a road as they stack vertically and need less space around each other.

Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#27

Post by bpicolo »

brndnmtthws wrote: post #25
bpicolo wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure people in the US would love to walk to work, but the layout of US cities doesn't lend itself to that. People tend to live pretty dang far from where they work in the US.

Move to a different city.

I don't believe 200 million people in NYC would lessen the impact of the sprawl effect.

Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#28

Post by y2bd »

brndnmtthws wrote: post #25
bpicolo wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure people in the US would love to walk to work, but the layout of US cities doesn't lend itself to that. People tend to live pretty dang far from where they work in the US.

Move to a different city.

What are some cities with decent enough public transportation and urban planning for pedestrians that also don’t suffer from lack of housing/exhorbitant housing prices? The top cities I can think of that satisfy the former unfortunately also have the latter.

Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#29

Post by hamstercat »

I have my driver license, but I'm not buying a car anytime soon. I may at some point, but for now public transportation + renting a car when I really need one + Lyft/Uber/Taxi is a lot more cost-effective. On top of that, I'm sure I'd walk less because I'd find myself driving to places I walk to right now. So all in all for my context I'm quite happy without owning a car.

Re: Lyft says nearly 250K of its passengers ditched a personal car in 2017

#30

Post by rhombocombus »

brndnmtthws wrote: post #25
bpicolo wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure people in the US would love to walk to work, but the layout of US cities doesn't lend itself to that. People tend to live pretty dang far from where they work in the US.

Move to a different city.

That's a non-starter for a lot of folks. Intellectual pursuit, family obligations, money, or a combination of those things can conspire to keep people somewhere whether they like their situation or not. I left academia so I could move where I please, but there was a steep price attached to that, and I wouldn't expect everyone to make the same decision.
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