Nowadays, there are plenty of ways to get yourself from point A to point B. If public transportation is not something you’re a fan of, you can always opt for a car, a bike, or even an electric scooter, and if you don’t own one yourself, there’s likely one right around the corner, as long as you have an app.
Seeking to visit a lake on the other side of the city, this redditor, too, decided to use an app providing ridesharing services. But when she ordered a car to pick up her family, the driver didn’t seem to be in a rush to get to them, which eventually led to the woman seeking petty revenge.
Scroll down to find the full story below, where you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with the OP, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions.
Many people use services provided by ridesharing companies to get from point A to point B
Image credits:Lemnaouer (Not the actual photo)
But this woman didn’t have a great experience using a ridesharing app
Image credits:voronaman111 (Not the actual photo)
Image credits:FriendlyRiothamster
According to the woman, it’s not common for drivers to be rude or troublesome
In a recent interview with Bored Panda, the OP shared that the thing that annoyed her the most was the fact that the driver accepted the trip without hesitation, knowing he wouldn't come. “He didn't stop to think of the consequences for the client. If I was in a hurry, I would have lost precious time until I noticed he wouldn't come and then even more until another driver would show up,” she said.
Though the redditor said that such situations are not that common despite her using the service rather often, she did recall another encounter with a driver who wasn’t that willing to… drive. “Most drivers are very punctual and professional and do not condone such behavior of others. But one time a driver was already in our view and suddenly declined our trip.
“When the next driver arrived, he was livid because the first driver tried to dissuade others from coming, claiming that we had big luggage,” the OP continued. “The second driver said that our baggage was by no means extraordinary but rather that the previous driver was used to declining clients on a whim. This is where I learnt that drivers have a group chat. Though most drivers are amicable and open about the current policies, which I find forthcoming.”
Discussing the reasons behind people’s growing interest in ridesharing services, the redditor pointed out that in her area, the cars are better taken care of than traditional taxis, and the drivers have a better attitude. “The costs are also more transparent for the client, and paying with a card is often no big issue; at least in my city.”
Despite its recent popularity, the concept of ridesharing is not that new
Over the last decade, ridesharing services seem to have grown increasingly (except for the Covid period), and the ride-sharing market size is only forecasted to grow in the near future, Statista reports. (According to said source, as of 2023, the ride-sharing market size worldwide was valued at 154 billion US dollars, with DiDi, Uber, and Lyft being its main players. It is estimated that its value will grow to close to 216 billion dollars by 2028.)
Despite the rise in popularity over the last decade, the concept itself is not that recent. According to Trip Spark, the practice of sharing vehicles was already somewhat common back in the 1940s, when in order to save rubber, gas, and wear-and-tear on cars, the US Office of Civilian Defense operated a Car Sharing Club Exchange and Self-Dispatching System.
The process became even easier after 1974, when the first metropolitan rideshare services were reportedly set up, and continued to advance in leaps and bounds to become ridesharing as we know it now, with numerous companies to choose from and an abundance of cars and drivers just a few clicks away. According to Business of Apps, as of 2022, there are over 300 million annual taxi app users worldwide.
Image credits:Oleksandr P (Not the actual photo)
Not everyone is happy with people having the option to order a car using an app
Even though millions of people use all sorts of ridesharing apps every day, not everyone is equally happy about them, as they pose a threat to the traditional taxi services. Some studies suggest that the rise of ridesharing has resulted in a significant decline in taxi fares and has even started to become a substitute for the yellow (well, not necessarily) taxis.
In some countries, services provided by such companies as Uber are not even an option. According to The Digital Watch, Uber is already banned, partially banned, or risking a ban in such countries as Germany, Denmark, and France, just to name a few, with the reasons for that ranging from lack of safety measures to alleged unfair competition.
While it wasn’t the aforementioned ridesharing giant that the OP was using, the driver’s behavior arguably didn’t make the person’s views on ridesharing apps any better. When he decided to drive around and not to cancel the ride, neither did the woman, and, based on fellow redditors’ comments, she wasn’t the only one who had found herself in such a situation.
Image credits:JESHOOTS.com (Not the actual photo)
The woman discussed more details in the comments
Fellow netizens shared their reactions and recalled experiencing similar situations
