Pooled Versus Private Ride-Hailing: A Joint Revealed And Stated Preference Analysis Recognizing Psycho-Social Factors

Pooled mobility services hold substantial promise as a means to provide better accessibility to those who may find it difficult to drive themselves, while also promoting sustainable transportation efforts. In this paper, we develop a joint revealed preference-stated preference model for the choice between pooled versus private ride-hailing that (a) accommodates a suite of individual-level socio-demographics, individual-level psycho-social attributes, built environment variables, and trip-level variables, and (b) explicitly recognizes the importance of considering familiarity with pooled ride-hailing (RH) as an integral element of the pooled RH choice process. The primary source of data for the analysis is drawn from a 2019 survey of Austin, Texas residents. Our results underscore the value of using psycho-social latent constructs in the adoption of current and emerging mobility services, both in terms of improved prediction fit as well as in terms of designing proactive strategies to promote pooled RH service adoption. Women, older adults, and non-Hispanic/non-Latino Whites have a low propensity to choose the pooled RH mode, while employed individuals, highly educated individuals, and those living in high density urban areas have a high propensity. Overall, the average VTT estimate is $27.80 per hour for commute travel, $19.40 per hour for shopping travel, and $10.70 per hour for leisure travel, while the willingness to pool (that is, the willingness to pay to not pool a ride or WTS) averages about 62 cents for commute travel, $1.70 for shopping travel and $1.32 for leisure travel. These estimates can be used by TNCs and cities to consider new integrated pooled RH-fixed transit service designs, position traffic congestion alleviation strategies and new mobility services, and customize information campaigns to promote pooled RH mode use.