Actually a car or a taxi: what is more profitable to choose?

Many people dream of their own car. Someone regards it as proof of their own success, someone is just as convenient transportation for city movement. Especially given that this transport can be used at any moment and not dependent on someone. But is it really like that?

Currently, when the fuel is more expensive, the parking areas are increasingly lacking, and calling a taxi or taking advantage of Raid-hinging services, such as Bolt, can be a few clicks-more and more people are asking for themselves: do I really need to have a car?

Yes, on the one hand, the car actually gives freedom of action: to go when and where you want. However, with this freedom, constant costs come with this freedom: fuel, insurance, inspection, repairs, parking and more. Moreover, time and nerves are spent in traffic jams.

Raid-hinging taxis and services, on the contrary, have an increasingly attractive look: you do not need to think about maintenance, you do not need to look for a place to leave the car, especially having several applications.

But will it not work that frequent taxi trips eat more money than keeping their own car? Ukrainian Truth, together with Bolt, list the possible costs so you can determine when it is more profitable to travel on your own car and when to choose a taxi and ROD-hinging services.

The main costs of a car owner in the city Of course, the amount of car owner expenses in the city is individual and depends on many factors: in fact, on the city and car, the type of fuel, its consumption, the availability of free parking, etc.

The main expenses can be divided into fixed, such as dressing, and one-time, for example, inspection once a year. Also a month accumulate costs such as parking fees (whether at work or near the shopping mall for several hours), car wash, local service.

All this should be calculated individually, given all the features. However, for clarity, let’s look at the basic costs of a specific example.

There is a budget car, for $ 4-5 thousand, but reliable, not problematic. On average a week you need to go four days to work – 10 km one way in Kiev. It is 320 kilometers a month.

Several times a month you need to pay for parking (35 UAH/hour) and wash the car. On a self -service wash, it can be done for 120 UAH, on the usual – 300 UAH.

Under those conditions, the amount of expenses per month came out almost 3.5 thousand UAH. However, it should be borne in mind that part of work can be replaced by public transport, for example – and it will be cheaper. Or vice versa – with free parking will not be happy often, so this cost graph can increase.

It is also worth considering the possible repair costs – from several hundred hryvnias for something small and up to several thousand or even tens for at least planned work (inspection, depreciation, replacement of rubber, brakes, etc.).

Also, to calculate the cost of owning a car per month and compared with a taxi, you can use a simple formula.

As a result, you need to compare the value of A and V. If A is less b – car is more profitable. If a is b – the financial difference is minimal, it solves comfort. If A is more b – it is more profitable to ride a taxi.

Ride-hinging economy The most important argument in favor of taxi and ROD-hinging services is the lack of “headache” for everything in the world. Starting from where to steam the car and to the consumed nerves during intense traffic or congestion.

Sometimes there are situations when it is not expensive to go with your own car, and the parking lot will definitely be, but you do not want to spend your hand on the road, so it’s easier to call a taxi. For example, many drivers do not like to go to the center of Kiev.

Taxi does not require parking costs near home or office. It does not make you get nervous due to timely inspection, queues in services or another rise in tire prices.

Another important argument for a taxi is free hands and head. To optimize time, you can call a taxi and do other cases in parallel, such as answering work messages (of course, if possible).

Also in Ukraine is an actively developing Rudy-hinging-a model of service, through which it is possible to order a car with a driver that will come to a certain point. That is, it is a service that connects drivers and passengers.

Considering the availability of ROD-hinging services, such as Bolt, in different cities of Ukraine, find a car in a few minutes in most cases is not a problem, especially from popular destinations (for example, from the station or city center).

If we talk about your own car, it is, in fact, a monthly “subscription”. Fuel, insurance, maintenance, seasonal tire replacement, parking, repairs, penalties, depreciation are all fixed costs, regardless of whether to travel daily or only on weekends.

Test: what to choose – a car or a taxi Methodology: Each question has three options. Answer A – 1 point, B – 2 points and C – three points. The more points, the more justified it is to have a car.

Test results:

So what to choose: a car or a taxi In order to answer this question, you need to consider your own individual characteristics, needs and weigh everything for and against.

First of all, you need to understand whether the financial ability to buy a car and what exactly. Perhaps for infrequent trips to the city it will be enough to choose a small budget car. By the way, it can be easier with him and in the city.

Taxi does not require parking costs near home or office. It does not make you get nervous due to timely inspection, queues in services or another rise in tire prices.

The need to have your own car depends on the lifestyle, schedule of work, the availability of free time and the desire to travel. If you regard the car purely as a type of movement, it is possible to pay attention to taxi and ROD-hinging services. Instead, if the process of steering is pleased (and not only causes stress, as sometimes it happens), then you can prefer your own car.

If you think more rationally, you can try to calculate how much money you will spend in person in both cases. For example, by causing a taxi, calculating how much the road will cost (you can take the average consignment of the car you want) or, sitting behind the wheel, look at the cost of a taxi on the same route.

Remember, freedom is not only a steering wheel in your own hands, but also the ability to choose convenience and financial reason. So sometimes the decision to give up a car is a reasonable step forward.