What you need to know
Ride sharing services as an industry is a relatively recent innovation which has exploded in use and popularity in recent years. Ride sharing services have popped up across the globe, available now in practically every major metropolitan area. Due to advances in smartphone technology and capabilities, ride sharing has allowed millions of car owners to monetize their vehicles while fulfilling consumer demand for mobility within the marketplace. This Report will discuss ride share usage, reasons for using ride share services, as well as alternative transportation methods available to consumers in the US.
Definition
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
Ride sharing – A service that provides one-way rides to a specific destination via an on-demand interface, driven by a consumer’s personal vehicle. (Uber or Lyft). Riders in ride sharing operations do not drive the vehicle.
Bike sharing – A network of bike stations where consumers can rent a bike and return it to any of the designated stations.
Car sharing – A short-term car rental service where consumers can rent from a fleet of cars for short periods of time, often by the hour or minute. (Zipcar, Enterprise Car Share, GetAround).
Other types of transportation, such as public transit (buses, trains, subways, etc), and traditional taxis will also be included.
While car sharing will be discussed in the Report, it will not be a central focus as it is covered in Mintel’s Car Sharing – US, June 2016 Report.
