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Uber or Lyft? State to release study into Boston's gridlock

BOSTON — On Thursday, Gov. Charlie Baker and MassDOT are set to release the results from a year-long study into Boston's gridlock.

The study will offer more clues as to when, where and why traffic backs up in some of the worst spots in the city.

BAKER, POLLACK RELEASING MASSDOT STUDY ON CONGESTION

Now, we're getting an idea of how much Uber and Lyft are contributing to all the cars and trucks on the road.

"Ah, traffic is traffic," said John Mayambala.

Mayambala has been an Uber driver for nine months.

He says there's a lot of competition out there.

His competition isn't the T or taxi cabs. It's other Uber drivers.

"Yeah, there are a lot…when I go to the airport the parking lot is filled up with a lot of drivers," Mayambala said.

There were more than 81 million Lyft and Uber rides in Massachusetts last year. Now, for the first time, we're getting a sense of how the two ride-sharing companies contribute to Boston's traffic problem.

The two companies studied traffic data in major American cities.

In September 2018, Uber and Lyft accounted for almost 8 percent of all the cars and trucks in Boston.

If you think that's high, Boston falls right in the middle when compared to 2.6 percent in Los Angeles, 3.3 percent in Chicago, and almost 13 percent of traffic in San Francisco.

Amr Satouhi thinks Uber and Lyft are part of the solution to Boston traffic, not the problem.

"I see them all over the place but I feel they actually save the traffic because then otherwise those people would bring their cars," Satouhi said.

Lauren Palmer says more people have to rely on ride-sharing because public transportation is so unreliable.

"I think one of the real reasons Boston is so congested is that we have a Commuter Rail system that doesn’t really work for people and the have to drive," Palmer said.

In the meantime, Mayambala wants to keep driving and doesn't want regulators to limit the number of Uber and Lyft drivers on the road.

"Would that hurt your bottom line though? Would that hurt your wallet?" Mayambala said. "It can. It can hurt me badly."

An Uber spokesperson sent this statement to Boston 25 News:

"The study shows that more than 90% of traffic is caused by personal vehicles and trucks. Trying to fight congestion by targeting Uber is like trying to paint your house with a toothbrush."

Last month, the governor proposed an $18 billion transportation bill that will expand the T, add additional bus lanes and offer projects to reduce traffic.