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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

#171
Lyft and Uber actively encourage and assist drivers to purchase, rent or lease vehicles in order to drive for them. How many cars have they put on the road?

Ride-hailing services have massively increased car traffic in major cities:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/26/nyregion/uber-car-congest...

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

#172

It's part of the reason I haven't bought a car. I'm in my mid 20s and didn't get my license in high school because insurance would have been too expensive (my parents wanted me to pay for it). I think driving is a good life skill so I got my license in my early 20s, but I still have zero desire to own a car. That said, I live in Seattle, where there is good public transportation. Here are my numbers: Parking (I work…

Miles driven x .545 would be a simpler way to calculate the costs of driving. It is the reimbursement rate the IRS uses, and is supposed to be all-inclusive to the car itself. This number is continuously updated, and there is a high incentive to keep it as accurate as possible for most people.[1]

[1] https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/standard-mileage-rates-for-2018...

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

#173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it really depends on your lifestyle. I love to hike, snowshoe and ski. Public transit to Snoqualmie doesn't exist and lyfts would be incredibly expensive, if they would even take you there. Not even factoring in lugging heavy equipment around. If you stay in the city almost all the time it's probably great. The minute you want to do something outside of the city it's impossible without a car.

Rent a car for the weekend? It's like $50/day, so only $3k/yr to do it once a day per week. (Not factoring in the added cost of gas, or the discounts you can get by regularly renting a car and getting your own non-owner insurance)

It's a hassle. You can't customize it. I have a roofrack that accommodates a canoe. Maybe you need chains for the winter; maybe you can get those with a rental, don't know. Etc. Obviously it's an option for people who live in cities and can't easily own a car but if you're going to use it regularly, there are a lot of advantages to having your own vehicle.

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

#174

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.

Can parents track the movements of their child through Lyft and Uber billing? If I were a caricature of Uber, I might be tempted to create an add-on subscription product that would let parents of minors track the movements of their children. The societal effect of something like this? Possibly awful. Many of today's social problems might stem from children being deprived of time being independent/autonomous. Society…

If you're old enough to get a driver's license, you're old enough to find how to get your own Uber account.

And besides, driving their own car doesn't free them from that tracking: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=572519...

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

#175
post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would never want to bring a rental car into a snow covered pass or an icy parking lot. Too much liability. Good suggestion, probably good for a day hike or otherwise.

Why not just get the insurance on top when renting to cap your liability?

The entire idea is to be low cost, so when you start tacking on all these fees kinda defeats that purpose. At some point you will get to the point where it's the same cost to rent vs own.

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

#176
post #121

It's part of the reason I haven't bought a car. I'm in my mid 20s and didn't get my license in high school because insurance would have been too expensive (my parents wanted me to pay for it). I think driving is a good life skill so I got my license in my early 20s, but I still have zero desire to own a car. That said, I live in Seattle, where there is good public transportation. Here are my numbers: Parking (I work…

I'm in a similar situation, but from what I gather lifestyle factors heavily into the "do I need/want a car" equation. Kids, for example, usually mandate a car. Outdoor activities or any hobby that requires you haul around a lot of gear can also make having your own transportation a lot more appealing.

We do have a car and a toddler. The car sits idle most days, maybe once a week we get on it to go somewhere where it's inconvenient by bike or transit. For his first year we didn't have a car. This is in SF and Berkeley. A lot of people, even those with kids, could perfectly ditch their cars, rent occasionally and come out ahead in terms of costs (and lifestyle).

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

#177

It's part of the reason I haven't bought a car. I'm in my mid 20s and didn't get my license in high school because insurance would have been too expensive (my parents wanted me to pay for it). I think driving is a good life skill so I got my license in my early 20s, but I still have zero desire to own a car. That said, I live in Seattle, where there is good public transportation. Here are my numbers: Parking (I work…

Never owned a car, as my income increased considered getting one this summer as a luxury, mostly trips and stuff, but didn't have a license and it takes a couple of months to get one here. After thinking about it more I got myself a motorcycle - wanted to get one when I was younger but couldn't afford it - can still do trips, parking/mobility is better and I live in a place where I can ride 10 out of 12 months a year. Has been insanely fun so far although scary as well - an idea to consider if you're in this situation.

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

#178
post #77
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your insurance number is pretty low. Also I'd say most people don't buy $1000 cars.

He said per year. If you buy a 10,000$ car every 10 years that's 1,000$/year. Also, if you don't drive much you can average less than 1,000$/year in depreciation without driving a junker.

Yah. I usually get 2-4 years out of a car but I figured I would offset the fact that I run real cheap cars by adding it in yearly.

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

#179
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I absolutely understand that some people shouldn't/can't get a license. That will probably restrict what sort of activities they can do, etc. I don't really understand doing that by choice though. (And I'd hope employers would be understanding and supportive of an employee in that position. They're less likely to be as supportive of an employee who just doesn't want to do something even if it affects their ability to…

I don't get why the employer would have to be "understanding and supportive". Either the job requires a driving license, in which case they should have asked at hiring time, or it doesn't. If they bait-and-switch the employee into driving despite not having asked for it, it's their own fault.

US employers assume adults can drive. Presumably, if they're hiring you as a delivery driver, they will confirm the appropriate licensing. But, if you're a random engineer that they discover can't go to various customer sites without all sorts of special arrangements, a lot of companies are probably going to take that into consideration come review time.

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

#180
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I absolutely understand that some people shouldn't/can't get a license. That will probably restrict what sort of activities they can do, etc. I don't really understand doing that by choice though. (And I'd hope employers would be understanding and supportive of an employee in that position. They're less likely to be as supportive of an employee who just doesn't want to do something even if it affects their ability to…

I don't get why the employer would have to be "understanding and supportive". Either the job requires a driving license, in which case they should have asked at hiring time, or it doesn't. If they bait-and-switch the employee into driving despite not having asked for it, it's their own fault.

In the US it's sort of implicit for most professional or technical positions that you'll have to take occasional business trips, and some places you go may not have much public transit or taxis / ride hailing services. A lot of hiring managers just assume everyone has a driver's license and can rent a car if necessary.
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