Transportation Users’ Attitudes and Choices of Ride-Hailing Services in Two Cities with Different Attributes

The\r\nrapid technological developments in the 21st century created new\r\nopportunities for shared-use economy applications around the globe. Among other services, Transportation Network Companies\r\n(TNCs) like Uber and Lyft emerged in\r\nthe US as a transportation alternative that offered a higher level of availability, reliability, and convenience than\r\ntraditional modes. However, TNCs\r\ndeployment was also blamed for increases in vehicle miles traveled (VMT)\r\nin large cities that embraced TNC services early on. Concerns about TNC\r\nadoption are also magnified by the current controversy in policy and\r\nlegislation as to the regulation of TNCs. These new realizations create a need\r\nto examine the transportation users’ attitudes and perceptions regarding\r\nride-hailing service, after nearly a decade of service in the Unites States\r\nmarket. In doing so, this paper compares and contrasts results from two\r\nrecently completed studies aiming at creating links between socio-demographic\r\nfactors and TNC use. The paper describes the methods employed to collect the\r\ndata and presents findings from the analysis of 790 users’ responses in the\r\nBirmingham, AL and Miami Beach, FL markets. The study documents preferences and\r\nattitudes toward TNCs and highlights similarities and differences in travel\r\nbehaviors related to local considerations. Moreover, the study uses the Least\r\nAbsolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) method to identify predictors\r\nfor TNC use based on the users’ responses in Birmingham and Miami Beach case\r\nstudies. Vehicle availability and waiting time emerged as the only significant predictors for the Birmingham\r\nregion whereas vehicle ownership, vehicle use, residency, and prior use\r\nof transit and TNC where some of the predictors identified for the Miami Beach\r\narea. Understanding the characteristics of TNC users and the leading reasons\r\nthat drive people towards the use of TNCs services is expected to help\r\ntransportation agencies and TNC providers in their efforts to plan for\r\ntransportation services that meet customer needs in the future.