The next time you’re out of town and need to catch a ride, think about this: Taxis are –– by far –– cleaner than both ride shares like Uber and Lyft and rental cars.
Of course, rideshare drivers use their own cars, and it’s impossible to know where someone’s vehicle has been. But it’s remarkable just how dirty these cars are. A rideshare is three times dirtier than a rental car, with 6.1 million colony-forming units/sq. in. A colony-forming unit is the number of viable bacteria cells in a sample.
To add some perspective, a rental car is only slightly cleaner than a toilet brush holder. And if you have to choose between sitting in the back of an Uber or on a public toilet seat, you should opt for the latter.
Of course, it’s not always reasonable to avoid rental cars or rideshares, so just make sure you carry lots of hand sanitizer on your next trip out of town. And if you’re looking for a vehicle that’ll survive an upcoming Apocalypse regardless of germs, check out this infographic post.