Op-Ed: Rideshare Beats Streetcars for Short Trips

Visiting Atlanta with his wife, Kyle Wingfield preferred rideshare over the MARTA streetcar system. He explains, "Our MARTA fares would be $5; the expected charge for Uber-X was $6. We'd be picked up and dropped off where we stood, rather than walking a few blocks away and taking a couple of staircases. We'd get air-conditioning, not the still air of an underground station. It was a no-brainer."

Wingfield emphasizes that he is not anti-transit. But when the cost benefit analysis doesn't add up, short-distance transit loses its allure. "As we rode, I wondered how MARTA could adjust its business model to keep choice riders like ourselves — maybe by charging less for such short trips. But I gradually recognized the real threat ride-sharing services pose to public transportation as a 'last mile' option."

Rideshare subsidies for low-income commuters could potentially offset the cost off summoning a car. "The ride-sharing approach would offer broader coverage and more flexibility than we will ever build out with streetcars. It is even better for low-income riders: Imagine the number of ride-sharing trips that could be subsidized for the money it would take to build, operate and maintain a decent network of streetcars."