MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For most commuters, days are full of unavoidable expenses, especially the price of gas.
A gallon of gasoline in Memphis now averages $4.32, the highest it's ever been, and the highest of any metro area in Tennessee.
The sudden rise in gas prices has been attributed to many factors, including rising inflation, and many around the Mid-South are starting to feel the strain. Southwest Tennessee Community College announced last week they are transitioning to a hybrid learning model on Fridays to try to save their students and staff some money at the pump.
With drivers looking for alternate ways to get around during their morning commute, many are turning to the Memphis Area Transit Authority's (MATA's) new on-demand public transportation services.
Groove and Ready! are on-demand app-based services MATA launched in 2021.
Ready! covers a few Memphis neighborhoods; Northaven/Frayser, Southwest Memphis, and Cordova, while Groove serves downtown Memphis, Crosstown, the Medical District and parts of North Memphis.
MATA's on-demand coverage areas
Currently, Ready! service is free, but MATA said later this year, the service will cost $1.25 to use within its zones of coverage, which is the same fee to ride on Groove. MATA has not indicated they will be increasing Groove prices.
MATA said ridership on both services have seen record highs in the last few months, with as many as 4,000 riders on Groove during May alone, mainly due to the increasing price of gas.
That got us wondering, with the price of gas, would it actually be less expensive to use these services for a short commute to work, than it would be to drive the same distance?
Putting It to the Test
For our test, we decided to drive the typical commute within MATA's coverage area for Groove; about nine miles one-way. This route was from Peabody Place near Beale Street to Lucille Price Park in the New Chicago area.
We drove this route round-trip with a full tank and then filled up at a nearby gas station to see how much gas had been used. The total cost; $2.96, 46 cents more than the round-trip price of a ride on Groove.
If a person were to make this commute five days a week over the course of a year, riding Groove would save them $119.60 per year on the price of gas.
Add this to the price of regular maintenance and insurance on a car, and the idea of using one of these services instead of using a car for commuting could be a real cost-savings.