3 Ways to Improve Ridesharing

Ridesharing apps started as a way to optimize your drives — a way to make a little cash when you were already planning a trip from here to there, like a digital bulletin board in the college dorm. Now, ridesharing is a multi-billion-dollar industry, promising livable wages for full-time drivers and driving other transportation methods, from public transit to taxi companies, out of business.

Ridesharing certainly offers perks that other transportation options lack. The biggest benefit is obviously that it’s much cheaper than owning a personal vehicle, but other bonuses include the direct transportation from where one is to where one wants to go as well as the freedom to read, talk on the phone or do other tasks while moving. Even so, ridesharing isn’t nearly as good as it could be — and here are a few noteworthy downsides to prove it.

Ridesharing Doesn’t Improve Traffic

When ridesharing first started growing in popularity, studies predicted that the service would dramatically cut down on the number of vehicles on the road. Instead of taking their own vehicles, individual drivers would share one car, relieving much of the congestion that plagues so many cities around the world.

Unfortunately, in reality, the opposite occurred. Because ridesharing has become some people’s profession, there are many ridesharing cars that are perpetually clogging up roadways. Plus, the undeniable convenience of ridesharing has pushed many people — who in the past would have opted for public transit or human-powered transportation — to instead use a car.

It’s difficult to see a way for ridesharing to combat this issue without revolutionizing its business model. After all, rideshare organizations want to encourage more people to use ridesharing; that’s how they make their money. One solution might be to place a limit on the number of rideshare drivers who operate within a certain region, so roads aren’t brimming with empty rideshares. Additionally, rideshares organizations could invest more into municipal infrastructure, adding lanes specifically for rideshares, buses and similar carpools.

Ridesharing Doesn’t Help the Environment

Because ridesharing doesn’t cut down on the number of vehicles on the road, it also doesn’t help with vehicle emissions. Gasoline-powered vehicles account for about one-fifth of America’s emissions, and emissions are largely responsible for climate change as well as the contamination of air, soil and water, which can have disastrous effects on human health. By and large, we should be striving to reduce the number of vehicles on the road — especially those producing harmful emissions — not increasing them.

Fortunately, this is a much easier fix. Rideshares might only offer driving jobs to those with hybrid or electric vehicles, both of which produce fewer emissions. While it still consumes resources to produce the components of hybrid and electric vehicles, the power to run them can come from much cleaner, more sustainable sources, like solar, wind or geothermal. Because electric vehicles are becoming much more available to the public, this is a viable solution to ridesharing’s environmental impact.

Ridesharing Isn’t Accessible to Everyone

While it might seem like everyone can use a ridesharing app to great benefit, the truth is that a large portion of the population is left out of the ridesharing craze. Anyone who lacks regular access to a smartphone will hardly be able to take advantage of ridesharing, and those with disabilities, including people who use wheelchairs and walking aids as well as those with seeing or hearing handicaps, might struggle to interact with the app or board a typical ridesharing vehicle.

Fortunately, this widespread issue is already receiving attention from rideshare organizations. It isn’t difficult to manipulate rideshare software to make apps more accessible to all users, and some smaller ridesharing companies are striving to integrate vehicles adapted for various disabilities. Still, this niche isn’t well addressed, so newer rideshares with innovative solutions for people with disabilities might still get ahead.

It’s Not Too Late to Improve Ridesharing

Ridesharing is popular, and its popularity isn’t waning, even though it suffers from some serious problems. As a relatively new industry, ridesharing is still in flex, meaning that newer competitors can disrupt established models. These downsides to ridesharing are not insurmountable; with the right strategy — and a willingness to be creative and innovative — business leaders can improve an excellent service and make a positive impact on the world.