During the short period that they’ve been operating, ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft have revolutionized the taxi and related-service businesses. Uber alone has handled well over a billion rides since its founding; and it is located around the United States and around the globe.
Yet, despite the growth of Uber and Lyft, they are NOT as popular as some people believe. Here are interesting observations by Felix Richter, writing for Statista:
“Do you stand on the side of the street to hail a cab or do prefer to use technology? A new Pew Research study has found that the vast majority of Americans have not used ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft. Despite their increasing prominence in media circles, 51 percent of U.S. adults haven’t heard of such apps while only 15 percent have actually used them to hail a cab.”
Take a look a look at the following Statista chart.
Although this article is a bit dated, the results have still shocked me. My parents as well as all of my friends have used apps such as Uber and Lyft, so, I am questioning the fact that the poll shows that 51% of adults have not used these ridesharing services. Perhaps, we can attribute that to the notion that the word “adult” is a very broad term. The surveyor could have polled an older generation that may not have much experience using apps in general.