Uber CEO says rideshare ‘freed up’ his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he’s one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive

Gen Z is turning away from getting driver’s licenses because they can just grab rideshares instead, according to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi—and his own son is no exception. While getting a license for Khosrowshahi was “a goal in life” representing freedom, his son has passed on this benchmark of teenagedom, he told The Verge’s Decoder podcast last May. The Uber CEO’s son is among a wave of teens embracing the convenience of rideshare over owning a car, Khosrowshahi noted. “This drives me crazy,” Khosrowshahi said. “My son is over 18… I’m still trying to get my son to get his driver’s license, but Uber’s freed him up.” According to Khosrowshahi, the convenience of rideshare for the younger generation is “absolutely having an effect on car ownership.” Indeed, from 1983 to 2022, the number of 18-year-olds with driver’s licenses in the U.S. decreased from 80% to 60%, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. Since 2000, that share among 16-year-olds has dropped by more than a quarter. Young people’s disinterest in driving goes beyond today’s rideshare opportunities. A 2013 study by the University of Michigan surveying 618 adults without driver’s licenses found 37% of respondents were too busy to get a license, while 32% said vehicle ownership and maintenance were too expensive. About one-third said they get rides from other people. Khosrowshahi speculated that increased urbanization could also be a contributing factor to Gen Z’s rideshare preference. “My parents put a lot of pressure on me to get one,” one 24-year-old in Philadelphia previously told the Washington Post in 2023. “But I haven’t needed one to this point. If there’s an emergency, I’ll call an Uber or 911.” More rideshare opportunities for teens Uber has seen opportunities to tap into a younger consumer base, launching teen accounts three years ago that allow teens under 18 to travel by themselves in Uber cars. The company implemented a slew of safety guar