Steve Burns
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) — It’s the eternal question asked by countless Washingtonians every day: Which is faster, taking Metro or hopping in an Uber? A fiscal analyst in the office of D.C.’s Chief Financial Officer got tired of wondering that herself, and decided to put some data behind the decision.
“I’m always running about ten minutes late,” D.C. CFO fiscal analyst Ginger Moored told WMAL. “I find myself asking if I should take Uber or Metro, which is going to get me somewhere quickest, and I suspect that a lot of other D.C. residents were asking themselves the same question.”
She found there is no easy answer, thanks to the multitude of variables at play – time of day, Metro service levels, transfers, and Uber’s fluctuating prices, to name a few.
But as a general rule, Moored said Metro often looked better for those coming in from the suburbs during rush hour.
“Metro’s really great for commuting when the trains are running quickly and there’s no delays,” she said. “It’s a really efficient way to get downtown.”
Things get a little more complicated, however, when Metro runs fewer trains. Uber is often the faster trip during nights and weekends, when waits for Metro trains can exceed ten minutes. It also looks faster for a lot of intra-city trips, Moored said.
“Uber can be really efficient when you’re taking a trip within D.C. and would have to do a transfer (on Metro), which adds to your wait time,” she said. “That’s partly because of how Metro is structured. It has this spoke-and-hub configuration.”
If saving money is a top priority, however, the decision becomes markedly easier. Uber’s surge pricing means fares can jump into double digits very fast, while Metro’s intra-city fares often don’t exceed $3. Pooling options can bring down those costs, but are often not as fast.
The study, first published in the District, Measured blog examined 114 trips total. with Metro’s rush hour service levels, and with a ten-minute walk to a station, Metro beat out Uber in 67 of the 114 trips. But if Metro’s wait times are increased above ten minutes, Uber beats out Metro in 99 of 114 trips. The study also found Uber is quicker than Metro on most trips that require a Metro transfer, regardless of Metro’s service levels.
Uber was used for the study, Moored said, thanks to its Uber Movement app, containing data on trip times and congestion in specific cities. Metro’s data was gleaned from its online trip planner, and Uber prices came from actual Uber rides Moored ordered up for the study.
Check out the study’s interactive tool here.
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