Rideshare or Public Transit: The Best Way to Get from the Airport in 20 Cities
While taking public transportation is almost always cheaper, it can often mean longer travel time and sometimes a rideshare is worth the time saved.
Touching down in a new city, unsure of the best way to get from the airport to your destination—it’s one of the more miserable parts of travel. If you’re not lucky enough to have a friend or family member pick you up, it will probably come down to taking public transportation or calling a rideshare, like Uber or Lyft.
What’s the best option? Well, that depends on several factors. While taking public transportation is almost always the cheaper option, it can sometimes double or even triple your travel time. Depending on how much you value your time, it may be more efficient to take a rideshare.
We surveyed 500 frequent travelers and found:
- 35% take a rideshare from the airport when they don’t have a friend or family member to pick them up
- Nearly 40% say that price is the biggest determining factor when choosing a means of transportation from the airport, followed by safety at 30%
- Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) say they have taken public transportation from the airport to save money
- 28% say they would pay $25 more to get to their destination 30 minutes faster
Rideshare or Public Transit? We Did The Math For You
We analyzed 20 popular travel destinations within the United States and compared the average cost and travel time of a rideshare and public transportation from the airport to the downtown area. In order to consider the value of the time saved between the two options, we used $0.83 per minute (see methodology for how we established this value).
The Six Cities Where Rideshare is More Cost-Effective Than Public Transit
New York, New York - La Guardia Airport
Charleston, South Carolina - Charleston International Airport
Las Vegas, Nevada - McCarran International Airport
Miami, Florida - Miami International Airport
Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles International and Long Beach Airport
Austin, Texas - Austin-Bergstrom Airport
Dallas, Texas - Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
The Breakdown for 20 Cities
| City | Airport | Rideshare Time | Rideshare Price | Public Transit Time | Public Transit Cost | Best Option |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, Georgia | ATL | 20 min | $19.00 | 22 min | $2.50 | Public Transit |
| Austin, Texas | AUS | 28 min | $19.00 | 51 min | $1.25 | Rideshare |
| Boston, Massachusetts | BOS | 16 min | $25.75 | 21 min | $1.70 | Public Transit |
| Charleston, South Carolina | CHS | 16 min | $20.25 | 54 min | $2.00 | Public Transit |
| Chicago, Illinois | ORD | 32 min | $35.50 | 52 min | $5.00 | Public Transit |
| Chicago, Illinois | MDW | 30 min | $21.00 | 21 min | $2.25 | Public Transit |
| Dallas, Texas | DFW | 32 min | $23.00 | 13 min | $2.50 | Rideshare |
| Honolulu, Hawaii | HNL | 13 min | $39.50 | 32 min | $2.50 | Public Transit |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | LAS | 15 min | $19.50 | 44 min | $2.00 | Rideshare |
| Los Angeles, California | LAX | 36 min | $31.25 | 78 min | $10.25 | Rideshare |
| Los Angeles, California | BUR | 45 min | $28.00 | 37 min | $6.00 | Public Transit |
| Los Angeles, California | LGB | 45 min | $34.00 | 110 min | $3.00 | Rideshare |
| Miami, Florida | MIA | 10 min | $19.50 | 37 min | $2.35 | Rideshare |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | MSY | 29 min | $37.25 | 65 min | $2.00 | Public Transit |
| New York, New York | JFK | 58 min | $61.25 | 77 min | $7.75 | Public Transit |
| New York, New York | LGA | 30 min | $40.50 | 76 min | $2.75 | Rideshare |
| Orlando, Florida | MCO | 32 min | $31.25 | 48 min | $2.00 | Public Transit |
| Phoenix, Arizona | PHX | 12 min | $12.00 | 48 min | $2.00 | Public Transit |
| Portland, Oregon | PDX | 30 min | $30.00 | 50 min | $2.50 | Public Transit |
| San Diego, California | SAN | 17 min | $12.00 | 18 min | $2.25 | Public Transit |
| San Francisco, California | SFO | 29 min | $29.75 | 31 min | $8.95 | Public Transit |
| Seattle, Washington | SEA | 31 min | $36.50 | 38 min | $2.50 | Public Transit |
| St. Louis, Missouri | STL | 23 min | $36.75 | 37 min | $4.00 | Public Transit |
| Washington, D.C. | DCA | 19 min | $16.00 | 22 min | $2.40 | Public Transit |
| Washington, D.C. | IAD | 45 min | $44.75 | 66 min | $8.85 | Public Transit |
Methodology
For each airport we considered:
- Average cost of rideshare: using Uber and Lyft fare calculators for standard rides (non-pool/line) from airport to downtown area and averaged the results.
- Average time of rideshare: using the average Google Maps drive time at 11am on a weekday.
Cost of Public Transportation: according to local transportation websites. - Average Time of Public Transportation: using average travel time according to Google Maps at 11am on a weekday.
Value of time saved taking a rideshare versus public transportation. - Value of time saved = (rideshare time - public transport time)*$0.83. Eighty-three cents is the value of a minute according to our survey results in which a majority of respondents said they would pay $25 more to reach their destination 30 minutes faster (30min/$25 = $0.83/min).
If the value of time saved is greater than the difference in price between rideshare and public transportation, then rideshare is more cost-effective than taking public transportation.
We surveyed 500 frequent travelers in the United States on transportation considerations via the survey platform Pollfish. The survey was conducted November 8, 2017.
Brionna LewisBrionna is on a roller coaster that only goes up. You can follow her on twitter @BrionnaLewis.