Study: More Affordable Ride-Hailing Can Fill Mobility Gaps for Low-Income Households

A new study published in the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA) reveals the distinct ways that low- and moderate-income households use ride-hailing services. Megan McGlinchey summarizes the study’s results in the Uncovering JAPA blog.

“[The study] found that a higher proportion of their respondents had used ride-hail at least once compared to rates from less targeted studies. Usage was reportedly even more frequent among members of households without a car, reinforcing the notion that ride-hail meets different needs for lower-income and no-car households that may be obscured by general trends.” People without access to cars found ride-hail more important for filling gaps in the existing mobility system.

“Although only 36 percent of zero-car respondents deemed ride-hail to be affordable, they were nonetheless more likely to rely on it for practical trips such as attending medical appointments or grocery shopping.” This signals a need for more affordable ride-hailing services, particularly as “Three-quarters of zero-car respondents cited cost as the main reason that they did not use ride hail more often (compared to 52 percent of respondents with cars).”

The study concludes that the benefits of new mobility modes are distributed unevenly across demographics, and disaggregating data to understand these trends is important to achieving equitable service. “Ride-hail services can be seen as one tool within a city's broader mobility ecosystem, and targeted actions like subsidies can help ensure that this transit method reaches people who would benefit most from it.”