# Got rid of my car, now I just use Uber and Lyft. Anyone else doing this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 30, 2021, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908 "2021-12-30T07:13:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908/21 "2021-12-31T12:40:14Z")
When I started working from home full time 7 years ago I switched from a diesel car to electric. It only has around a 70 mile range (early model BMW i3) so I only use it for local trips. I could easily do without it but like having it around. Sometimes I’ll go for a drive just to get out of the house for a bit if the weather is too bad to go for a walk. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908/22 "2021-12-31T12:50:42Z")
Where I live ( NYC) there’s a generally a distinction between taxis ( which can take street hails) and car services (which you call and and a dispatcher sends a car). There’s a hybrid version ( “green cab” or “boro taxi” ) that can do both, but they are only permitted to take street hails in the outer boroughs (excluding the airports ) and Manhattan north of ( I think) 96 St. In most of the city , it is impossible to hail a cab on the street - I might be able to hail a cab in Brooklyn or Queens outside certain train/railroad stations or a venue of some sort , but I wouldn’t be able to in a residential neighborhood unless the cab just happened to drop someone off where I’m standing. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908/23 "2021-12-31T15:23:38Z")
Oh, that makes sense. We don’t have a distinction like that where I live because you would not be able to stand on a street and hope a taxi will show up because they are few and far between. By default you call them instead. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908/24 "2021-12-31T20:24:34Z")
It’s one of those things that almost works, but then it doesn’t. The grand majority of what I need to do is in walking distance and there’s decent public transportation to a lot of the rest. And then there’s the outlier. I have one regular appointment that’s a 10-15 minute roundtrip drive, 3 times/week. Public transportation would triple the transit time, plus waiting for buses in places and at hours where you don’t really want to wait for a bus. Zipcar/Uber/Lyft is about 20 each way (including tip). It’s cheaper to keep my car for just that trip. Plus, I have it for other trips if/when they come up. ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908/25 "2022-01-03T03:36:06Z")
You might have a unique situation. I don’t have any appointments I need to be at on a regular basis 3X a week. I have to admit, at first it seemed like I was “spending money” taking an Uber to go to the dentist, getting a haircut or a trip to the doctor. But after months of this, I put all the costs into a spreadsheet and I was surprised at how little I was really spending on transportation vs owning the car. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908/26 "2022-01-03T04:21:52Z")
I got my first car (a gift from my parents) at around the age of 21. I loved the freedom and moblity, and having a car has been part of my lifestyle ever since. In fact I tend to go into a depression whenever my car is in for service for more than a day, which is why I typically rent in those circumstances. It’s just my nature to feel that I’m free to go anywhere at any time. I’m sure that it’s financially beneficial to not own a car, but financial calculations bore me. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908/27 "2022-01-03T04:35:47Z")
The financial wisdom of owning a car depends on what you need it for and where you live. I could not do my job without a car, and Uber is totally impractical for my needs. In a few years when I move into the big city proper, it may become unnecessary to own a car. Uber will become a much better option. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908/28 "2022-01-03T04:41:03Z")
In a somewhat related situation, a few years ago I was in L.A. for two weeks. Normally I would rent a car but on that occasion I compared the cost to taking Uber/Lyft instead. Much to my surprise, ridesharing turned out to be much cheaper than renting. So that’s what I did, and it worked perfectly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-rid-of-my-car-now-i-just-use-uber-and-lyft-anyone-else-doing-this/956908.md?page=1)