If you regularly drive yourself (or with friends) instead of taking a cab/Uber, it can be useful to track the actual fuel cost per trip based on distance.
Most people either overestimate or underestimate what driving really costs. When you calculate fuel based on distance driven, it gives you a clearer comparison against ride-sharing prices.
There are mileage/fuel tracking apps that log the trip using GPS and generate a cost breakdown automatically. It’s helpful if you want real numbers instead of guessing.
Splitting with passengers is optional, but even just tracking your own cost makes it easier to compare against taxis and see the savings over time.
If you drive instead of taking Uber, track your real per-trip fuel cost or split it
byu/This-Concern-6331 inFrugal
Posted by This-Concern-6331
10 Comments
Driving my own car is infinitely cheaper than Uber. Why should I care about the exact dollar amount in cost savings between driving versus taking Uber?
$1.28 for 100km or $250 for Uber. Yep. I’ll just Uber.
Fuel costs are not the only costs associated with driving. Registration, insurance and vehicle maintenance should also be considered. If you are the one reimbursing a friend, be more generous than just giving actual fuel costs. If you are comparing to taxi costs, remember all the other costs of owning a vehicle.
I don’t even have the Uber app on my phone. I’ve only been in one at work situations and in a group (never alone).
I have a car. It’s cheaper to use it than pay someone else for a ride.
Why?
My family’s transportation costs are less than $200 a month on average, and that includes a rental car for a yearly vacation. Car ownership is such a scam. Walking, biking, public transit, and rideshares should be your first priority as a frugal person. But many of us made the mistake of choosing to live in areas not conducive to affordable transport. We become stuck, and we end up getting bamboozled into the car trap, which costs an average of $1,000 a month in the U.S.
Taking Uber is super inconvenience vs driving. I’d do a comparison for taking public transportation vs uber
I usually use Uber when I’m going to have a few drinks.
part of the ownership of a car is convenience. As convenient as uber and ride sharing is now, it’ll never beat having quick transportation of your own vehicle.
Now trip by trip basis it might be different. Locality matters too but personally the cost of my car is well worth not having the headache of being carless on relying on public transit and ride share. I have an expensive car too (bought new, sports car) it is well worth it for me, granted i’m an enthusiast.
I’m not saying a car is justifiable for everyone especially in major cities like SF and NYC but for most Americans, it’s hard to go without a car. Relying on others for a ride or even ride share is a PITA. As soon as I pay off my car other than saving for mods, I’m saving for my next/ a back up.
I dont’ get the point of this thread. Yes all transport choices you make have a cost and I guess it’s important to remember that driving isn’t free, but suggesting that “driving is more expensive than you think and uber is cheap in comparison” just isn’t really true either.
I had a phase of my life where I didn’t own a car, couldn’t justify it at all every time I thought about it. Lived in a super walkable neighborhood, my city had great PT, and it was the early days of Uber where I could go across town for $2 – same price as the bus. It was great, and definitely cheaper than any car ownership scenario I could imagine. My transportation expenses were ~$100/mo all in. That doesn’t even pay insurance – nevermind maintenance, registration, and the purchase price to begin with.
These days – different life, different city – I own a car, but I also very frequently take the bus or my electric scooter, and sometimes I Uber. It just all depends on what is appropriate for the situation. Done some quick math and a “night out” in the city with the wife (the transport part of it) would cost $20 by bus, $25 by car (mainly the parking), $40 by Uber, and my escooter wouldn’t be appropriate. We typically just take the bus, nobody has to drive, we can have a drink, half the price of uber for not that much more inconvenience. Going to the airport (for a trip longer than ~3 days) is gonna be Uber every time. The public transport option is very bad for us (like 2 hours). Airport parking is expensive.