Uber? Taxi? Lyft? Finding the Cheapest Ride

This handy new analysis can help you find the cheapest ride.

(Photo by Alexander Torrenegra)

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It’s a Saturday night, you and your friends are ready to go out, and you need a ride. Which service is the best option in your city? More importantly, among Uber, Lyft, Sidecar or a traditional taxicab, which is the cheapest? Using a recent GOBankingRates analysis of ride pricing in the U.S., CNBC reports that “Uber is the best option in 16 out of 20 major cities.”

According to CNBC:

Uber and Lyft use identical fare formulas in New York, so they tie as the cheapest option for a 20-minute, 10-mile ride. In New York, that would cost you $32.50, about 56 percent more than the same trip in the second most expensive city, Seattle. That’s more than twice the cost of the cheapest cities — Jacksonville, Florida, and Dallas.

“I think it’s important to be aware of how the local pricing works in your city, because that has a significant impact on how much you’re going to pay,” GOBankingRates’ Casey Bond told CNBC. “People who tend to use ride shares use them a lot, and are often familiar with how they work and the nuances for their city.”

CNBC used the GoBankingRates report and stacked Uber, Lyft and Sidecar against traditional taxis too. Here’s a look at what they determined was the best deal in six cities. Find more cities and service pricing breakdown details here.

San Francisco: Sidecar
San Diego: Uber
Phoenix: Lyft
Dallas/Fort Worth: Uber
Chicago: Sidecar
Boston: Uber

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Jenn Stanley is a freelance journalist, essayist and independent producer living in Chicago. She has an M.S. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

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