Are drivers cool with pool? Driver attitudes towards the shared TNC services UberPool and Lyft Shared

Abstract

The transportation network companies (TNCs) Uber and Lyft have introduced shared ride services, called “UberPool” and “Lyft Shared,” which use real-time cyber-connectivity to match travelers with similar origins and destinations so they can share discounted rides. It is hoped this will reduce the amount of vehicle miles traveled that TNCs are adding to the roads. However, previous evidence suggests that drivers and passengers have some dissatisfaction with these services. This paper uses a survey of 309 TNC drivers to examine the driver experience with providing shared rides. We find that in the aggregate drivers are considerably less satisfied with providing shared trips compared to solo trips with services such as UberX and Lyft Classic. There are a number of sources of dissatisfaction. Although some feel shared services add to their earnings, more drivers perceive their compensation for shared rides to be unfair. Further, although drivers sometimes enjoy the social interactions that Pool and Shared generate, many drivers complain that customers are often unhappy due to issues like trips taking longer than expected and friction between passengers. Finally, drivers feel serving shared trips is difficult and stressful work, due to things like routing and pick-up instructions that sometimes seem irrational and change frequently, difficult pick-ups and drop-offs, and long trips. We offer suggestions for improving driver satisfaction with Pool/Shared by raising and restructuring driver compensation, better publicizing the ways in which Pool/Shared increase driver incomes, increasing ridership through means such as better advertising of shared services and raising the price of solo travel, improving the information given to drivers, incentivizing good passenger behavior, and improving the passenger experience.