Honestly, I believe the data, but not the conclusion. When I first started using Uber, it was a taxi replacement. I take taxis once every few weeks e.g. to go to the airport and similar. Most of my other transit was either by subway, walking, bicycle, or didn't happen.
When Uber dropped to a couple of minutes, my usage pattern completely changed. It's a casual form of transport. Hungry? I'll take an Uber to where ever I want to eat. Running a few minutes late? I'll Uber it instead of biking. I now meet people more than I used to. When transport became fast, cheap, and convenient, I started using it a lot more.
If I see a 15 minute wait time on an Uber, I'll usually cancel it, but that's not because I'm any less patient than I was a year ago. It's just that Uber now fills a niche in my life that was unfilled a year ago, and indeed, that I didn't know existed. When Uber jumps up to 15 minutes, my usage patterns go back to what they were with taxis, and I cancel most of the casual trips.
It depends on where you live. In New York or Chicago, you just hail a cab, usually in a minute or two. Pulling out an app and trying to get the marker in the right place and waiting 5 minutes is a step backward for the kind of usage you describe. An app is a very clumsy replacement for street hails.
For me this goes doubly so when I happen to be walking somewhere (in NYC) and see a cab driving past with its light lit - I might have normally walked the 15 blocks, but since there a cab right there, and its available right now.... its almost like an impulse-buy on the transportation.
When Uber dropped to a couple of minutes, my usage pattern completely changed. It's a casual form of transport. Hungry? I'll take an Uber to where ever I want to eat. Running a few minutes late? I'll Uber it instead of biking. I now meet people more than I used to. When transport became fast, cheap, and convenient, I started using it a lot more.
If I see a 15 minute wait time on an Uber, I'll usually cancel it, but that's not because I'm any less patient than I was a year ago. It's just that Uber now fills a niche in my life that was unfilled a year ago, and indeed, that I didn't know existed. When Uber jumps up to 15 minutes, my usage patterns go back to what they were with taxis, and I cancel most of the casual trips.