Christopher Hughes
Research expert covering Australia and New Zealand
Ridesharing in Australia
Thanks to the rise and success of services such as Uber and increasing awareness of climate issues, the ridesharing market is experiencing continued growth globally, and this growth is predicted to continue at an exponential rate, more than doubling by 2026.
Despite this, however, the same survey revealed that a significant percentage expressed desire to switch to a more environmentally friendly means of transportation, although only around 40 percent said that the public transport system in their area was good.
This can also be seen by examining the monthly app downloads for all three brands. The Uber app was downloaded well over 100 thousand times in early spring 2022, whereas Didi only received around 80 thousand downloads, and Ola downloads amounted to around a fifth of that of Uber.
The Australian commuter
Despite the presence and variety of ridesharing services in Australia, around three-quarters of commuters across the country continued to use their own car, with a significantly smaller share utilizing public transportation services. Less than ten percent said they commuted via a ridesharing service. The national consensus still seems to gravitate towards the car; in a recent survey, nearly 70 percent of respondents said that owning a car was important to them, and a quarter said they would describe themselves as a car enthusiast.Despite this, however, the same survey revealed that a significant percentage expressed desire to switch to a more environmentally friendly means of transportation, although only around 40 percent said that the public transport system in their area was good.
Digital service access
It seems only a small share of Australians utilize online booking services and apps, with around 20 percent saying they booked taxis, public transport tickets, or ridesharing services using digital methods. Uber is the most popular ridesharing brand in the country, by a significant margin; closest rivals DiDi and Ola have a far smaller user base.This can also be seen by examining the monthly app downloads for all three brands. The Uber app was downloaded well over 100 thousand times in early spring 2022, whereas Didi only received around 80 thousand downloads, and Ola downloads amounted to around a fifth of that of Uber.
