The question that arose when shared rides became a thing is, “Does ridesharing have a future?”. Ridesharing companies such as Uber, Drover, and Lyft might be just what we need at the moment.
More and more people are giving up on car ownership nowadays. The number of people who are opting for this urban mobility solution is getting higher by the day. The decrease in vehicle ownership in the US from 2010 to 2019 was 0.4.
Although ridesharing isn’t the solution to all the ecological and economic problems, it certainly has its benefits.
Let’s take a look:
Decreases carbon emissions
Conserves non-renewable energy sources
Decreases car congestion
Lowers the traveling expenses
Reduces the noise levels in urban areas
So, let’s find out more about it.
Shared Rides Decrease Carbon Emissions
One of the essential benefits of carpooling or ridesharing is its positive environmental effect. Even if more and more people started avoiding car ownership, passenger and commercial vehicles are growing.
Greenhouse gases produced by non-eco-friendly vehicles have far-ranging ecological and health effects. Some of the most prominent issues being:
Climate change
Air pollution
Rising sea levels
And unfortunately, the list keeps going.
As the number of cars on the roads around the globe keeps growing, so does the pollution. That’s why shared rides can be beneficial if the users wouldn’t abuse apps such as Uber.
Conservation of Non-Renewable Energy Sources
Non-renewable energy resources are indeed generous, but they won’t last forever. One of the most significant contributors to this conservation strategy is rideshare services.
But first, let’s dig a bit deeper into the problem.
The fossil fuels we’re using today to keep us warm, to travel, and to provide power, in general, were formed thousands of million years ago. And the predominant component of these energy sources is carbon, released into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide has a damaging effect on our environment, as it acts as a greenhouse gas. Apart from increasing the temperature in the Earth’s atmosphere, it also acidifies the seas and oceans.
By implementing the right strategies for conserving fossil fuels, we can reduce the presence of carbon dioxide. The most efficient ways to help save non-renewable energy sources are:
Reduce
Recycle
Reuse
The number one step towards conservation is reducing the number of vehicles on the roads. And opting for a split rideshare service could contribute to the cause.
Also, rideshare companies who are diligently working on electric vehicles are paving the way towards sustainable mobility.
Decreased Car Congestion
Ridesharing can help solve car congestion problems occurring all across the globe. Commuting and traveling in a shared ride could make the traffic jams less of a nuisance. But most importantly, it could also help solve some critical environmental problems caused by traffic congestion.
Even though there are fewer vehicles owned by individuals, the car congestion problem is increasing. Roads are continuously and increasingly congested, and people are spending more and more time in traffic jams.
Although the time is being wasted by spending all the hours on the road in vain, car congestion brings more trouble.
Money-wise, car congestion is also affecting the average individual’s traveling expenses. More time on the road means more fuel spent. And more fuel means more money.
Also, pollution issues and health issues are increasing together with car congestion. People stuck in traffic jams are 40 times more exposed to pollution than those in motion.
Less Travelling Expenses
Choosing shared rides or carpools over other ground transportation options can affect one’s budget significantly. However, traveling by car is still the number one mode of personal and business travel.
Different rideshare options available to the public are less expensive than taxis. One can easily calculate how much money they could be saving potentially. All you need to do is deduce the average rideshare rate from the average taxi rate. Then, multiply the number by 25% of total taxi transactions to get the potential amount.
Not to forget the impact this could have on corporations. By implementing sharing ride options into corporate travel programs, the companies could cut down on additional expenses.
Encouraging employees who travel to engage in this kind of sharing economy could drive down the travel costs massively.
Reduced Noise Levels in Urban Areas
Noise pollution is becoming a bigger problem as urbanization is booming. Reducing noise levels has become one of the biggest challenges of urban areas.
There are different causes of increased levels of noise pollution, and the biggest one is traffic. Opting for rideshare options such as Drover can help deal with this issue effectively.
Noise and sound levels higher than 70 dB could have a harmful effect on all living organisms, including people. Noise pollution can cause a variety of health issues:
Hypertension or high blood pressure
Sleep disturbances
Hearing loss
Cardiovascular dysfunctions
Sound pollution mainly caused by traffic noises can cause health issues that could significantly affect one’s life quality. Every single vehicle participating in traffic adds up to sound pollution.
Becoming aware of this and going for rideshare delivery and commuting could help solve this significant issue.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, rideshare can be quite beneficial - especially when specific environmental, economic, and health issues are considered. By opting for shared rides, you are contributing towards some of these causes.
That means fewer carbon emissions, less car congestion, and less noise in cities. All of this while you are practically saving money and also non-renewable energy sources.
So, if you are in this area, you can get the rideshare Nashville and Drover rideshare app and take advantage of all the benefits that come with it.