Hit the Brakes: customer loyalty among ridesharing apps is crashing
Customer loyalty in ridesharing services has declined 25 points in the past year according to research from Chattermill.
The Unified Customer Intelligence startup has crunched feedback from over 810,000 responses to some of the most frequently used ridesharing services, showing a decline in loyalty from consumers. The ongoing train strikes could also increase complaints among already distressed users.
Chattermill analysed responses from customers using ridesharing apps Bolt, Cabify, Careen, FREE NOW, Grab and Uber. Reasons behind the disloyalty include cancellation of rides, increased wait times and the overall price.
According to Chattermill’s analysis, customers rated their overall loyalty to ridesharing services at +5 in February 2021. Twelve months later, the sentiment declined 25 points, reaching -20.
The top 10 themes linked to customers disloyalty included:
- Drivers cancelling rides and gaming the system;
- Pickup ETA and wait time
- Overall prices and rates
- Promotion and discounts
- Car and ride availability
- Price estimation
- App and platform functionality and errors
- Quality of customer support
- Pickup location and GPS
- Surge pricing
Dmitry Isupov, Co-Founder of Chattermill, said: “Loyalty and retention are today the most critical business metrics for any business that wants to drive growth. For ridesharing services, it’s always been important. But now, with heightened competition across every industry, price pressures, and customers less loyal than ever, having a laser focus on customer retention is business-critical whatever sector you work in. The businesses that will thrive today, and in the future, are those that truly understand their customers, meet their demands, and deliver experiences that drive loyalty and retention.”
Speaking about their discontent with the service of a ridesharing app, a customer said: “Unbearable. Drivers cancel all the time. A service that should give you comfort and speed is becoming a humiliating situation.” Another stated: “It’s a waste of time. It ends up being more advantageous to take public transportation because you will have the minimum guarantee that it will arrive at your destination in time.”
A different user said: “Waiting times have grown tremendously, in addition to the fact that the cost of my regular trip has increased fivefold for no known reason.” Another affirmed: “They have price surges during busy times that are three times the price you would normally pay!”
