Millions of people around the world have a car in the palm of their hand, even if they do not own the car. This is how ride-hailing platforms such as Uber, Lyft, Didi and Ola have redefined the idea of car access.
Thanks to the mass uptake of smartphones, riders enjoy door-to-door car transport whenever they desire, for instance, when public transport is not available or not convenient, or after drinking alcohol on a night out. Ride-hailing has increased mobility for car-free households and for people with physical and cognitive impairments, boosting participation in new activities: people usually report that 5 to 7 percent of ride-hailing trips would not have been made if ride-hailing was not available.
Beyond these clear social benefits, a key question for society is whether these tech-based mobility innovations play any role in reducing some of the negative consequences of motorised traffic. For instance, the social cost of traffic crashes around the world are enormous: according to the World Health Organization, around 1.35 million people die and between 20 and 50 million are injured every year. Air pollution from traffic is responsible for ill health and premature deaths, crop losses, negative impacts on ecosystems and exacerbation of climate change. Traffic congestion is more than annoying; the social cost of congestion has been estimated in the order of billions of dollars per year in countries like Australia.
