One of the biggest developments in transportation in Atlanta the last few years has been the arrival and rise of ride-sharing car services like Uber and Lyft. Quickly adopted by the younger generation, these companies have been providing rides to and from bars, restaurants, sporting events, concerts and homes in an ever increasing fashion.
Users cite the ease of use and payment of the mobile apps that take you to and from your desired locations as the main reason for their popularity. The apps certainly have their critics, mostly citing the “surge pricing” that can often triple a fare when cars in high demand. Despite this, there is no doubt that the number of users is increasing monthly. Even my mother has recently downloaded the Uber app and started using the service.
The question is then, with so many people turning to these ride-sharing apps, is it impacting traffic conditions for the worse? If a $2 million study by New York City is any indication, these services are not having an adverse impact on road congestion, at least in New York City.
The study, released on Friday, basically said that the increase in people using ride sharing services was offset by a decline in people using traditional taxis or their own vehicles. Net/net, Uber and Lyft were not adding more cars on the road or increasing traffic congestion.
Has there been a traffic impact in Atlanta? It is tough to tell and I don’t expect the city to pay for a study to investigate anytime soon. From my personal observations, I doubt that Uber and Lyft drivers have had a negative impact on traffic on a day-to-day basis. If there is an impact it is probably on downtown traffic, especially during large events, but I imagine the impact is minimal.
While Uber is definitely a popular option for people in metro Atlanta, I don’t believe we are anywhere close to the number of trips taken in New York City.
In August, Uber provided over 100,000 trips on the average day according to The Wall Street Journal. That number is four times greater than August, 2014. The sheer volume of Uber vehicle in New York is staggering. On Jan. 7, Uber had 27,630 affiliated vehicles which is more than twice the number of yellow cabs in the city. Think about that. As common as the yellow taxi is in New York, there are now twice as many Uber cars as cabs.
In Atlanta most of our traffic woes occur during morning and evening rush hours with commuters battling delays in and out of downtown to the suburbs. Ride sharing services, I would imagine, don’t get much business from these routes. Cost alone would prevent someone from taking Uber from Kennesaw to downtown everyday to and from work.
I don’t have the data but I would think a majority of ride sharing trips occur between two destinations inside of I-285 or just outside of I-285.
If the expensive New York study is any indication, ride sharing services in Atlanta are not adding to our horrific traffic.
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