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

And workers in industries like ride-sharing or food service have had a harder time winning union recognition. —Kurtis Lee, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023

In the United States, almost any American with a functional car and no criminal record can make money through ride-sharing. —Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 12 Nov. 2023

For those who can afford it, ride-sharing through services or friends is an option. —Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023

In Italy, where ride-sharing services like Uber, Lyft and Bolt have been met with strong resistance and are heavily restricted, social media sites channeled tirades describing hourslong taxi lines at train stations and airports. —Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2023

Photo: brendan mcdermid/Reuters Uber Technologies is seeking a new finance chief as the ride-sharing and food-delivery giant works to maintain its first-ever operating profit, reported Tuesday. —Mark Maurer, WSJ, 1 Aug. 2023

That Berg took the plunge into EV ride-sharing and, in particular, into power-networking technology like bidirectional charging, isn’t surprising. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 June 2022

The emotional resonance of ride-sharing came early: When Mr. León was a child, his uncle worked as a raitero. —Patricia Leigh Brown, New York Times, 16 June 2023

Uber specializes in ride-sharing and food delivery. —Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 9 May 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above