Are vehicle on-demand and shared services a favorable solution for the first and last-mile mobility: Evidence from China

Abstract

Vehicle on-demand and shared services (VDSS), such as Uber, Lyft, Didi and Car2go, have experienced rapid growth over the last decade. While these emerging mobility services have advantages, such as serving as an alternative mode for public transit, it remains unclear to what extent the services are adopted by different user groups, particularly in the context of first and last-mile mobility and how demand varies in different periods. To fill this research gap, we conducted a comprehensive travel survey of 1,420 railway passengers in China, to examine how VDSS were utilized for the first and last-mile connection with train stations. Using binary and multinomial logit modeling analysis, the study shows that the attitude toward VDSS was influenced by various factors and the outcomes varied substantially before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the research findings, we recommend that transportation planning and operation agencies should add ride-sourcing waiting and car-sharing parking sites at railway stations to further improve their advantages of flexibility and convenience. Meanwhile, attention should be paid to maintaining a healthy, safe and relaxed riding environment to facilitate VDSS usage. The equity issue of VDSS should also be addressed through strategies, such as providing special discounts or subsidies to certain lower-income user groups so that wider social groups may also enjoy such services. In terms of mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, further attention should be paid to improving a healthy and clean riding environment in VDSS to reduce the risk to public health.