Air quality and ride-hailing use

Abstract

Ride-hailing is a relatively nascent, rapidly scaling service in the mobility industry. This study examines the relationship between ride-hailing service and air pollution, a reemerging environmental concern. Using comprehensive datasets from the City of Chicago, panel data is constructed for fixed-effects regression analyses. Findings show that air pollution and unfavorable weather conditions are positively associated with increased ride-hailing transactions. Moreover, such relations appear stronger during more flexible times of the day (off-peak hours) and days of the week (weekends), in hotter and colder weather, and in community areas with larger populations and more active commuters. Findings verify that higher fine particulate matter ($PM_2.5$) concentrations trigger individuals' intention to avert exposure to ambient air pollution, and thus increase travels by ride-hailing, a less exposed mode. Results call for public and private entities to bring forth policies and strategies that encourage shared rides to materialize the benefits of the sharing economy and prevent social costs from aggravated congestion.