Ridesharing apps have made their way into the Europe only a couple of years ago but, every nook and corner of major European metropolis are run by these apps today, literally! It seems that the footloose Europeans have just found the best companion for all their commuting requirements, be it a small trip from the gym, office or party to home, or a long business trip, or even delivery of your favorite delicacy from your hometown.
If we track down the reason for the massive success of ridesharing apps then the ease of use and glam of technology could be considered as the major contributors. Moreover, the feeling of awe created by all the gossips and controversies surrounding ridesharing brands like Uber evokes more people to try it.
Today, the ridesharing industry is the fastest growing among the tech world and the companies like Uber has already grabbed the top spot of billion dollar club.
A general overview of the growth of ridesharing apps also reveals to us that the idea was actually incepted in Europe, improvised in the US and the popular iteration was finally adopted by the Europe within a couple of years; Just like democracy.
Ridesharing was initially practiced for inter-city travel to cut down the expenses by sharing the journey and split the fuel cost with other members of the ridesharing websites like Bla bla car in Paris as early in 2006. However, the founders of Uber brought back the ridesharing inspiration from their visit to Paris in 2008 and established Uber with some of their own added innovations.
The stand out reasons for the glaring success of Uber was their decisive move to create a smartphone app instead of providing a web based service operating from a forum where members share their planned journey details. Moreover, the on-demand peer to peer model for real time ridesharing within the city acted as a catalyst to the growth of Uber, which ultimately made it the preferred alternative to traditional taxis.
Now, Ridesharing having conquered Europe, is eyeing the next targets as the market leaders like Uber is also expanding their reach from to Asia and beyond. This trend doesn’t seem to be resting anytime soon as the market is still very reactive and it appears as if an untapped niche has just been discovered.
Moreover, new ridesharing companies are also mushrooming every day and Uber also continues to innovate and tap the sub-niches like on-demand delivery of goods and food through Uber, which greatly adds to the scale of operations.
Finally, it can be surely ascertained that ridesharing has arrived in Europe with a bang but to keep up with the pace, ridesharing companies will also have to adjust to the local regulations and community’s aspirations; since, a lot of criticism and protests have been raised by taxi companies. Resultantly, some of the Uber operations are penalized by governments in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain where raids were conducted in Uber offices and several arrests were made.
The growth of ridesharing industry has been tracked in the following visually engaging infographic:
Image source: http://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/
Guest article written by: Muhammad Umair Azam is a law graduate and a savvy tech blogger who loves to read and write about trends in tech, gadget reviews and DIYs.
He also writes for http://www.digitalmarketingroi.co.uk/ and curates content for http://rideshareapps.com/