How Ridesharing Has Changed Lives
The ride-sharing boom has shown no signs of slowing over the past few years, and this is excellent news for riders and workers who use the services like Uber and Lyft. In 2016 there were more than 40 million rides requested each year, and in 2018 that ballooned to more than 58 million. Statistica is poisoning growth to push Uber, Lyft and other ride sharing requests to push through 77 million by 2022, making employment in ridesharing an excellent opportunity for those who want a stable income.
The changes in the way we live because of ridesharing are direct, and upfront, rather than hidden on the sidelines, and these changes are expected to get increasingly more substantial and more disruptive. That’s a good thing.
Unskilled Job Creation
Not only has ride sharing recreated what we think of taxi and transport services, but its also opening up an entirely new opportunity for unskilled workers, as well as those who just want an extra income stream. The city of New York is even resting on Uber and Lyft to create more jobs for the city’s residents as the companies are so large and have so much power to create these new job opportunities.
One of the main significant ways that Uber and other ridesharing companies have changed the way we live is that they’ve created a new way for people to work. The entire framework is already developed, and drivers can almost entirely move into the workforce on their own, they only need a clean driving record and for their vehicle to pass the Uber quality check.
New Full-time Jobs
Both the prospect and ability to drive for a ride-sharing company are becoming more and more attractive as salaries grow, and the environment and acceptance of these services become more widespread. Typically speaking, the general public likes Uber and Lyft drivers, and it makes working as a driver a far more safe and rewarding role than a traditional taxi service.
A number of businesses and insurance providers are now developing coverage options specifically designed to help those working in ridesharing get access to the best rideshare insurance options. This is an essential service for drivers as they must be insured for their vehicles and themselves as Uber’s business model sees their drivers as a simple contractor rather than an employee, so the number of benefits and protections that a driver can claim from Uber and Lyft in the event of an accident is relatively low.
These new rideshare insurance options make it easier for the future of Uber and Lyft employment to be more stable and less likely to incur and result in financial hardship if a vehicle is damaged.
A far better experience for riders
Both Uber and Lyft have created a service that is far better for user experience than traditional taxis, and that’s great for both the driver and the user. The ability to book a ride rather than hailing a cab who may or may not be willing to take you where you want to go has dramatically enhanced the ease of use of the service.
Allowing the easy public access to transport has also let us reimagine mobility. Now there are no longer large swathes of cities cut off due to bad public transport, as Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing companies have opened up the residents of these suburbs and cities to effortless transportation.
This has also kept the number of people flowing through areas of cities higher, resulting in malls and stores with easy drop off zones being utilized better by Uber and other ride-sharing services, adding back to local economies.
Reducing Congestion
The ride-sharing industry is also changing the way Americans and those across the world see cars. Typical families have 2 cars in the US, but that’s expected to change as the shift toward Ridesharing explodes. The ride-sharing industry has created less of a need for people to have two vehicles, and that’s good for the environment as well as traffic congestion.
By 2040 we will be looking at less than half of households in developed countries having 2 cars, and a much more significant shift to utilizing ride-sharing services. More than 1,000 cities around the globe are majorly transformed in regards to their driving and traffic, by ride sharing, and it’s resulting in falling vehicle sales and millennials are now less interested than ever in getting their own cars.
It’s moving self-driving forward
One of the driving forces behind the world’s significant leap into a self-driving vehicle future is the ride-sharing industry. Right now, all of the leading companies working on developing self-driving vehicles are doing so to utilize those cars for ride sharing. Uber, in particular, is powering forward with thousands of self-driving vehicles, as is Google’s Waymo.
Almost entirely because of the ride-sharing industry, the self-driving boom has been fast-tracked by more than 20 years. In the next 10 years, there’s expected to be almost as many self-driving ride-sharing vehicles on the road as traditional vehicles driven by people. Ridesharing has changed our lives for the better, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.
Author: Richie Hedderman