43% shared mobility users find shared mobility services better than public transportation

How do UK residents feel about the use of shared mobility services? Do they plan on increasing its adoption in their day-to-day life or do they prefer public transportation? Read along to find out more about the sentiments of Britons around shared mobility.

Shared mobility is on the rise, not just in the UK, but globally as well. By the end of 2023, ‘revenue in the shared mobility segment is projected to reach US$66.77bn’ according to a report by Statista. Although public transportation may still be the most common type of shared mobility, new shared mobility offerings based on customer preference and convenience have emerged in the UK in recent years. People are possibly aiming to embrace city-friendly shared transportation services that are convenient for everyday living because mobility is one of the primary requirements for living in an urban landscape.

In the first article in this series, we had a look at the understanding of UK residents about the concept of the sharing economy, their intention behind its usage, and their thoughts around its adoption. In this article, we will cover various aspects of shared mobility —which is a subset of the sharing economy— and make some interesting observations.

Software Advice launched a survey with 1,051 participants above the age of 18 between 19th and 28th September 2022 from different parts of the UK. For the full methodology, scroll to the bottom of this article.

Which shared mobility services are the most accessible?

Shared mobility is no longer limited to car or four-wheeler sharing. It encompasses sharing of bikes, scooters, and even bicycles.  When we asked respondents about the shared services accessible in their area, 47% responded with ride-sharing (e.g., Uber, BlaBlaCar, etc.) followed by 20% choosing car-sharing (e.g., Getaround, etc.).

Ride-sharing is the most used shared service

Which shared mobility service do respondents use the most? We asked those respondents who use shared mobility services which services they use the most, and 69% responded with ride-sharing services, followed by 13% choosing car-sharing (e.g., Getaround, etc.). Moreover, 10% responded with scooters, and 10% with bicycles, among other options. Lastly, 9% of the survey takers stated that they don't use any of these services.

Shared mobility services are rarely used by 47% respondents

Are residents actually using shared mobility services regularly? And if yes, how frequently? When we asked those respondents who are using sharing mobility services the frequency of their usage, 47% stated that they rarely use these services —less than once per month— followed by 35% who said that they use them at least once per month, 16% stated they use them at least once per week, and 2% who use them every day.

Majority uses shared mobility services for leisure travel

When we asked the current users of shared mobility services their main reason behind using these services, 69% said that they use shared services to move around the city but not related to work (e.g., leisure travel). This is followed by 17% stating that they use these services for their work commute, and 12% for tourism, among other answers.

43% find shared services better than public transportation

When we tried to understand the advantages of using shared mobility services from the perspective of our respondents who use shared mobility services, 43% find it better than public transportation, followed by 36% who find it cheaper than having their own vehicle.

Quality concerns for shared mobility services top the list

How do UK residents feel about various aspects of shared mobility services? When we asked the current users of shared mobility services the disadvantages of using these services, 41% feel the quality of these services is not always good, followed by 38% not knowing whom to address in the case of claims/issues. 31% also raised objections over data privacy stating that the majority of these services work through apps, and they keep and store their personal information. This is followed by 28% mentioning exploitation of workers, 25% citing the lack of a clear regulatory landscape, while 22% responded with the lack of qualified staff, among other responses.

38% interested due to negative impacts of car ownership

When we asked the current owners of vehicles their agreement or disagreement with the following statement ‘As a result of an increase in the negative impacts of car ownership (traffic, lack of parking spaces, high fuel prices, etc.), my interest in shared mobility services has also increased’, a combined total of 38% respondents voiced their agreement —with 32% somewhat and 6% extremely agreeing. Moreover, 29% neither agree nor disagree, 18% somewhat disagree, and 15% extremely disagree.

53% respondents not interested in owning their own vehicle

53% of the respondents who do not own a vehicle state that they have never been and are not interested in buying their own vehicle. This is followed by 19% stating that although there is a wide range of shared mobility services, they want to buy their own vehicle. Interestingly, 11% said that they wanted to buy their own vehicle, but with the option of shared mobility services, they changed their mind, among other options.

82% agree that shared mobility services will help reduce pollution

What does the future of shared mobility services look like? In order to gauge that, we asked our respondents if shared mobility services would help reduce pollution and a combined total of 82% of people either somewhat (54%) or strongly agreed (27%) with that statement.

What does the future hold for shared mobility services?

Our survey results show that there is an increased interest towards the adoption of shared mobility services. Respondents have also expressed their concerns about the environmental effects of increased vehicle usage and the negative impacts of car ownership, as well as the rising cost of living. The UK Government is also looking to encourage the use of shared mobility services among the residents. According to an article by Smart Transport, transport Minister Trudy Harrison has said shared mobility must become ‘the norm’ across the UK with an aim to make it a ‘realistic option for many’.