Uber, Lyft, and New Transportation Options

Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft have become an increasingly important mobility service in many cities, but how do they impact existing transportation services, and what do public decision-makers and urban planners need to know? Professor Robert Goodspeed and his team are studying this new transportation landscape, with special focus on individuals with limited transportation choices.

Mobility Theme

Funding Source

Taubman College Faculty Seed Support, University of Michigan

About the Project

As ridesharing services have become an increasingly important new mobility service in many cities, public decision-makers and urban planners lack detailed knowledge about the role of ridesharing within the overall transportation system.

To investigate that issue, this pilot project is collecting survey responses from ridesharing users in Washtenaw County to investigate users’ demographics, typical destinations, and choice to use ridesharing over other options available to them. In addition to analyzing the resulting survey data, we will analyze the trip data to understand what neighborhood characteristics are correlated with ridesharing use. A special focus of the analysis will be places and individuals with limited transportation choices.

 

The project has three primary research questions:

  • What are the reasons people choose ridesharing over other transportation options?
  • What built environment characteristics such as transit, density, and land use explain ridesharing demand?
  • How is ridesharing being used by users with limited access to private automobiles, including low-income and transit-dependent populations?

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