Eh, it depends on how you look at it. If you are comparing Lyft/Uber to public transit, yeah they lose out by a lot, but I don't think a lot of people are doing that. I think a lot of people are comparing Lyft/Uber against the cost of owning a semi-new car in a major city and that's much more comparable.
Here's a super ball park monthly cost breakdown:
- Car payment: $250
- Parking: $200
- Insurance: $85 (~$500 every 6 months)
- Gas: $50
- Registration: $40 (~$500+ a year)
- Saving for maintenance: $50 (assuming $600 a year, which is probably low)
That's super super napkin math, but that's almost $700 a month for a car, which is basically the same as $30 each work day for a month. On top of that, you don't have to deal with the hassle of parking in a city, which has to be worth something.
Here's a super ball park monthly cost breakdown:
- Car payment: $250
- Parking: $200
- Insurance: $85 (~$500 every 6 months)
- Gas: $50
- Registration: $40 (~$500+ a year)
- Saving for maintenance: $50 (assuming $600 a year, which is probably low)
That's super super napkin math, but that's almost $700 a month for a car, which is basically the same as $30 each work day for a month. On top of that, you don't have to deal with the hassle of parking in a city, which has to be worth something.