Industry News: Car and Ride-Sharing Services Not Posing A Threat To Buying and Owning A Car

[William Maley]

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With the rise of services of car and ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, a number of people have said this would begin the downfall of buying and owning a new vehicle in the U.S. But a new study commissioned by Kelly Blue Book says that isn't happening for the majority of the country.

 

The study revealed many Americans consider vehicle ownership to be more convenient, reliable, safer than car- and ride-sharing services. It also revealed that 76 percent of respondents that use these services are planning to buy or lease a vehicle within the next two years.

 

"While there are numerous benefits to ride sharing and car sharing, our data reveals that owning a car still reigns supreme, with reliability, safety and convenience all being major factors," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

 

Other findings of KBB's study include,

• 73 percent of respondents said they have heard of these ride-sharing services, but only 16 percent have used them. This is similar to car sharing services as 43 percent said they have heard of them, but only 7 percent have taken advantage.
  • Most of the respondents using these services are young people living in urban environments. This makes sense as owning a vehicle in this environment is more of a pain.
    

  [*]Car and Ride sharing services are seen more as substitutes for taxis and rental cars. [*]Affordability was the top reason given respondents who don't own a car.

  • Only 5 percent said using a ride-sharing service was the reason they don't own a car. 3 percent said gave the same reason for why they use car sharing services.
    

  
  

 

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Kelly Blue Book

 

Press Release is on Page 2

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Kelley Blue Book Study Reveals Ride-Sharing, Car-Sharing Services Do Not Pose Threat To Car Buying

• KBB.com Finds Americans Not Ready to Give Up Freedom Associated with Vehicle Ownership
  

IRVINE, Calif., March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The results are in, and according to Kelley Blue Book, ride- and car-sharing is not an imminent threat to new-car buying and vehicle ownership, despite the growing number of services being offered to consumers. This is just one of many interesting findings from the recent 2016 Kelley Blue Book Ride Sharing/Car Sharing Study, released today by KBB.com, the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry.

 

Commissioned by Kelley Blue Book and conducted by Vital Findings to understand the motivations behind ride-sharing and car-sharing usage, as well as opinions and behaviors surrounding current and future transportation, the survey found that these sharing platforms primarily are used as substitutes for taxis and traditional rental car companies, and have very limited impact on current or future vehicle ownership. In fact, the expected transportation method of the majority of Americans that currently own or have access to a vehicle (74 percent) is to drive themselves in the next six months. When asked what statements about owning or leasing a vehicle respondents agree with, 80 percent completely or somewhat agreed that owning or leasing a vehicle provides a sense of freedom and independence, followed by 62 percent that completely or somewhat agreed that owning or leasing a vehicle gives you a sense of pride/success.

 

Ride-sharing services, including Uber and Lyft, among others, use a Smartphone app for consumers to request and pay for a ride on demand from drivers who typically own the cars they drive. On the other hand, car-sharing companies, such as Getaround, ZipCar and Car2Go, among others, provide consumers with the opportunity to borrow vehicles and drive themselves, using a Smartphone app to schedule, unlock and pay for borrowed vehicles.

 

"Ride- and car-sharing services are getting a lot of attention these days, and we wanted to better understand the current landscape of these app-fueled platforms and how they may impact both consumers and the auto industry moving forward," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "While there are numerous benefits to ride sharing and car sharing, our data reveals that owning a car still reigns supreme, with reliability, safety and convenience all being major factors."

 

Looking down the road, the field is relatively level for potential ride-sharing providers to enter the market with more than one-third of respondents (37 percent) giving the most consideration to companies with a ride-sharing app, followed closely by rental car companies (32 percent) and taxi/limo companies (26 percent). In addition, 24 percent of those surveyed also would consider vehicle dealerships as a potential ride-sharing provider over vehicle manufacturers (16 percent) and individuals with a vehicle (15 percent). Respondents were least likely (14 percent) to consider tech companies as potential ride-sharing providers.

 

Similar to ride-sharing, the opportunity for new car-sharing services to enter the market is fairly level, as traditional vehicle rental companies (36 percent), companies specifically created to provide vehicle sharing (33 percent), and notably, vehicle dealerships (31 percent) were among the most considered car-sharing providers among respondents.

 

Sample of Additional Findings from 2016 Kelley Blue Book Ride Sharing/Car Sharing Study

• Awareness Doesn't Mean Use: Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73 percent) are aware of ride sharing, but only 16 percent have actually used these services, with Millennials and city dwellers leading usage. As for car sharing, 43 percent of respondents are aware, but only 7 percent use these services.
• Still Planning to Buy or Lease: Vehicle-sharing services are viewed as substitutes for taxis (41 percent) and rental cars (39 percent), with more than three-quarters (76 percent) of vehicle-sharing users reporting their intent to purchase or lease their own vehicle within the next two years.
• Ownership Has Its Benefits: According to respondents, vehicle ownership is more reliable (81 percent vs. 19 percent for ride sharing; 78 percent vs. 22 percent for car sharing), safer (80 percent vs. 20 percent for ride sharing; 80 percent vs. 20 percent for car sharing) and more convenient (74 percent vs. 26 percent for ride sharing; 75 percent vs. 25 percent for car sharing) than depending on sharing services.
• Budget Is Primary Ownership Factor: Among those surveyed who did not currently own or lease a vehicle, more than half of respondents (57 percent) name affordability, which also was the highest listed reason, as the main deterrent for not purchasing or leasing their own vehicles. Only 5 percent said utilizing ride sharing and 3 percent said utilizing car sharing as reasons for not owning a vehicle in the future.
• Safety First: More than two-thirds of respondents (69 percent) believe that ride-sharing services are a great way to combat drunk driving; however, only 33 percent of those surveyed deemed ride-sharing to be safe. In fact, 48 percent stated they wouldn't be comfortable riding alone with a ride-share driver.
• The national survey reveals the responses from more than 1,900 U.S. residents between the ages of 18-64 years old, weighted to Census figures by age, gender and ethnicity that have a variety of residential and ownership patterns.
  

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[G. David Felt]

Very interesting, this goes with what I have seen and heard from coworkers. I do also wonder how these services will fair with the recent news of the sexual assaults by drivers? We are in an interesting era where most people still see security and safety in owning their own ride.

[regfootball]

 

 

"The study revealed many Americans consider vehicle ownership to be more convenient, reliable, safer than car- and ride-sharing services."

 

​the lingering effects of recession dried up the well of car business for a few years, and people lost income, and new drivers probably still didn't have steady income of any kind.

 

Why would anyone not either family or a domestic relationship share a car.  Who pays for repairs, who gets to drive it, what happens if one crashes, who cleans it, etc.

 

The highway system liberated America from having others dictate when you come and go.  And where you go.  Convenience.

 

Your car is your own pod.  You don't HAVE to ride with others and deal with what MIGHT happen, like getting shot etc.

 

Reliable, as long as your car is in working order, you can go when you need.  Waiting for someone else to come get you may never happen.

 

Car sales is and always will be about people's cash flow, and the credit faucet.  

 

There are times when it is more convenient to use a public transit, that is true.  But people as a whole still would prefer to have the car available to them as much as possible.

[Drew Dowdell]

I have my own cars of course, and I'm also a heavy user of Uber too.    My use of Uber has no bearing on my future car purchases.