With business trips being more popular now than ever before, its completely natural that more and more companies are beginning to muse about embracing ride sharing. As companies like Lyft and Uber have upended the modern transportation system, many entrepreneurs and working business professionals have grown comfortable with ride sharing in their everyday lives, leading many to believe it could be the perfect fit for their business needs. Productized services have been a massive hit for consumers and busy professionals alike. There are even services that can walk your dog while you are out of town or on a business trip.
Does ride sharing really beat out traditional options like car rentals? Heres everything you need to know about choosing between ride sharing and renting a car for your next business adventure.
Ride sharing is becoming more common
If anythings become clearer over the past few years, its the fact that ride sharing is becoming more common, not only for everyday trips but for business purposes, too. As a matter of fact, companies like Uber and Lyft have become such an integral part of the modern economy that many businesses are now factoring ride sharing into the business expenses operations. Small business owners and tireless corporate professionals alike are still at times uncertain of ride sharing technology, however, especially when its compared to leading alternatives like renting a car.
Business professionals uncertain of ride sharing can rest easy; its growing increasingly clear that car rentals are slowly but steadily going to way of the horse, as new and more innovative methods of transportation like ride sharing are simply too alluring for travelers to pass up on. The expense management firm Certify recently uncovered that Uber and Lyft alone were the choice for more than two-thirds of all corporate travel receipts it had analyzed, for instance, illustrating that working professionals everywhere are embracing these apps with fervor.
More business travelers are relying on these ride sharing apps for a number of reasons, but the biggest remain their relatively cheap costs and the ease of using the apps in question. Anyone whos downloaded Uber or Lyft is likely familiar and comfortable with the service after just a few uses, for instance, with many business professionals using Uber-related idioms or experiences to break the ice when meeting one another for the first time. While ride sharing firms were struggling to compete with delivery gigs and car rentals just a few years ago, the market has since made it quite clear that consumers everywhere are going crazy for apps that let them summon a ride with just a few taps of a screen.
Apps offer users a better experience
It can be of little doubt that riders are turning to apps like Uber and Lyft because they offer a better travelling experience than leading alternatives like renting a car. When perusing a list of the most common reasons that many travelers rely on Uber, for instance, youll notice that ride sharing options are immensely easy to use, whereas car rental services can be excessively demanding of your time and attention. Whereas renting a car comes with immense liability, hailing an Uber or Lyft is almost effortless, with the process having been so automated that busy working professionals dont have to fret about payment.
Similarly, the fact that ride sharing apps offer business travelers the opportunity to review their driver is helping apps like Uber and Lyft as they seek to supplant traditional car rental da services. While many business professionals are doubtlessly frustrated by the experience of renting a car, few of them are going to take time out of their day to write a review about it. Many people would be willing to rate their Uber or Lyft driver, however, a process that takes little more than a swipe of the finger and is done almost automatically as youre stepping out of the car.
Most importantly of all, ride sharing apps help cut down on the associated costs, stress that come with travelling for business and cut down on DUI accidents. Data from the Pew Research Center indicates that riders who make use of such services as Lyft or Uber report theyre happier with the ride they received. 86 percent of all ride-hailing users noted that they felt such services saved them time and stress, with 80 percent of them believing the workers doing the driving were enjoying their flexible schedules. Its thus clear that ride sharing apps like Uber and Lyft have ingratiated themselves into the public consciousness and are unlikely to grow unpopular anytime soon.
With rental cars being a tall order in this day and age, you can expect more businesses to embrace the sharing economy and rely upon services like Uber and Lyft when it comes to business trips. While some working professionals may enjoy driving themselves around, the stress-free and low-cost environment offered to business travelers by ride sharing is simply too irresistible to pass up. In the future, you should expect your business trips to be facilitated by ride sharing more so than car rentals.