Ride-hailing services and vehicle ownership: evidence from Indian metropolitan cities

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to examine the differential impact of ride-hailing services (RHS) on private and commercial vehicle ownership from five metropolitan cities in India.Design/methodology/approachUsing vehicle ownership data from five metropolitan cities over period 1991 to 2020, a panel corrected standard errors model was estimated to model the association between RHS and vehicle ownership.FindingsThe results indicate that advent of RHS has led to a significant reduction in private vehicle ownership rates and a corresponding increase in addition of intermediate public transport. The net effects of RHS on road congestion and pollution levels need to be studied in detail.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can potentially assist policymakers and mobility planners in efforts to decarbonise and decongest urban transport.Originality/valueThis study sets precedence in analysing the impact of RHS on private and commercial vehicle independently. Further, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to examine this association for the city of Delhi and Kolkata.