Usage Characteristics and Mode Choice Transitions of Ride-hailing Users in Chengdu, China

The rapid development of ride-hailing services has sparked debate about their role in urban transport. While there are several studies exploring impacts of ride-hailing services on transportation systems, little work has been done to study mode choice transitions of ride-hailing users. This paper investigates ride-hailing use in November 2018 in Chengdu, China. We use survey results to depict usage characteristics of ride-hailing trips and users. A binary logit model is utilized to investigate factors influencing mode transitions because we suspect that the previous mode has an important effect on the future mode choice (when ride-hailing services is banned or heavily restricted). Ride-hailing services caters specially to younger and educated respondents. Although total shares of car-based modes (drive alone, taxi, get a ride with friends /family) does not show obvious changes, many respondents would shift away from taxi towards transit, bike, and driving alone. Besides, some respondents who used transit previously would be more likely to choose taxi. Our study could offer insights for relative regulations and policies.