Changes in emerging mobility tool adoption: A path towards sustainability?

Abstract

Emerging mobility technologies, such as car sharing, ride hailing, bike sharing, and telework have led to aspirations of sustainable transportation. But how quickly are emerging mobility tools adopted? Who is adopting them? And are they likely to replace private vehicle use? This study addresses these questions using descriptive statistics and inferential models with repeated cross-sectional data from the Southern Ontario, Canada. Findings indicate that emerging mobility tool use grew between 2016 and 2021 – especially for ride hailing and telework. In the wake of the pandemic, users experimented and there were market changes. However, evidence on the potential for emerging mobility tools to lead to sustainable transportation is underwhelming. In turn, this questions as to whether emerging mobility tools should be core components of climate policy or whether they are most compelling based on a choice-based rationale for transportation policy – wherein choice is of central public value.