Only One-Third of Americans Use Ride-Hailing Apps

The terms Uber and Lyft have become such an ingrained part of modern American lexicon they have even transitioned from nouns to verbs (e.g., “We will Lyft to the concert tonight.”). But, as prevalent as these ridesharing services seem to be, results of a recent survey revealed an alarmingly low number of Americans actually use these services or are even aware they exist.

According to data from the Pew Research Center, only 36 percent of adult respondents in the United States reported using ride-hailing services such as Uber or Lyft; 61 percent of respondents noted they had heard of the services but they haven’t used them; and 3 percent reported never having heard of them.

Other studies and surveys in recent years resulted in similar findings, with between 24.4 percent and 43 percent of Americans reporting use of the apps. But despite these low numbers, they actually convey an increase in ridesharing popularity among Americans. In 2015, only 15 percent reported using Lyft or Uber, and 33 percent had not heard of them.

The Pew study also revealed Uber and Lyft are more frequently used by 18- to 29-year-olds (50 percent) and the services are more popular among urban residents with higher incomes. While the popularity of these apps undoubtedly grew in recent years, only 2 percent noted they use the apps daily or almost every day, a decrease from 3 percent in 2015. Most respondents (67 percent) reported using ride-sharing apps less than once per month.