Google Ride-Sharing App Coming Soon?

Uber and Lyft have become the most popular ride-sharing companies in the world. They may soon have some powerful competition. Both have also had their fair share of legal issues as they attempt to get their organizations running in new cities. They also felt a lot of opposition from the public transit lobby, which favors subway, buses and taxis in lieu of a private transportation option.

The question is: Can Google show up in this ride-sharing industry and make an impact?

A slew of media reports have pointed to Google developing its own ride-sharing product. A report by Bloomberg states, “Google is preparing to offer its own ride-hailing service, most likely in conjunction with its long-in-development driverless car project.” That project caught a lot of attention in 2014. Google showed off what was essentially its own self-driving machine, putting the world on notice that an internet company was at least somewhat successfully involved in autonomous vehicle technology. What followed was the announcement that Google is actively seeking partners in their quest to make self-driving cars a reality.

Google’s Chris Urmson, the Director of the Self-Driving Car Project, articulated how fully autonomous vehicles may function in the future. During a conference call with reporters back on Jan 14 Urmson said, “The technology would be such that you can call up the vehicle and tell it where to go and then have it take you there.” Some feel Google is looking to combine their self-driving tech with a ride-sharing app. Google could cause a serious disruption for companies like Lyft, however, their impact would be felt even stronger by Uber. Google Ventures invested $258 million in Uber back in August of 2013. Uber relies on Google Maps integration to make its app work. If Google was no longer working with Uber, if they had to use another maps product, would it spell big trouble for the ride-sharing company?

What do you think of this increased focus on centralizing the ownership and usage of vehicles? Should dealers be concerned? What do you think of Google’s increasing interest in automotive?