ride-sharing

noun

ride-shar·​ing ˈrīd-ˌsher-iŋ 

variants or less commonly ridesharing or ride sharing

: the act or practice of sharing automobile trips

El Camino College is proposing a new $30-a-semester fee for student parking in lots on the campus. … Under the proposal, those who participate in ride-sharing would pay $20 a semester.

—Los Angeles Times

especially : an arrangement in which drivers of usually privately owned vehicles who wish to offer rides and passengers who wish to obtain rides use a network (such as one accessed through an app or a website) to coordinate the sharing of individual automobile trips for which the passengers pay a fare

The idea of ride sharing, which would leverage smartphones to save people money while offering a taxi-like service, is potentially more disruptive because it cuts out professional drivers altogether.

—The New York Times (online)

When Mims started working for Uber, it was initially so lucrative that he left his full-time truck driving job to focus on ridesharing.

—Irina Ivanova

Cab companies worldwide are also facing competitive pressure from ride-sharing firms like Uber and Lyft, where the apps connect riders with private citizens who drive them to their destinations.

—Janet Moore

compare car pool

Examples of ride-sharing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the ’70s and ’80s, lowrider clubs became a representation of the community and offered mutual aid such as ride-sharing and food donations when the local government could not or would not, Mr. Gonzalez said. —Fernanda Figueroa and Melissa Perez Winder, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2024

Dynamic pricing, once limited to airlines and hotels, has now spread across industries like retail, ride-sharing, entertainment, and subscriptions. —Lakshmi S., Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

As driverless networks scale, one of the fiercest debates is whether ride-sharing will survive. —Deirdre Bosa,jasmine Wu, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2024

The gig economy is evolving beyond ride-sharing and delivery services. —Bernard Marr, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above