Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, concluded that services like Uber and Lyft increase private car ownership by an average of 0.7% in urban US areas.<\/p>\n
According to Streets Blog USA<\/a>, that equates to around 100,000 extra vehicles on US roads.<\/p>\n In New Scientist<\/a>, Jeremy Michalek, the study\u2019s lead author, said:<\/p>\n We would have expected ownership to probably go down, because when people gain access to this alternative travel mode they may be able to get away with not owning a car, or owning fewer cars in their household.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n But when Uber and Lyft enter a new market, it actually increases vehicle ownership. Increases were most pronounced in car dependent cities, which already display higher than average private vehicle ownership.<\/p>\n These cities experienced a 1% increase in private vehicle ownership.<\/p>\n [Read: Meet the 4 scale-ups using data to save the planet<\/span><\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n The researchers aren\u2019t exactly sure why this is occurring, though. They speculate that ride-share app users are becoming drivers themselves, and buying cars to get into the business. Or, people who already own a car, are buying a second vehicle to use exclusively as a ride hail taxi.<\/p>\n We know from various global reports<\/a>, that when Uber and Lyft launch in new markets, drivers often buy new vehicles to use specifically for the ride-share services. Uber also actively helps individuals interested in joining its service<\/a> to buy or lease a new car. So this speculation is well measured.<\/p>\n The effects of ride-share platforms were still felt in cities that didn\u2019t display a significant rise in car ownership.<\/p>\n In cities like Seattle, Boston, and San Francisco, which have a disproportionately high density of high-income childless households, public transit systems took a hit.<\/p>\n Transit users were found to substitute their use of public transport in favor of an Uber of Lyft, because they can afford to, but they weren\u2019t necessarily getting rid of their cars.<\/p>\n Whether this leads to an increase in emissions and congestion would require further research, Michalek says.<\/p>\n There are studies<\/a> that suggest it does indeed increase congestion and emissions<\/a>.<\/p>\n It seems reasonable that if 10 people each use an Uber instead of one bus, that\u2019s more emissions and congestion per capita than if they\u2019d all just stuck to the bus.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not exactly the utopian city vision we were promised.<\/p>\n Next time you\u2019re firing up that ride-sharing app, ask yourself, is there a better, more efficient way of making your journey?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a>SHIFT<\/a> is brought to you by Polestar. It\u2019s time to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility. That is why Polestar combines electric driving with cutting-edge design and thrilling performance.<\/span><\/i> Find out how<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Published January 13, 2021 \u2014 10:45 UTC <\/p>\n\n
\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/07\/Polestar_wordmark_pos.png\")
<\/figure>\n