Seattle has the nation’s most expensive Uber rides

It seems like everything in Seattle is expensive these days, so why should Uber be any different?

Even so, it might come as a surprise to learn that it's even more expensive to use the ride-hailing service in Seattle than in New York or San Francisco. In fact, Seattle ranks No. 1 for the cost of an Uber trip, according to a new report.

The average 30-minute Uber ride in Seattle costs $60, topping the list of the 100 most populated cities across America, plus the three most populated cities in each state, included in a new report. Cheyenne, Wyo., ranked second, but well behind Seattle, with an average cost of $51. Reno, Nev. ($47.50), New York ($47.37) and San Diego ($45) rounded out the Top 5.

The cheapest places to ride 30 minutes in an Uber are Indianapolis and Fort Worth, Texas, tied at $28.33 — less than half the cost in Seattle. A slew of cities tied for third place, all at $30: Houston, Miami, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Neb., Raleigh, N.C., Tucson, Ariz., and Mesa, Ariz.

For the report, which comes from NetCredit, an online lender, researchers used Uber's own fare-calculating tool to calculate the average price for comparable 30-minute rides in the various cities.

The report also includes a calculation of average Uber fares in relation to the median hourly wage in each city, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This drops Seattle from first place down to sixth because of the high median income here. In other words, while Uber rides are expensive in Seattle, locals may be in a slightly better position to afford them.

Seattle, of course, is an expensive place to do business. Our higher costs for gas, insurance and vehicle maintenance may raise Uber's baseline operating costs here, which the company might then recover through higher fares.

Regulatory costs are part of the reason Seattle fares are so steep. The city's Fare Share" ordinance requires Uber and Lyft to guarantee drivers a minimum per-mile and per-minute wage, in addition to other benefits and reimbursements. This legislation is intended to ensure drivers are paid fairly with additional benefits and reimbursement for their expenses, and that they have a process to appeal a "deactivation they feel is unfair. Uber and Lyft have added fees to rides in Seattle to cover these costs.

On top of that, the ordinance tacks a 51-cent fee on every Uber and Lyft ride. The money goes toward affordable housing, transit and additional protections for Uber and Lyft drivers.

Critics argue that while these policies are well-intentioned, they increase the cost of using the services, and can have the unintended consequence of pushing ride-hailing out of reach for lower-income residents. The high prices may also prompt many Seattle residents to seek alternatives, which could reduce demand for the ride-hailing services and leave drivers with fewer trips.

Last week, I used Uber's trip planner to find the cost for a ride from downtown Seattle to Sea-Tac Airport. The cheapest fare was $77.91. A taxi for the same trip was $41.43.

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