Lyft President’s Prediction – 5 Years From Now, Your Kids Won’t Own a Car

Could it be possible that in a few short years, the majority of young Americans, the Millennials, won't own a car. That's the startling prediction from the President of the ride-sharing service Lyft.

According to an article in Mashable,

A significant chunk of Lyft’s growth has to do with millennial passengers, who see owning a car as less and less of a priority. In fact, from 2007 to 2011, the number of cars bought by Americans between ages 18 to 34 plummeted about 30%, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

“You could actually start seeing the majority of millennials in the next five years or so saying there’s no reason I should get a car,” Zimmer said. “The car used to be the symbol of American freedom. Now it’s like this, and a car is like owning a $9,000 ball and chain, because you have $9,000 in expenses on your car every year.”

The question that first came to my mind, and shared by a commenter on Facebook, was if the vast majority of young people choose not to purchase a car and use ride sharing services, who will actually own and rive the cars these people will ride around in? The most common answers: self-driving cars, their parents(!), or a caste system where the upper class will be chauffeured by a lower class.

No matter what millennials are predicted to do, I don't plan on giving up my car any time soon.

Matt's Parking Ticket for Overnight On-Street Parking in Utica

[Mashable]