Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Public Transportation

Uber and Lyft Carrying More Trips Than Light Rail in Seattle

Uber and Lyft are subverting transit in Seattle, too.

The two app-based taxi services are carrying more trips per day than the region's entire light rail system, according to David Gutman at the Seattle Times. During the fourth quarter of this year, Uber and Lyft handled a combined 91,000 trips on an average weekday in King County. Sound Transit's 22-mile Link Light Rail, meanwhile, carries just around 80,000.

That might be acceptable if riders were coming overwhelmingly from areas poorly served by transit. But it turns out the opposite it true. About half the rides — 40,000 — start in downtown, Belltown, South Lake Union and Capitol Hill — some of Seattle's densest and best-connected neighborhoods.

That means Uber and Lyft are almost certainly increasing congestion and hurting transit in Seattle. It's a pattern well documented in New York City, too.

In Seattle, the ride-hailing ridership is growing quickly, Gutman reports. Uber and Lyft daily trips have increased five-fold in the region since just 2015, he reports.

Seattle, unlike many other regions, has managed to continue growing transit ridership thanks to strong investment. But in other regions, there is growing evidence that Uber and Lyft are worsening traffic congestion, hurting transit ridership and even increasing traffic deaths.

Even as we start to become increasingly aware of the negative impacts of ride-hailing, we haven't had much raw data about the volume of service, because the companies withhold their data, claiming it is "proprietary." But this data from Seattle shows it is staggering.

Uber and Lyft now account for about 1.5 percent of trips in Seattle — many, many times what taxis carried, according to an Uber spokesperson. Uber and Lyft have essentially made it much easier to travel by car in some of the most transit-friendly and congested areas of the country. People are taking advantage, with a slew of consequences, many of them negative.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

Covina to Begin Construction on Recreation Village

The new facility will be next to the Metrolink station and include a variety of opportunities for fitness and amusement

July 26, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Have Cities Run Out of Land?

Chris Redfearn of USC and Anthony Orlando of Cal Poly Pomona on why "pro-business" Texas housing markets are catching up to "pro-regulation" California and what it might mean for future city growth.

July 26, 2024

Friday’s Headlines

Oakland identifies sites for speed camera pilot; E-bike tariffs conflict with US climate policy; Pollution spikes around warehouses, shipping hubs; More

July 26, 2024

What the Heck is Going on with the State E-bike Incentive Program?

The program's launch has been delayed for two years, and currently "there is no specific timeline" for it. Plus the administrator, Pedal Ahead, is getting dragged, but details are vague

July 26, 2024

The Paris Plan for Olympic Traffic? Build More Bike Lanes

A push to make Paris fully bikable for the Olympics is already paying dividends long before the opening ceremonies.

July 25, 2024
See all posts