By now, the driving company Uber has become well-known campus-wide. Many students have also seen the pink mustached cars and/or heard of its rival company, Lyft. But if you’re a student like me who does not have a car on campus, there are many alternative forms of commute to consider. You may not know enough about to feel comfortable using them yet, so for your convenience, I have compiled a list that includes price ranges, basic details, and company information. Because we’re college students, I have listed them from most affordable to least affordable:
Sound Transit/Metro
The busing situation in Seattle is not great, but it is by far one of the cheapest options for UW students. As the payment is automatically added onto your school bill, you won’t have to pay more than you already have to ride the buses and the light rail. In fact, you should probably start using public transportation more to get your money’s worth. (For more information about the light rail, you can read my previous article here: http://theodysseyonline.com/uw/the-new-uw-link-station/394535) I have found that during high traffic hours, riding the bus can actually be faster than driving due to the bus-only lanes, but the major drawback to this form of transportation is relying on the scheduled hours. Not only can buses come early or late, sometimes routes are only scheduled for 30-60 minute intervals. Additionally, due to the many stops a bus has to take, a 30-minute car ride can become an hour and a half journey by bus (I’m looking at you, 271 to Issaquah).
Price: “FREE” – just remember to tap on AND off when using the light rail.
Car2Go
Car2Go blends the independence of driving the vehicle yourself with the affordability of temporary transport. At only $0.41 /minute maxing to $15.99/hour or $84.99/day, a 20-minute car ride is only $8.20. There is, however, a one-time $35 – sign-up/application fee. If you need it to use it just five times (still assuming a 20-minute long ride) even including the application fee, it ends up being a cheaper option than Uber (price estimate listed below).
Price: $0.41/minute, $15.99/hour, or $84.99/day PLUS one-time $35 application fee.
Zipcar
Zipcar has the same business model as Car2Go, and allows you a lot of freedom. In the short-term, it is pricier, as there is a $25 application fee and a $70 annual fee (currently marked down to $35 through July 5th), which is pricy, but can be worth it for those who are willing to make the most of it. For example, if you use Zipcar a dozen times, a 20-minute car ride would still be cheaper than the Uber estimate, and that is including the full price of the annual fee. With the current promotion, you would only need to ride half a dozen times to equal the same cost on average as the cheapest Uber estimate. Additionally, for those that want a shorter commitment, there is also a month-long option, which is $7, plus the hourly/daily rates.
Price: $7.75/hour, $73/day PLUS one time $25 application fee AND $70 $35 annual fee.
The nice thing about Car2Go and Zipcar is that they have special deals with parking, such as having access to park in timed areas (as long as it is more than an hour time limit).
Uber
A 20-minute Uber ride can set you back $18-24, and that does not include the surge fees that can double and even triple your rate during certain “surge” hours. There are many discontented users who have written about the noticeably higher rates calculated through Uber’s “dynamic pricing,” (a tactic used by many other companies such as Amazon and eBay.) There was some controversy and bad press surrounding New Year’s Eve, in which some riders were charged up to six times the normal rate! That being said, Uber has a much larger base, and often wait times can be short simply because they have more drivers.
Price: Baseline = $18-24/20 minutes. Varies depending on time of day, duration, etc.
Lyft
A 20-minute Lyft ride is similarly priced, with an estimate of $21. Lyft, however, is more informative/transparent about how their fees are calculated, and riders do not have to be as cautious with regard to a sudden increase in prices.
Price: Baseline = $21/20 minutes. More exact information can be found here.
In large cities like Seattle, the struggle for finding quick and affordable transportation is ongoing. If you don’t like dealing with the hassle of narrow streets and even narrower parking spots, feel free to explore some of your other options! BMW has also followed suit and created their DriveNow program with MINI - so who knows, maybe we’ll see them spread to the States and have an opportunity to drive luxury cars through them as well!
