Uber, Lyft reduces transit usage, increases vehicle miles, report finds

DAVIS, Calif. — The San Francisco Chronicle reports that as ridehailing services, such as Lyft and Uber, has continued to grow in popularity, it has caused a slight decrease in car ownership and reduced usage of public transit, biking, and walking, resulting in a likely increase in both traffic and the number of miles traveled in a vehicle, according to a national study of ridehailing adoption from the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies.

The author of the report, Regina Clewlow, said in a statement that although ridehailing is complementary to transit and helps reduce vehicle ownership, ridehailing services are facilitating a shift away from more sustainable modes of transportation.

The UC Davis study was based on a representative panel of consumers in seven major U.S. metropolitan areas. Other findings, include that while 29% percent of city dwellers surveyed use Uber and Lyft, only 7% of suburban respondents do so in their hometown; 24% of ridehailing passengers use the services daily or weekly; and 91% of ridehailing customers say it has not changed whether or not they own a vehicle. For the full story, click here.