Assessing the VMT effect of ridesourcing services in the US. (May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Xiatian; MacKenzie, Don
• Is Part Of: Transportation research. Volume 94(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-05
• Subjects: VMT -- Ridesourcing -- US National Household Travel Survey -- Propensity score matching; Transportation -- Research -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; 354.76
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2021.102816
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1361-9209

Abstract

Highlights: Among drivers with household vehicle access, frequent TNC users have the least VMT. TNC increases VMT of users that are not drivers or without household vehicle access. TNC users reduce their vehicle ownership as they increase the usage frequency. Nationwide, ridescoucing services generated a net increase of 7.8 million daily VMT. Abstract: The net effect of ridesourcing (RS) services on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is ambiguous. With 2017 US National Household Travel Survey data, this study measures and compares the heterogeneous VMT effects of RS across population groups with various levels of household vehicle access and RS usage. A propensity score matching method was implemented to match RS non-users, occasional users, and frequent users based on observable sociodemographic traits. The results suggest that among drivers with household vehicle access, frequent RS users generate the least VMT, but occasional users actually generate more VMT. Those without a driver's license or a household vehicle generate lower VMT while use more transit, and increasing RS use uniformly increases their overall VMT generation. We estimate that overall, RS generated a net increase of 7.8 million daily VMT in the US, compared with a counterfactual case in which all NHTS 2017 respondents were non-users of RS.