But Mazzella does have some pretty good ideas on why that dichotomy could be, now that it has been looking closely at the U.S. market. First off, the cost of ownership of cars and driving is just a whole lot higher in Europe than the U.S. Cars are more expensive to buy, gas is more expensive to use, and tolls and congestion charges make driving more expensive in Europe in general. That higher cost in Europe means that bringing in passengers to reduce the costs of driving is more attractive. Then there’s the structural issues. U.S. cities tend to be a lot more spread out, so regular driving trips that many riders are looking to join can be more varied. Public transportation is also less sophisticated and prevalent in the U.S., and Mazzella said that a lot of its riders and drivers tend to use public transportation hot spots as meeting points. Finally, Mazzella said that in the U.S. there also seems to be less trust as far as driving with strangers than there is in Europe.

Why ride sharing is booming in Europe, but not the US — Tech News and Analysis Monday, July 7, 2014 @ 10:56pm