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Theoretically, if people who lack what our lives are based on - petrolhead madness - wouldn’t mind sharing a ride with others, we could see a decrease in general car sales. What if we told you this is actually happening already?
“Our intention is to make Uber so efficient, cars so highly utilized that for most people it is cheaper than owning a car. Uber doesn’t grow if car ownership is cheaper than taking Uber.” Travis Kalanick, CEO of the giant ride sharing service based in San Francisco, said. It was a random announcement he made on Twitter back in February which, perhaps, not too many people took seriously.
I mean, let’s face it, what sane person who can afford a decent car would ever say no to that and share a ride with a total stranger instead? Sure, we get all the environmental issues the planet is struggling with, just look at the recent South Carolina flood. But we’ll all just drive cleaner cars, perhaps even switch to EVs eventually; that should make it. Not to mention the majority of motorists drive their vehicles outside their hometown too.
Believe or not, things are already changing. According to a new survey made by consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates, quoted by Re/Code, some Uber passengers said they’re waiting to buy a car because of the ride-hailing app.
How many? Well, of the 2,000 users who were asked, 22 percent said that they were holding off on car shopping thanks to the service. Excuse us, but last time we checked, that means that every one in five people thinks that way.
Since the company itself funded the research, it’s quite clear Uber’s bosses want to see if the CEO’s plan is ever going to happen. The premises here are huge, and could bring big changes in the automotive industry, eventually. But for now, some key elements are missing.
For instance, the survey has not included non-Uber users, not to mention it hasn’t checked what younger car buyers want. Still, we may be looking toward some interesting surprises coming from the ride-sharing business after all.
I mean, let’s face it, what sane person who can afford a decent car would ever say no to that and share a ride with a total stranger instead? Sure, we get all the environmental issues the planet is struggling with, just look at the recent South Carolina flood. But we’ll all just drive cleaner cars, perhaps even switch to EVs eventually; that should make it. Not to mention the majority of motorists drive their vehicles outside their hometown too.
Believe or not, things are already changing. According to a new survey made by consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates, quoted by Re/Code, some Uber passengers said they’re waiting to buy a car because of the ride-hailing app.
How many? Well, of the 2,000 users who were asked, 22 percent said that they were holding off on car shopping thanks to the service. Excuse us, but last time we checked, that means that every one in five people thinks that way.
Since the company itself funded the research, it’s quite clear Uber’s bosses want to see if the CEO’s plan is ever going to happen. The premises here are huge, and could bring big changes in the automotive industry, eventually. But for now, some key elements are missing.
For instance, the survey has not included non-Uber users, not to mention it hasn’t checked what younger car buyers want. Still, we may be looking toward some interesting surprises coming from the ride-sharing business after all.
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