Ride Sharing Versus Rental Cars-What is the Difference

Whether you're planning a business trip abroad or you just want to move around the city, the two main transportation services include ride sharing and rental cars.  Now the big question is: what is ridesharing, and how is it different from renting a car (and which is better for your business trip)?

What is a ridesharing service?
Ride Sharing is a private arrangement in which a passenger rides in another person’s private car for free or a fee. This arrangement is made by means of an app or website. The two biggest ridesharing services are Lyft and Uber.

To use ridesharing service, you will need:

• The company’s mobile application such as Uber app and Lyf app.
• A smartphone with an internet connection.
• A PayPal account or credit card to pay for the transportation cost.

So to rent a car or share ride? It depends on your personal preferences. However, many people are ditching rental cars for a share riding service. We have explained in detail how a share riding service is different from car rental.

1. The overall cost
Using a ride sharing service is a little bit cheaper compared to rental cars because there are no parking fees or rental insurance costs incurred. Also, you don’t need to worry about the cost of gas, repairs or the cost of hiring a private driver to drive your rented car. However, if you will be moving around more, like hitting more than four destinations every day, be prepared to pay more for a rideshare service, probably higher than what you would have paid for a rental car.
Another thing to keep in mind though is that the price of each ride sharing service varies depending on where you plan to go. When planning your trip abroad or around the city, make sure to check the rates for your destination to get a rough idea on how much you need to set aside.

2. Ride sharing is hassle free
Renting a car for your trip is not a straightforward process. You need to get all the paperwork ready, obtain the necessary driving documents, arrange for parking space and find time to complete paperwork with your car rental company. Your agent may also push you to buy the missing car insurance, pay for extras or even upgrade the car, things you don’t actually need. When returning the car after use, your car rental company may also slap you with fines for a minor scratch which you didn’t even cause.

Ride sharing on the other hand is straightforward and pretty hassle-free. All you need is to check for the next available driver, pay for the service and wait for the designated driver to pick and drop you off. If you still consider car rental the best option for you, you don’t have to lose hope yet with the hassle. There are several ways you can reduce the hassle involved when renting a car. For instance, you need to decline any extras or refuse to pay for repair costs for any scratches you didn’t cause. And the only way you can protect yourself is to purchase a rental car insurance such as the Rental Car Damage Protector provided by Allianz Global Assistance.

3. Convenience
When we compare ride sharing and car renting based on convenience, ride sharing is the superior option. You don't need to worry about moving to unfamiliar area or navigating through traffic jams. You also don’t need to worry if you're visiting a well-populated or a large city. Your designated driver will handle those leaving you to concentrate on your tasks as you travel with them.

4. Safety factor
Some people feel confident when driving on their own than when being driven by somebody else. So you need to ask if you are safer with someone else’s hands on the wheel or your hands on the wheel. If you probably feel confidence when doing it yourself, then a ride sharing service might not be the best option for you. That said, you need to consider car rental because it gives you a chance to at least take control of your destiny.

Also, there is this issue with ride sharing-related crimes. You will find that most share riding companies relies on customer ratings and conducts thorough background checks to weed out bad drivers. Regardless of their effort, many cases of drivers assaulting their passengers are reported daily.

When to use a rental car
Ride sharing is not always the best option. There are situations where rental cars have an edge over ride sharing services. For instance, large cities across the world are the most popular destinations for many people. Using a ride sharing service when you arrive in these cities will be a smart move. But if you are planning to travel outside these large cities, ride sharing won't be a convenient option because there are few drivers available for such trips. That means you will wait for longer hours for a ride or miss driver to take you there. So, basically, if your trip is longer than 50 miles from the city, then it makes sense to rent a car.

Rideshares keep getting better
Unless you plan to travel outside the city or to rural areas, ride sharing will always be the most convenience method of ground transportation. Also, this method of transportation will always be cheaper than renting a car. Even if many share riding services concentrates in offering services within the cities, their coverage network are continually expanding.

You can also compare how much each ground transportation service would cost before going on a trip. If you are planning to use Lyft, Uber or any other ride sharing service, some of these services have easy to use fare estimator tools for the areas they serve. You can use these tools to calculate how much your trip from Point A to Point B would cost.