A Modeling Analysis of Impact from E-Hailing Service on Non-Work Travel Mode in Shanghai, China

Abstract

With the rapid development of mobility services, e-hailing service have been highly prevalent and e-hailing travel has become a part of daily life in many cities in China. At the same time, travelers’ mode choice behaviors have been influenced to some degree by different factors, and in this paper, a web-based retrospective survey initially conducted in Shanghai, China is used to analyze the extent to which various factors are influencing mode choice behaviors. Then, a multinomial-logit-based mode choice model is developed to incorporate the e-hailing auto mode as a new travel mode for non-work trips. The developed model can help to identify influential factors and quantify their impact on mode choice probabilities. The developed model involves a variety of explanatory variables including e-hailing/taxi fare, bus travel time, rail station access/egress distance, trip distance, car in-vehicle travel time as well as travelers’ socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, etc. The model indicates that the e-hailing fare, travel companions and some travelers’ characteristics (e.g., age, income, etc.) are significant factors influencing the choice of e-hailing mode. The alternative-specific constant in the e-hailing utility equation is adjusted to match the observed market share of the e-hailing mode. Based on the developed model, elasticities of LOS attributes are computed and discussed. The research methods used in this paper have the potential to be applied to investigate travel behavior changes under the influence of emerging travel modes. The research findings can aid in evaluating policies to manage e-hailing services and improve their levels of services.