Ridesourcing and vehicle ownership: a systematic review

Abstract

Ridesourcing has received significant attention globally due to its rapid expansion. As it has been more than a decade since the first ridesourcing operation, there is a growing interest in its long-term impacts, in particular on vehicle ownership, which is a key factor behind car use and various traffic-related and environmental externalities. The two-sided business model of ridesourcing positions both drivers and passengers as customers of these platforms, making the net impact a function of effects on both groups. This systematic literature review explores the relationship between ridesourcing and vehicle ownership from both perspectives. Utilising the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, this review analyses 31 peer-reviewed articles and three reports to evaluate these impacts. The findings reveal a general negative association between the use of ridesourcing and the number of vehicles in the household, though the causality of this relationship remains unclear. Notably, while a stated reluctance to purchase cars exists among individuals in the presence of ridesourcing, in most cases in developing countries the "value enhancement effect” (the incentive for ridesourcing drivers to acquire new vehicles) has dominated the “substitution effect” (the reduction in car purchases among ridesourcing customers), leading to an increase in vehicle ownership, whereas developed countries exhibit mixed outcomes. The review thus highlights the heterogeneous relationship between ridesourcing and vehicle ownership across different countries and regions, varying with many factors including levels of development and urbanisation. Additionally, the study identifies gaps in existing knowledge and proposes directions for further research on the impacts of ridesourcing.