Ridesharing in all its forms – Comparing the characteristics of three ridesharing practices in France

Abstract

While existing literature has primarily focused on carpooling, i.e. ridesharing to work, this article seeks to contribute to the comparison of three non-household ridesharing practices in terms of the profile of the people involved, and the characteristics of each practice regarding cost sharing, the ways ridesharers are connected and their main motivations. We differentiate between ridesharing practices for commuting trips, other (non-work) everyday trips, and long-distance trips. In addition to the usual determinants of ridesharing highlighted by previous literature, this study also investigates the links with collaborative consumption in general. Data come from an online survey conducted in 2016 with a sample of 2,000 French adults. They make it possible to compare ridesharers and non-ridesharers for each of the three categories of ridesharing practices, and also the three categories of ridesharers between them. Results show, on the one hand, that regardless the category of ridesharing, ridesharers differ primarily from non-ridesharers in their practices of the sharing economy, and in the fact that they have people who practice ridesharing in their entourage. Moreover, and secondly, we show differences in terms of the profile of the three categories of ridesharers, the use of online platforms and apps versus off-line methods to connect divers and passenger, and the sharing of travel costs. These result suggest that it is necessary to better distinguish between forms of ridesharing in research in order to improve our understanding of the processes at work in ridesharing, and to propose appropriate policies.