Mobility-on-demand: An empirical study of internet-based ride-hailing adoption factors, travel characteristics and mode substitution effects

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2020

Subject Area

place - africa, ridership - demand, ridership - behaviour, ridership - mode choice, policy - sustainable, planning - surveys, planning - methods, planning - integration

Keywords

Mobility-on-demand, Platform mobility, Ride-hailing, Travel behaviour, Mode-substitution, Ghana

Abstract

Ride-hailing services are shaping travel behaviours and emergent urban mobility patterns. From their initial diffusion centres in North America and Europe, these on-demand mobility services are increasingly becoming available in developing countries. Yet, empirical research from these contexts on the impact of ride-hailing services is lacking. To address this gap, this paper examines the factors driving the adoption of ride-hailing and the associated travel characteristics and mode substitution effects in Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa. Using data from a large sample survey (N = 1188) of commuters in a multi-variable structural equation model, the paper shows that socio-demographic factors, perceived benefits and ease of use of ride-hailing, perceived safety risks and car-dependent lifestyles influence adoption and use of ride-hailing services. Similar to other contexts, individuals’ reference ride-hailing trips were mainly for ‘special occasion’ purposes (51%), but work and school journeys were also high (41%). Shorter travel times (≤30 min) and single passenger journeys within inner-suburban and outer-suburban localities typify ride-hailing trips. This contrasts with other contexts where ride-hailing is used frequently by urban dwellers and less so by those in the suburbs. Ride-hailing use replaced conventional taxis (51%), public transport (36%), private car (10%) and walking (1%), suggesting mode substitution effects for individuals’ reference trips. Further exploration of a full day’s travel mode choices also revealed that individuals use other available modes of transport in addition to ride-hailing services. However, multi-modal integration is weak, suggesting that ride-hailing tends to be used alone for full door-to-door journeys, instead of complementing other existing modes in serving first/last mile access for example. The implications of the findings for sustainable mobility are discussed.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Transportation Research Part C Home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0968090X

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