Uber and Lyft May Cause Lower Car Ownership In Big Cities, Says Report (slashgear.com)

A new study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute has shed light on what may turn out to be a growing trend: lower car ownership in cities where ride-sharing services are available. SlashGear reports: While Uber and Lyft have both deployed in a number of cities, they have, at times, had to abandon those cities due to local governments driving them out for one reason or another. That's what happened in Austin, Texas, opening the door for an interesting study on personal car ownership. Did the sudden absence of these two services cause increased car usage and/or ownership, or did things remain unaffected? The result, according to the study, was a big increase in personal car usage and a statistically significant increase in car ownership. The researchers surveyed a total of 1,200 people from the Austin region, and found that 41-percent of them started using their own car more often to make up for the lack of Uber and Lyft rides. As well, a total of 9-percent of those surveyed bought their own personal car to make up for the services' absences.

Comments

Re:It certainly affects student ownership of cars

[Mr D from 63]

Each year, more and more students admit to not having one. Those without one don't seem at all self-conscious about admitting it; they don't consider it a big deal in any way.

I can assure you that my kids will have DLs. Even if you are not going to own a car, its a valuable skill and not having one presents limits and possibly even safety concerns. I see no reason for not getting one other than laziness, apathy, or fear. Of the two cases of kids that I know that did not get their license when of age, it was fear. Fortunately both overcame that within a couple years.