Many areas of the country are not well served by public transportation, resulting in households without access to a personal vehicle being significantly disadvantaged. In such areas, travelers may rely on a combination of ride-hailing services, informal car-sharing and ride-sharing, and even medical transport, or they forgo trips altogether. A lack of transportation options can keep people from getting to work, accessing essential services, and make gathering necessities difficult.
ride-hailing
Parking, ride-hailing, and shifting traveler needs
According to a new study out of Denver, one-quarter of ride-hailing trips replace driving, which reduces the need for parking, particularly at specific land uses. Difficulty parking is also a key reason people are shifting to ride-hailing services, which suggests that places where parking is most difficult or expensive can expect a shift in demand to curbside pickup and drop off.
Ride-hailing services disrupting ambulances and airports
New reports have indicated unanticipated disruptions caused by ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft. Previously, SSTI discussed the positive and negative impacts ride-hailing services have on our transportation systems. Although these new reports focus on changes to ambulance services and airport revenues, they highlight again that ride-hailing services are fundamentally changing our transportation systems.