More people are ditching their cars and relying on Uber and Lyft

For those of us who hate driving, ride hailing apps are nothing short of a godsend. Although private car ownership remains the primary mode of transportation in America, a new poll indicates that more and more people are ditching their cars in favor of using Uber and Lyft to get around. The poll, which was conducted by Reuters, found that nearly a quarter of adults sold or traded in a vehicle over the last year — and nearly 10 percent of that group didn’t replace their car.

Instead of getting a new car, these participants opted to use Uber and Lyft as their primary modes of transportation.

Although the majority of the poll’s 584 respondents said they planned to simply replace their cars, nine percent stated that ride hailing services are their new mode of transportation. Another nine percent of respondents cited other means of transportation, such as mass transit and biking, as the reason for ditching their cars.

Either way, the poll indicates that more and more people are opting to forgo car ownership in favor of other modes of transportation.

It’s worth pointing out that the poll didn’t take certain factors into account — for example, it’s way easier for city dwellers to get around without cars. Although Uber and Lyft exist outside cities, rides are far more convenient and affordable in urban areas.

However, the results indicate that ditching cars is a growing trend — and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by traditional automakers.

GM has made a $500 million investment in Lyft, and German automaker Daimler partnered with Uber to provide the next generation of its autonomous cars. Mercedes-Benz envisions cities filled with autonomous taxis, while Volkswagen’s Sedric concept anticipates a large number of “intensively used vehicles” that will cut traffic and energy consumption.

Cars will remain essential for the foreseeable future, but the transportation paradigm itself is rapidly changing.