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I don't think its perplexing at all, the larger the increase of ride sharing services the lower the usage of public transportation[1]. Alot of the SF traffic is

I don't think its perplexing at all, the larger the increase of ride sharing services the lower the usage of public transportation[1]. Alot of the SF traffic is not people commuting in from other cites and taking Uber/Lyft to do so. These people by and large take caltrain/muni/corporate shuttles. People that drive in using their own cars would not use lyft/uber due to cost of these services. The problem with lower public transit numbers is its starving services that are essential to lower income folks and are a greener alternative to thousands of ride hailing drivers from out of the area driving into urban areas clogging the streets. [1] - https://sf.curbed.com/2019/1/23/18194612/lyft-uber-tnc-sfmta-san-francisco-public-transit-university-kentucky https://sf.curbed.com/2019/1/23/18194612/lyft-uber-tnc-sfmta...

malandrew 6y ago
> the larger the increase of ride sharing services the lower the usage of public transportation so does private car ownership, private bike ownership and bikesharing. Private car ownership externalities overlap greatly with ridesharing. The solution here is congestion pricing for all vehicles except public transportation. You tax what you want less of and what causes the most wear on the systems that need to be maintained. Humans are free to choose the systems that work best for their needs. If we want to people to use public transportation, the solution to that is to make public transportation better than the alternatives, such as providing for bus only lanes and more routes.
- nomel 6y ago
  > If we want to people to use public transportation, the solution to that is to make public transportation better than the alternatives There's no better way to burn up al of your free time than by taking public transportation. I've never had the balls to pull out my laptop to try to get some work done...
  - scelerat 6y ago
    Maybe if public transit was better funded and managed, more people could get to their jobs without having to pay for a car or a rideshare, saving costs. And more people could have jobs working for the transit agency. And in aggregate you have more employed people with lower daily costs, leading, ultimately, to fewer people out there who need to steal laptops in order to get by.
    - nomel 6y ago
      I agree it could be improved, but it can only approach the minimum, which is somewhere near one small car per person. It's an absolutely massive chicken and egg problem. I doubt many people would be interested even if you told them their commute time would only double. Even if you had private transportation to nearby public transportation hubs with rides that went greater distances with no/few stops, as a short term solution (similar to private FANG shuttles), you still have a distribution problem on the other side.
- scelerat 6y ago
  Within the city, it's not like people who already own cars instead use rideshare apps; it's that for anyone in the city who might have used public transportation, a portion have opted for the rideshare apps. And that leads to the effects parent et al are talking about: increased congestion and all its side effects. Bike use and bike sharing, while decreasing public transit use, have similar positive benefits to public transit use such as reduced congestion, reduced pollution, etc.

malandrew 6y ago

> the larger the increase of ride sharing services the lower the usage of public transportation so does private car ownership, private bike ownership and bikesharing. Private car ownership externalities overlap greatly with ridesharing. The solution here is congestion pricing for all vehicles except public transportation. You tax what you want less of and what causes the most wear on the systems that need to be maintained. Humans are free to choose the systems that work best for their needs. If we want to people to use public transportation, the solution to that is to make public transportation better than the alternatives, such as providing for bus only lanes and more routes.

nomel 6y ago
> If we want to people to use public transportation, the solution to that is to make public transportation better than the alternatives There's no better way to burn up al of your free time than by taking public transportation. I've never had the balls to pull out my laptop to try to get some work done...
- scelerat 6y ago
  Maybe if public transit was better funded and managed, more people could get to their jobs without having to pay for a car or a rideshare, saving costs. And more people could have jobs working for the transit agency. And in aggregate you have more employed people with lower daily costs, leading, ultimately, to fewer people out there who need to steal laptops in order to get by.
  - nomel 6y ago
    I agree it could be improved, but it can only approach the minimum, which is somewhere near one small car per person. It's an absolutely massive chicken and egg problem. I doubt many people would be interested even if you told them their commute time would only double. Even if you had private transportation to nearby public transportation hubs with rides that went greater distances with no/few stops, as a short term solution (similar to private FANG shuttles), you still have a distribution problem on the other side.
scelerat 6y ago
Within the city, it's not like people who already own cars instead use rideshare apps; it's that for anyone in the city who might have used public transportation, a portion have opted for the rideshare apps. And that leads to the effects parent et al are talking about: increased congestion and all its side effects. Bike use and bike sharing, while decreasing public transit use, have similar positive benefits to public transit use such as reduced congestion, reduced pollution, etc.