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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.