It might be convenient to use a ride-share app like Uber or Lyft, but you might actually be slowing yourself down more than you know. Researchers analyzed rides taken in San Francisco between 2010 and 2016: pre and post Uber and Lyft. They found the introduction of these ride-share services increased the number of vehicles on the road and also correlated with significant delays for drivers.
The finding held even when controlling for other factors that cause traffic, like construction, population, employment, and car ownership. They say if Uber and Lyft had never existed, the number of delayed travel hours over the six years analyzed would have increased 22 percent, but with the introduction of those services it instead rose 62 percent.
