Do rideshares like Uber improve or worsen traffic?

It depends on whether it's carpool or normal dispatch.

It’s a heavily debated but I will simplify, with a sprinkle of my personal opinion.

• Rideshare services that enable “car-pooling” (think UberPool) reduces traffic.
• Rideshare services that do not (think UberX) increase traffic.

The first bullet seems obvious. If people are sharing vehicles on similar trips, this would naturally lower the traffic as there are less cars and less trips being made. (How ride-sharing can improve traffic, save money, and help the environment) So think that UberPool can reduce traffic.

The second one is not clear to everyone. If people are sharing vehicles, why wouldn’t it reduce the traffic? Why would it increase traffic?! Well, here’s the kicker:

• People need to share *trips* not *cars* to reduce traffic.

Traditional rideshares like Uber Black and UberX (non-car-pooling kind) still transport individuals from point A to point B. This is no different than people just driving themselves, as the trips are still taking place. UberX may reduce the total # of cars being driven or reduce car ownership, but it won’t reduce total cars on the road at a given point in time.

In fact, there are other factors that end up increasing traffic congestions, such as:

• Easy access to rideshares encourages people to take car-based transportation (instead of public transportation like trains and buses).
• Drivers who are driving without passengers driving around, seeking for customers or returning on a “dead leg” i.e. return trips)

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Uber Driver, CEO of TaxiFareFinder and Unleashed, LLC