Ride-sharing services and new business models such as Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) are gaining traction among consumers, leading experts to predict a 13.2 per cent growth in the global car-sharing fleet size that would boost the number of units in 2017 from 983k to 1237k in 2018, according to a news release from Frost & Sullivan.
“The highly dynamic market for new mobility solutions is expected to follow an emergent growth paradigm that leverages novel business models, sectoral partnerships, and consolidations,” said Geraldine Priya, Mobility Team Lead at Frost & Sullivan. “As business models diversify, we will see substantial investments in electric vehicle (EV) and autonomous vehicle (AV) pilots. Indeed, the ranks of operators offering self-driving cars for ride-hailing services are swelling, with Waymo following Uber and Lyft into this market.”
The boost in fleet size stems from a desire from drivers to use alternative modes of transportation. Increasing interest in employee mobility options and environmental concerns are also part of the equation, leading companies such as automotive manufacturers to form partnerships with providers of mobility solutions, or in the case of companies like BMW and Daimler, merged car-sharing units to benefit from more than 30 per cent of the overall ride-sharing market.
