The last time we reviewed the post-virus forecast for the ride-sharing business, the outlook for Uber shareholders was not good. In May, polls found that more than half of Americans were eager to return to the backseat of a carpool, and that nearly a quarter planned to give up entirely on passenger numbers. Two months later, things are not looking much better, as another couple of polls have found that a significant proportion of Americans still can’t afford a ride-share again.
CarGurus, one of the original surveyors cited in our May story, conducted a follow-up survey in June that asked 779 Americans for their transportation plans during and after the current COVID-19 crisis. He found that 29.7 percent of Americans plan to reduce the use of ridesharing, compared to 28 percent in April, and that while a small number have backtracked on their promise to stop hiring Ubers altogether, the change it is minimal, down to 9.6 percent from April’s 10 percent. Of this group of respondents, 58 percent plan to substitute personal vehicle use for ride sharing, indicating a possible worsening of U.S. traffic problems.
A similar survey by ADT found that most Americans are concerned about cleanliness of ridesharing, and 57.6 percent of 1,005 respondents reported moderate to extreme concerns about ridesharing being sanitary. Only 6.1 percent reported apathy towards the matter, although they represent a small minority of Americans, most of whom ADT found to be unfriendly to Lyft or Uber even after health orders were lifted.
Only 25.1 percent of ADT respondents said they had a moderate to extreme chance of using rideshare in the future, while 59.3 percent plan to greatly reduce their number of passengers. Precisely 15.6 percent swore never to receive a ride again, and no matter how Uber board members want to frame it, losing close to a sixth of its customer base in a matter of months is an ugly change of fortune . Perhaps ride-sharing services could tempt some stray customers by turning to the 70.6 percent who will only consider traveling again if vehicles are disinfected among passengers … Although it seems those people might want to look for something called a taxi instead.
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