Ridesharing and the Use of Public Transportation

63 Pages Posted: 17 May 2022

See all articles by Katherine Hoffmann Pham

Katherine Hoffmann Pham

New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business

Panagiotis G. Ipeirotis

New York University - Leonard N. Stern School of Business

Arun Sundararajan

New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business

Date Written: October 21, 2019

Abstract

We investigate the relationship between on-demand ridesharing via platforms like Uber and Lyft and the use of public transit systems. Our study uses trip count data on ridesharing, taxi, shared bike, and subway usage in New York City. Exploiting a series of exogenous shocks to the system — the closing of subway stations — to isolate substitution effects, we find that the average shock is associated with a 2.8 – 3.3% increase in the use of ridesharing. This suggests that on-demand ridesharing acts as infrastructure that helps smooth unexpected transportation supply and demand surges. On average, the effect is small relative to the estimated number of subway rides displaced per zone and four-hour period, but we estimate that ridesharing plays a more important role in the outer boroughs, where the alternative substitutes (e.g., other subway lines, or taxis) are not as readily available. We also explore the effects of other sources of heterogeneity across the city. We hope to lay a data-driven foundation to better understand how the sharing economy substitutes and complements existing and future capital-intensive transit systems.

Keywords: Business analytics, sharing economy, ridesharing, transportation, difference-in-differences

Suggested Citation

Hoffmann Pham, Katherine and Ipeirotis, Panagiotis G. and Sundararajan, Arun, Ridesharing and the Use of Public Transportation (October 21, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4099122 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4099122

Katherine Hoffmann Pham (Contact Author)

New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business ( email )

44 West 4th Street
Suite 9-160
New York, NY NY 10012
United States

Panagiotis G. Ipeirotis

New York University - Leonard N. Stern School of Business ( email )

44 West Fourth Street
Ste 8-84
New York, NY 10012
United States
+1-212-998-0803 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~panos

Arun Sundararajan

New York University (NYU) - Leonard N. Stern School of Business ( email )

Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship
44 West 4th Street
New York, NY NY 10012
United States

HOME PAGE: http://digitalarun.io/

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