THWARTING TAXIS: The average Uber fare was US$31.24 (RM113.50) compared with US$35.40 (RM128.60) for taxis.
Based on business expense claims the ‘disruptive' app-based ride-hailing service now accounts for 46% of all paid-for and claimed-for car rides in the US.
According to the most recent SpendSmart Report from Certify, an expense reports software company, Uber only accounted for around 12% of paid-for rides -- i.e., taxis, limousine hire and airport shuttles etc -- as recently as January 2014 but over the past 14 months its popularity has grown steadily as use of traditional taxis has waned.
The research notes that over the past five quarters, car rental expenses have remained constant but taxi, limousine services and other ride-hailing companies are taking the hit.
Certify data shows that as Uber carves out a larger niche it is also bringing down prices -- the average Uber fare was US$31.24 (RM113.50) over the first quarter of 2015, compared with US$35.40 (RM128.60) for taxis.
As for which cities have the most love for Uber, San Francisco is number one. Less than one in three rides (29%) are now by traditional cab, the other 71% are via Uber. Dallas comes in second -- Uber accounts for 56% of fares -- and Los Angeles and Washington DC are tied in third place -- 49% of rides are with Uber.
But to give some illustration as to how quickly the service is being adopted, cities like Miami and Atlanta offer the best examples. At the start of 2014, 0% of rides were via Uber in Miami, but in just 12 months traditional cabs have lost 23% of the market. Likewise in Atlanta, 12 months ago Uber had an 8% share of the market. It now has 41%.
Still, for traditionalists there is a glimmer of hope. In New York, home of the Yellow Cab, the traditional taxi is going strong, accounting for 79% of business fares.
There is little doubt that Uber and other competing services like Lyft have simplified and standardised the ‘ordeal' of trying to flag down a taxi, and the figures show that despite a lot of recent bad press.
Uber has been accused of tracking customers, of not running good enough background checks on drivers, and, in countries including South Korea, France and Germany, of illegal business practices -- its services are still growing in popularity. — AFP/RelaxNews
