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Can sharing a ride make for less traffic? Evidence from Uber and Lyft and implications for cities

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  • Schaller, Bruce

Abstract

The popularity of Uber and Lyft and advances in autonomous vehicle technology have spurred public interest in the potential of shared ride services to reduce traffic congestion, vehicle emissions and space devoted to parking. However, research has shown that long waiting times, circuitous routes and privacy concerns might lead most patrons to choose exclusive-ride services over shared services (ride-hail or autonomous), thus increasing rather than decreasing vehicle mileage.

Suggested Citation

  • Schaller, Bruce, 2021. "Can sharing a ride make for less traffic? Evidence from Uber and Lyft and implications for cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 1-10.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:102:y:2021:i:c:p:1-10
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.12.015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Adam Millard-Ball & Liwei Liu & Whitney Hansen & Drew Cooper & Joe Castiglione, 2023. "Where ridehail drivers go between trips," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(5), pages 1959-1981, October.
    2. Saxena, Aditya & Gupta, Vallary, 2023. "Carpooling: Who is closest to adopting it? An investigation into the potential car-poolers among private vehicle users: A case of a developing country, India," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 11-20.
    3. Wenyuan Zhou & Xuanrong Li & Zhenguo Shi & Bingjie Yang & Dongxu Chen, 2023. "Impact of Carpooling under Mobile Internet on Travel Mode Choices and Urban Traffic Volume: The Case of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, April.
    4. Ong, Felita & Loa, Patrick & Nurul Habib, Khandker, 2024. "Ride-sourcing demand in Metro Vancouver: Looking through the lens of disability," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    5. Jason Soria & Shelly Etzioni & Yoram Shiftan & Amanda Stathopoulos & Eran Ben-Elia, 2022. "Microtransit adoption in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from a choice experiment with transit and car commuters," Papers 2204.01974, arXiv.org.
    6. Paolo Delle Site & André de Palma & Samarth Ghoslya, 2021. "Social optimality and stability of matchings in peer-to-peer ridesharing," THEMA Working Papers 2021-17, THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise.
    7. Zhang, Kenan & Nie, Yu (Marco), 2022. "Mitigating traffic congestion induced by transportation network companies: A policy analysis," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 96-118.
    8. André Palma & Lucas Javaudin & Patrick Stokkink & Léandre Tarpin-Pitre, 2024. "Ride-sharing with inflexible drivers in the Paris metropolitan area," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 963-986, June.
    9. Liu, Hao & Devunuri, Saipraneeth & Lehe, Lewis & Gayah, Vikash V., 2023. "Scale effects in ridesplitting: A case study of the City of Chicago," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    10. Zhang, Zhaolin & Zhai, Guocong & Xie, Kun & Xiao, Feng, 2022. "Exploring the nonlinear effects of ridesharing on public transit usage: A case study of San Diego," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    11. Shr, Yau-Huo & Chang, Hung-Hao, 2024. "The effects of participating in digital ride-hailing on taxi drivers’ business operations," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    12. Ong, Felita & Loa, Patrick & Nurul Habib, Khandker, 2024. "Is it the trip or the trip-maker? Modelling factors influencing the demand induced by the availability of ride-sourcing services in Metro Vancouver," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 110-119.
    13. Steven E. Shladover, 2022. "Opportunities, Challenges, and Uncertainties in Urban Road Transport Automation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-19, February.
    14. Kuttler, Tobias, 2025. "Urban mobilities in Mumbai: Towards worker-centric platformisation beyond ‘urban solutionism’," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 62(9), pages 1750-1770.
    15. André de Palma & Lucas Javaudin & Patrick Stokkink & Léandre Tarpin-Pitre, 2021. "Modelling Ridesharing in a Large Network with Dynamic Congestion," THEMA Working Papers 2021-16, THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise.
    16. Loa, Patrick & Hossain, Sanjana & Liu, Yicong & Nurul Habib, Khandker, 2022. "How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the use of ride-sourcing services? An empirical evidence-based investigation for the Greater Toronto Area," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 46-62.
    17. Gödde, Jan & Ruhrort, Lisa & Allert, Viktoria & Scheiner, Joachim, 2023. "User characteristics and spatial correlates of ride-pooling demand – Evidence from Berlin and Munich," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    18. Julio César dos Santos & Paulo Ribeiro & Ricardo Jorge Silva Bento, 2023. "A Review of the Promotion of Sustainable Mobility of Workers by Industries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-18, May.
    19. Tian, Guang & Ewing, Reid & Li, Han, 2023. "Exploring the influences of ride-hailing services on VMT and transit usage – Evidence from California," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    20. Loa, Patrick & Ong, Felita & Hawkins, Jason & Nurul Habib, Khandker, 2023. "Unravelling the relationship between ride-sourcing services and conventional modes in the city of Toronto: A stated preference study," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 209-220.
    21. Ho, Shirley J. & Chang, Hung-Wei, 2022. "Impacts of sharing business on production, sales, and rental markets," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    22. Fulman, Nir & Marinov, Maria & Benenson, Itzhak, 2023. "Investigating occasional travel patterns based on smartcard transactions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 152-166.
    23. Li, Xiang & Ge, Jingyun, 2025. "Wild goose chase or not? Equilibrium in a hybrid ride-hailing market," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 73-88.

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