ridesharing

or ride-shar·ing

[ rahyd-shair-ing ]

adjective

of or relating to the sharing of rides in a motor vehicle with other people, especially commuters: a ridesharing program to reduce overcrowding on the highways.
Also called real-time ridesharing . of or relating to a car service that allows a person to use a smartphone app to arrange a ride in a usually privately owned vehicle.

noun

an arrangement or instance involving the sharing of rides in a motor vehicle with other people, especially commuters: a statewide campaign to encourage ridesharing.
Also called real-time ridesharing . a car service that allows a person to use a smartphone app to arrange a ride in a usually privately owned vehicle.

Origin of ridesharing

First recorded in 1940–45; ride + share¹ + -ing¹; the term arose during World War II as part of an effort to conserve fuel and rubber

Also called ride·hail·ing, ride-hail·ing [rahyd-hey-ling] /ˈraɪdˌheɪ lɪŋ/ (for defs. 2, 4) .

Also ride·share, ride-share .

word story For ridesharing

The more recent meaning of the term ridesharing , related to using a mobile app to book a ride in a usually privately owned vehicle, arose in the context of the sharing economy , in which digital technology assists in the sharing of goods or services owned by individuals. Some people have questioned applying the term sharing to commercial ride-booking services. Though most of these commercial services also offer users the option of sharing a ride and its cost with other passengers, the alternate term ridehailing has been proposed as a more appropriate designation for these businesses.

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