Study: Most Chicago Rideshare Trips Could Be Made by Transit

Almost all trips completed using rideshare services in Chicago could be made by public transit, a new analysis shows — but riders save the equivalent of roughly an hour’s wage by choosing the more convenient rideshare services, signaling a need for more accessible and reliable transit.

As Jonathan Andrews explains in Cities Today, “The research team calculated how the cost and duration of each TNC trip compared with using transit to make the same journey. From that, the researchers could put a price on the time riders saved choosing Lyft or Uber over transit – US$34 per hour and nearly identical to the region’s median hourly wage.”

The researchers also evaluated “broader societal costs” such as air pollution and traffic, finding that “While congestion pricing and electrifying rideshare fleets can help mitigate environmental harm, the study suggests the biggest impact could come from making transit more efficient and convenient.”

The study concludes that reducing the time people wait for buses and trains and putting stations closer to people’s homes could go a long way toward increasing ridership. During the study period, Chicago’s transit vehicles were operating at just 20 percent of their capacity.