Is ride-hailing a step closer to personal car use? Exploring associations between car-based ride-hailing and car ownership and use aspirations among young adults

Acheampong, Ransford A.; Agyemang, Ernest; Yaw Asuah, Augustine · 2023 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1016/j.tbs.2023.100614

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Summary

This study investigates whether car-based ride-hailing services act as a precursor to personal car ownership and use among young adults, addressing a gap in literature regarding how emerging mobility technologies shape future travel aspirations. The authors posit that ride-hailing may normalize car-based travel, potentially increasing the desire for private vehicle ownership rather than serving as a sustainable alternative. The research focuses on young adults in Ghana, a developing country context where ride-hailing has become a primary mode of car-based transport for this demographic, while overall car ownership remains relatively low. The researchers developed and empirically tested a conceptual model linking several psychological and socio-demographic factors to car ownership and use aspirations. Key constructs included perceived benefits of ride-hailing (e.g., convenience, reliability), instrumental attitudes toward car use, social-symbolic values of car ownership, environmental attitudes, and a novel variable: perceived similarity between ride-hailing and private car use. Data were collected via an online survey of 1,868 young adults (aged 18–35) in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana, who had prior experience with app-based ride-hailing services. The survey measured respondents’ agreement with statements regarding these constructs to determine their influence on the latent outcome variable of car ownership and use aspirations. The findings reveal that individuals perceive strong similarities between ride-hailing and private car use, particularly regarding instrumental aspects like comfort and convenience. Perceived benefits of ride-hailing and instrumental attitudes toward car use directly and positively influenced these perceptions of similarity. Crucially, car ownership and use aspirations were strongly driven by individuals’ direct experience with ride-hailing and the social-symbolic meaning attached to private cars, such as status and success. The study also identified a significant dissonance: despite holding pro-environmental attitudes, participants still expressed strong desires for car ownership. This suggests that environmental concerns did not mitigate the aspiration for private vehicles when influenced by ride-hailing experiences. The study concludes that ride-hailing is fulfilling an immediate preference for car-based transport and may serve as a stepping stone toward realizing personal car ownership aspirations among young adults. Rather than reducing car dependency, ride-hailing appears to reinforce the value and desirability of car-based mobility. These findings have significant implications for urban sustainability, suggesting that without targeted interventions, the proliferation of ride-hailing in developing contexts may accelerate motorization and private car ownership rather than curb it. The research contributes to travel behavior theory by demonstrating how new mobility services can shape long-term aspirations through perceived similarity and social-symbolic values.

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