Two years ago, I got rid of my car and switched entirely to Uber as my primary form of transportation.
I just did the math, and in 2016 I spent $2,200 on Uber. I live in an area where renting a parking spot is ~$120/month, and my car insurance was ~$100/month, so I'm coming out ahead on those fixed costs alone. I also just really really hate driving, so for me this has been an amazing change. Selling the car felt really drastic, but I quickly got used to the new world order and came to love it. I don't think that this would work for most people (anyone with a long daily commute), but might be worth considering if you live near work and aren't a huge fan of driving.
My Uber spending falls into two categories: going across town on the weekends (typically $8-$30 round trip), and going to work (typically $8 round trip). I live about 30-40 minutes walking distance from work, so sometimes I just skip the Uber and walk.
I never really went out of my way to be frugal with the Uber spend. I could have probably cut the total spend down by at least 30% if I was willing to take Uber Pool instead of Uber X (adding 5-20 min of travel time) and avoided going places at peak times (surge pricing).
I'll use Uber Pool instead of Uber X if I'm not in a hurry. This is especially great for short distances (you won't get matched with anyone but still get the discount), or very long rides (because of the larger savings). I don't think it's worth it for medium length trips, because it may end up taking a lot longer for $2 in savings.
My company also offers WageWorks Commuter Benefits - this lets me pay for Uber Pool rides with pre-tax dollars.
Things I like about Ubering
(1) no driving
(2) no worrying about parking or parking tickets
(3) no planning around drinking
(4) no car costs (insurance/registration/depreciation/repairs)
(5) no liability (this one is big for me)
Things I don't like about Ubering
(1) occasional awkward conversations with strangers
(2) sometimes having to wait for a long time (especially if a driver cancels)
(3) feeling like some trips are less "worth taking" because they're further away and will cost more
(4) not always having a change of clothes and an umbrella in the trunk
My stats for 2016:
221 rides taken
2 days 19 hours total riding time
$2,136 spent
How to see your Uber stats:
http://ift.tt/X1xwJ0 (all trip info)
https://uber.totals.io/ (summary stats from a third party co)
Submitted July 16, 2017 at 11:21AM by r_frugal_throw http://ift.tt/2tXZzg5
