Rider-to-rider discriminatory attitudes and ridesharing behavior

Abstract

Using online survey data from N = 2041 Uber and Lyft users in the United States collected in 2016 and 2018, this paper establishes the validity, reliability, and invariance of a measure of rider-to-rider race and social class discrimination. This measure is then incorporated into three structural models that investigate associations between rider-to-rider discriminatory attitudes and four aspects of ridesharing behavior. We find no significant relationship between rider-to-rider discriminatory attitudes and whether a TNC user has ever used a ridesharing service (such as uberPOOL or Lyft Line). However, among those who have used ridesharing services before, rider-to-rider discriminatory attitudes are strongly negatively predictive of an individual's level of satisfaction with the sharing option, and marginally negatively predictive of an individual's percentage of shared TNC trips. Furthermore, among those who have not yet used ridesharing services, rider-to-rider discriminatory attitudes are strongly negatively predictive of willingness to consider using uberPOOL or Lyft Line in the future. Together, these findings suggest that rider-to-rider discriminatory attitudes may discourage sustained and frequent use of ridesharing services among TNC users. Further research is required to identify strategies for addressing discriminatory attitudes in the ridesharing context and overcoming reluctance to sharing.