The Long-term Impacts of the Pandemic on Ridehailing Use Could Have Negative Environmental Impacts

Ridehailing services (such as those offered by Uber and Lyft) can contribute to increases in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by attracting demand from more sustainable modes, encouraging additional travel, and driving while not serving passengers . Pooled ridehailing services (i.e., ridehailing services that offer discounted fares in exchange for the potential to be matched with other customers traveling to similar destinations) have been identified as a means of addressing the negative impacts of ridehailing services. However, the impact of pooled ridehailing is heavily influenced by the uptake of these services. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic substantially influenced travel mode preferences, resulting in an increased preference for individual modes (e.g., private vehicles and active modes) and a reduced preference for shared modes (e.g., public transit and ridehailing)3 . Given the disruptive impacts of the pandemic on travel mode preferences, and the negative impacts of ridehailing services during the prepandemic period, it is crucial to understand whether the pandemic will have long-term impacts on ridehailing use. To examine the long-term impacts of the pandemic, we used data from two web-based surveys of California residents to 1) compare ridehailing use during the pre-pandemic (fall 2019) and post-pandemic (fall 2023) periods, and 2) analyze the factors influencing post-pandemic ridehailing use in California.