Just a few short years ago, ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber launched in cities across the country with the lofty goals of expanding transportation access, filling empty seats in cars on the road, and reducing traffic congestion and household transportation expenses by empowering Americans to share our rides.
Recent independent research indicates voters have good reasons to be optimistic about ride-sharing. Studies from the American Public Transportation Association, University of Minnesota, and Arizona State University have found that ride-sharing increases access to transportation; reduces single occupant vehicles; combats congestion; and reshapes long-held assumptions around personal vehicle ownership. While agreeable in theory, it was a major gamble whether America would come along for the ride.
Now, new polling from Morning Consult confirms that American voters are embracing ride-sharing in concept and practice. Voters believe ride-sharing reduces single occupant vehicles on the road and encourages a car-light lifestyle. Most surveyed even said they urge their elected officials to support pro-ride-sharing policies by a 34-point margin (49 percent support vs. 15 percent oppose).
The results from the poll shows a majority of voters across all demographic groups hold favorable views of ride-sharing (54 percent favorable vs. 21 percent unfavorable) and predict these services will increase in popularity over the next decade.
Nearly three out of four voters (73 percent) say they are concerned about traffic and road congestion. A majority of voters (62 percent) also say ridesharing services improve traffic and road congestion by reducing single-occupant vehicles on the road. Additionally, 57 percent of voters say that ride-sharing services have a positive effect on carpooling, which reduces single-vehicle occupancy, improves road congestion, and decreases emissions.
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05.18.2024