What ridesharing is like around the world: it can be in a car, in a boat, or even on a motorcycle; it can be for short distances or long; in a group or solo; it can even act like a bank.
Hey everyone, I’m Jeff. Welcome back to Plain English, the podcast that goes at just the right speed for English language learners. JR is our producer. He’s the one who makes sure you get these audios every week delivered to your podcast app. And there’s a transcript of today’s episode online at PlainEnglish.com/158.
Coming up on today’s episode: if you thought rideshare just meant sitting in the back of an average car, you’re going to learn a lot on today’s episode. We’ll talk about Scotty, the motorcycle startup in Istanbul; BlaBlaCar, which will take you for a long ride; UberAUTO, which is for autorickshaws in India; and EasyTaxi, which is more like your traditional taxi ride, only in app format. A lot of different ways that the ridesharing movement is manifesting itself around the world. Later on, I’ll also explain what it means to talk someone’s ear off. And we’ll close the show with a quote from a famous Robert Frost poem. All coming up today on Plain English.
Before we do that, quick reminder on how to get in touch with us here at Plain English. You can send an email to [email protected] or a WhatsApp message—and you know I really like getting WhatsApp voice messages—there’s no reason to be shy about that either. The WhatsApp number is +1 312 967 8757 . And if you have a WeChat account, you can find me with the user name PlainEnglishPod.
Ridesharing around the world
Picture this: You are in Mumbai. You need to get from point A to point B. You have 50 rupees, which is like 70 US cents. You pull out your phone, open the Uber app, and request an UberMOTO. A motorcyclist zips through the cars to pick you up. You strap on an orange helmet, climb on the back, hold on for dear life, and hop off at your destination—and you still might even have 30 rupees’ change. If that’s not your style, you can also call a speedboat. I’m not even joking about that: Uber launched Uber Boat, with which you can call a speedboat on demand to whisk you away on one of three routes. You can hop on at the Gateway to India, right in the center of the action, and head out for a relaxing stroll on the beach near Mandwa Jetty. We all know about Uber XL—if you want to really travel in style, you need to order an Uber XL. And it’s no different on the waves than it is on the pavement: you can order an Uber Boat XL for a speedboat that can carry up to ten people.
And you thought ridesharing was just for cars! Well, well, well. So did I, until my last trip to India, where I saw people hopping on the back of motorcycles. That’s why I thought it would be fun to do an episode on how people experience ridesharing around the world.
Most of you are pretty tech-savvy, so by now I’m sure you know about the ridesharing revolution: companies like Uber and Lyft match individual drivers in their own cars with people who want to get from point A to point B. It’s easier, often cheaper, often safer, and more convenient than taking a regular taxi. But that’s not the only way to do ridesharing.
One of the most popular ways to get around, besides by car, is, as I mentioned earlier, by motorcycle. Uber isn’t the only one matching motorcyclists with passengers. In Istanbul, an app called Scotty is doing the same thing. The founder, Tarkan Anlar, got the idea when he himself hitched a ride on the back of a motorbike in Istanbul’s famous traffic. Today, Scotty has 12,000 to 13,000 riders, all of whom have to pass a rigorous training program.
Motorbike drivers skew younger. In places like Vietnam and India, it’s much more affordable for a younger person to own a motorbike than to own a car. You can also hail an autorickshaw, also known as a tuk-tuk, in many parts of the world, including Africa and Asia. These little three-wheeled vehicles are decidedly low-tech, but they are also quick and convenient—in many cases, they’re just what rideshare customers need.
Safety is also a concern when riding in someone else’s car, or on the back of their motorbike. Rideshare apps are often considered safer than local taxis, because there’s always an electronic record of who picks you up, when, where, and where they drop you off. That gives riders a sense of security in places where taxis have traditionally been unsafe. Most rideshare apps are competitors to normal taxis, but the app EasyTaxi brings the technological sophistication of rideshare apps to the normal taxi market. I first took EasyTaxi in Colombia in 2014 and was generally impressed with it.
Women often have unique safety concerns, in some places more than others. In Saudi Arabia, both Uber and the local app Careem, allow newly-empowered women drivers to select women-only passengers. Egypt has a new app that’s exclusively for women drivers, called Fyonka. A lot of women are hesitant to become drivers, out of concern for their own safety with male passengers. So having a female-only option lets them feel safer and use this economic opportunity.
Most ridesharing is for short distances, but you may have heard of the app BlaBlaCar. This connects two people who are going longer distances. If you’re drive to another city a few hours away, you might be willing to take another passenger. What could go wrong? Well, you might like to ride in silence, but your companion might like to talk your ear off. That’s why BlaBlaCar lets you rate your level of chattiness. If you call yourself just “Bla” then you mostly like to keep to yourself. “BlaBla” is a moderate level of conversation, and if you call yourself “BlaBlaBla,” then you could be talking the whole way from Paris to Portugal. BlaBlaCar is mostly available in Europe, though it’s also in Mexico, Brazil, and India.
Increasingly, rideshare companies are about more than just giving you a ride. In the US, we have UberEats, which will deliver your lunch or dinner from a local restaurant. In southeast Asia, your rideshare driver also be your friendly neighborhood banker. Grab is based in Singapore, and Gojek started in Indonesia and is now expanding in the region. Both apps allow you to pay for your ride in cash, but they also let you top-up your balance. That means you pay your driver more than your ride costs; the difference is added to your balance on a mobile wallet. You can then pay with your app at retailers and restaurants. This works well in this part of the world, where so many people don’t have traditional bank accounts. In fact, Grab and Gojek are even expanding into other types of financial products, such as insurance and loans.
I can’t go through a whole episode on rideshare without at least touching on the giant of them all: China. The local giant, DiDi, went head-to-head with Uber for years, and ultimately bought out Uber’s China business. In addition to taxis, DiDi offers designated driver services, minibuses, bikes, and even fleets for corporations. I saw a survey that asked city dwellers in various countries if they’ve taken a ridesharing app in the last week. China was the only country in which more than 50 percent of the respondents said yes, so DiDi must be doing something right. They’re now also in Brazil under the 99 brand and will be expanding into Peru and Chile this year.
I want to say hello to a couple of people today. First of all, Pablo from Córdoba, Argentina, listens to Plain English on his walk to school—and he’s only 17! He’s still in high school and listening to English and understanding all these complicated topics from around the world. I am thrilled to have you with us, Pablo, and thanks for inviting us into your daily walks. Shiva from Chennai, India, is waiting for the results of the Indian election, which we talked about a few weeks ago. He’s been listening for three months—nice to have you with us, Shiva. Bruno from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Felipe and his family in the Boston area.
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