Exploring Car-Ownership and Declining Carlessness in the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This paper examines changes in car-ownership levels before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. In contrast to the two years before the pandemic, the propensity of households to be carless decreased for all households considered, as well as for low- and middle-income, and minority households. There is also evidence of an increase in the average number of vehicles for low-income households. The results highlight the additional financial burden faced by households during the pandemic as a result of higher levels of car-ownership, and that the recovery of public transportation ridership may be negatively impacted with the rise in car-ownership among transit-using groups.