Myth-Buster: Uber and Lyft Aren’t Addressing Transit Deserts

Most Uber and Lyft trips aren't bolstering transportation options in transit deserts, but are being taken in majority white and more affluent neighborhoods, a new study reveals, debunking claims by the rideshare companies that residents of lower-income Black and Latino neighborhoods with sub-par public transportation access are using the services to fill gaps in the transit network.

Previous research has been mixed on whether ride-hail is complementing transit use, or simply cannibalizing it by replacing bus and train trips, but the new study, which analyzed patterns in Chicago, concluded that high numbers of trips most closely correlate with high neighborhood median household income rather than a dearth of transit service. Moreover, there weren’t a particularly high number of ride-hail trips to and from ‘L’ stations.

However, after controlling for neighborhood income, transit dependency, population density, and employment density, researchers Jesus Barajas of the University of California Davis Institute of Transportation Studies and Anne Brown of the University of Oregon School of Planning, Public Policy and Management found fewer ride-hailing trips in communities where bus use is more prevalent than train ridership, and significantly more ride-hailing trips in areas where 'L' use is more prevalent. These patterns were a little different for Uber and Lyft pick-ups on weekend nights.

Of course, the potential is there, even if it is not currently being realized.

“With the advent of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft… travelers now have a new potential to gain automobility without high car purchase costs and in the absence of reliable transit service,” the authors wrote in the study, “Not Minding the Gap: Does Ride-Hailing Serve Transit Deserts?” 

Barajas and Brown ended by noting that more work is needed to determine exactly why Uber and Lyft use is so much lower in Chicago’s lower-income communities.

“Results are not necessarily evidence of discrimination or exclusion: fewer trips could result from either lack of demand or lack of supply (or both),” they wrote. “For example, existing modes — transit, walking, biking, and personal cars — may meet residents’ current travel needs.”

However, they note that discrimination may be a factor, as well as financial or technological barriers to ride-hail use, such as lack of a smartphone or credit card.