Every day, millions of people around the world take Uber rides. They're fast and convenient, but could they be more affordable?
I put the app to the test to see if you can save money on your next trip by walking a block or two.
Let's say I'm at City Hall in Downtown Jacksonville and I need to go back to First Coast News on Adams Street. It's about a mile and a half away. The Uber app tells me it'll cost $8.07 to make the trip.
I notice that my pickup location is on a one-way street, taking the Uber driver in the opposite direction of the TV station. Will I save a little money by doing a little more walking? Let's see.
I'll walk approximately one city block through Hemming Park to another pickup location that takes me in the direction I actually need to go, which should save my Uber driver a couple of lights and a couple of turns.
It should save me a little bit of time and a little bit of distance off of that trip, too. But does it actually save me any money?
Nope. Even though I've managed to make my Uber trip a little bit shorter and a little bit faster, it still costs exactly $8.07.
So, I do a little more walking.
I walk two full city blocks closer to my destination, shortening my mile and a half trip even more. But to my surprise, it's still $8.07.
Turns out, I didn’t save any money. I did, however, waste some energy and time. If energy and time are things you have plenty of, you probably don’t really need an Uber anyway.
The lesson here, you may as well get picked up wherever is safest for you and most convenient. You’re not going to save any money, but you may save yourself some hassle.