Coming home solo with a roller bag? I almost always take the T, but it’s a 30 minute walk after the red line ride.

For my most recent “Lyft accepted the ride twice and failed twice at 15 minutes each throw” experience on Friday, the T was already in bed for the evening (or about to be, meaning it couldn’t be counted on).

Getting to the airport? There’s too much variability from the T and I don’t like sitting at Logan for an extra 45 minutes when the T decides to operate smoothly nor stand and worry the extra 45 minutes when it decides to be crappy service. (That variability cost is on top of the 45-60 extra minutes the T takes over a car.)

Multiple bags or flying with the kids? Car service every time.

The T is a hub and spoke system. If you want to go quickly between two spokes, Lyft or Uber can be much faster. And with a group, sometimes even cheaper than paying for individual T rides.

not op, but as a student in cambridge, the T is very good for getting in and around boston, but getting to cambridge is a little bit of hassle. take the red line all the way to park street, and then take it back around almost in a loop to anywhere on the green line.

i don't know why i'm complaining though, it is still a fantastic public transportation system compared to many others.