The ride took 18 minutes, and most of the money is for time. Say a car would take that route at an average of 10 miles an hour + stoppage time. It seems a conse

The ride took 18 minutes, and most of the money is for time. Say a car would take that route at an average of 10 miles an hour + stoppage time. It seems a conservative estimate. Then the cost of the ride would be $0.559 + $3.5 + 6 $0.55 = $11.75. Even so, had he got an UberX it would have cost him $12.40, or $11.50, so it's really quite comparable. I spent $15 last week going from Union Square SF to the Caltrain station (accidentally picked Uber Black not UberX) - about a mile. It's really quite a lot nicer than a taxi. So it's really quite close, dollar for dollar But here's the thing - SF taxis have (presumably because of past abuses) very rigidly pegged milage to total cost in order to properly compensate drivers. The problem is that this works terribly for further distances. So SFO to Palo Alto will set you back at an absolute minimum about $100, but Millbrae (2 miles fewer) to Palo Alto cost me $30 on UberX. Where I live in the UK, I'll spend £20 ($45) on travelling 6 miles after a night out (no traffic) - because the taxis go off meter outside the city limits. Travelling 3 miles to catch a bus to London in a minicab, prebooked costs £8.