Correlates of Modal Substitution and Induced Travel of Ridehailing in California

Abstract

The availability of ridehailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, affects the way people choose to travel and can enable travel opportunities that were previously suppressed, leading to additional trips. Previous studies have investigated the modal substitution and induced travel caused by ridehailing, yet few have investigated the factors associated with these travel behaviors. Accordingly, this study examines the personal and trip characteristics associated with ridehailing users’ decisions to substitute other modes of travel or conduct new trips by ridehailing. Using detailed survey data collected in three California metropolitan regions from 2018 and 2019, we estimated an error components logit model of ridehailing users’ choice of an alternative travel option if ridehailing services were unavailable. We found that over 50% of ridehailing trips in our sample were replacing more sustainable modes (i.e., public transit, active modes, and carpooling) or were creating new vehicle miles, with a 5.8% rate of induced travel, with public transit being the most frequently substituted mode. Respondents without a household vehicle and who use pooled services were more likely to replace transit. Longer-distance ridehailing trips were less likely to replace walking, biking, or transit trips. Respondents identifying as a racial or ethnic minority or lacking a household vehicle were least likely to cancel a trip were ridehailing unavailable, suggesting their use of ridehailing for essential rather than discretionary purposes. Together, these findings provide valuable insights for policy makers seeking to address the environmental and equity issues associated with ridehailing.