Who uses ride‐hailing? Policy implications and evidence from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

• Published in: The Canadian geographer 2021-06, Vol.65 (2), p.197-214
• Main Authors: Shi, Hong Yun (Eva), Sweet, Matthias N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: analyse typologique; Cluster analysis; Context; covoiturage; Dependents; Educational attainment; Evidence; marchés de déplacement; Market segments; Markets; Mobility; Motor cars; Patrons; Public policy; Public transportation; Ride sharing services; ride‐hailing; Social behavior; Toronto and Hamilton; Toronto et Hamilton; Tourism; Travel; travel markets; Travellers; Trip surveys; Uber and Lyft; Uber et Lyft; Vulnerability
• ISSN: 0008-3658; 1541-0064
• DOI: 10.1111/cag.12638

While many are eager to guide policy decisions on ride‐hailing, understanding the broader social and travel implications hinges on local contexts. Towards providing policy guidance in the Canadian context, this paper explores how mobility sub‐markets are related to ride‐hailing use in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Using data from a 2018 travel survey, cluster analysis is used to identify four traveller sub‐markets which are compared with ride‐hailing use. The first comprises “multi‐modalists,” who are younger, mobile, educated, and represent the largest group of ride‐hailing users. Second are users in two auto‐oriented markets—“private modalists” and “auto dependents”—who are older and least likely to engage in ride‐hailing. Finally, “low‐mobility travellers” are the most socio‐economically vulnerable and have lower household incomes, lower education attainment, lower likelihoods of being employed, fewer cars per household, and the highest reliance on public transportation among users in the traveller sub‐markets. Nevertheless, this group represents the second largest market for ride‐hailing, which fills a mobility gap in the absence of auto access. Understanding the social and travel behaviour implications from ride‐hailing is important towards crafting context‐appropriate public policy. Results from this study suggest that ride‐hailing is primarily used by those who are already highly mobile (multi‐modalists) and those who are most vulnerable (low‐mobility travellers). Qui utilise le covoiturage? Les données récentes et leurs conséquences sur les politiques publiques de la région du Grand Toronto et d’ Hamilton Plusieurs administrations publiques désirent encadrer les pratiques de covoiturage. Cependant, la compréhension des besoins et des patrons de déplacements dépend fortement des contextes locaux en matière de covoiturage. Dans l’optique d’enrichir les politiques publiques, la présente étude évalue la manière dont les sous‐marchés de la mobilité sont liés à l’utilisation des transports en commun dans la région du Grand Toronto et d’Hamilton. À l’aide des données d’une enquête sur les déplacements réalisée en 2018, nous identifions et comparons quatre sous‐marchés de voyageurs et leurs comportements vis‐à‐vis du covoiturage. Le premier groupe, qui comprend les jeunes adultes mobiles et éduqués, réunit les plus grands utilisateurs du covoiturage. Les second et troisième groupes sont constitués par les utilisateurs traditionnellement orientés v