In some of the nation’s largest cities, it is more cost-effective to take an Uber everywhere than to own a car, according to the 2018 Mary Meeker Internet Trends Report.
Uber’s pricing has inspired some to sell their personal cars and rely solely on the ride-sharing app, according to Reuters.
“My mom didn’t think I could do it,” said Wally Nowinski, a New York resident who gave up his car in exchange of taking Ubers and riding a bike, to Reuters. “She thought I would buy a car in six months.”
According to Reuter’s reporting, Nowinski’s car budget dropped from $820 per month to $250.
Now, there is quantifiable evidence that if you live in New York City, Washington D.C, Chicago or Los Angeles it is cheaper to take Uberx or UberPOOL on a weekly basis than to own your own car.
Mary Meeker put together a chart to illustrate that in New York, the average weekly commute cost for someone with a personal car is $218, while those that took UberX or POOL spent an average of $142 on transportation by car.
In Chicago, the average weekly commute cost with a personal car is $116 while the cost of using ride-hailing apps averaged $77 a week.
In Washington D.C., taking UberX or POOL averages $96 while the commute cost of taking a personal car is $130.
In Los Angeles, commute costs with a personal car averaged $89 and with Uber they average $62.