The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Ridesourcing Services Differed Between Small Towns and Large Cities (2201.10961v1)

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced all modes of transportation. However, it is still unclear how the pandemic affected the demand for ridesourcing services and whether these effects varied between small towns and large cities. We analyzed over 220 million ride requests in the City of Chicago (population: 2.7 million), Illinois, and 52 thousand in the Town of Innisfil (population: 37 thousand), Ontario, to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ridesourcing demand in the two locations. Overall, the pandemic resulted in fewer trips in areas with higher proportions of seniors and more trips to parks and green spaces. Ridesourcing demand was adversely affected by the stringency index and COVID-19-related variables, and positively affected by vaccination rates. However, compared to Innisfil, ridesourcing services in Chicago experienced higher reductions in demand, were more affected by the number of hospitalizations and deaths, were less impacted by vaccination rates, and had lower recovery rates.

• The paper demonstrates that COVID-19 sharply reduced ridesourcing demand, with urban areas like Chicago experiencing more pronounced declines than small towns.
• It reveals that higher senior populations saw steeper drops while trips to parks increased due to changing recreational habits during lockdowns.
• The paper finds that stricter lockdown measures and lower vaccination rates correlated with slower recovery in ridesourcing activity, especially in large cities.

The paper "The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Ridesourcing Services Differed Between Small Towns and Large Cities" investigates the differential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on ridesourcing services in two distinct locations: the City of Chicago, Illinois, with a population of 2.7 million, and the Town of Innisfil, Ontario, with a population of 37,000. Drawing from a substantial dataset consisting of over 220 million ride requests in Chicago and 52,000 in Innisfil, the paper aims to elucidate how various pandemic-related factors influenced ridesourcing demand in these areas.

Key Findings:

1. Reduction in Demand:
   • The pandemic led to an overall reduction in ridesourcing trips across both locations.
   • In Chicago, the decrease in demand was more pronounced compared to Innisfil.
2. Influence of Demographics:
   • Areas with higher proportions of seniors experienced a greater reduction in ridesourcing requests.
   • Conversely, there was an increase in trips to parks and green spaces, likely reflecting changes in recreational habits during lockdowns and social distancing measures.
3. Impact of COVID-19 Variables:
   • The ridesourcing demand was negatively affected by the stringency index, which measures the intensity of government responses including lockdown measures.
   • Other adverse influences included the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
4. Positive Effects of Vaccination Rates:
   • Higher vaccination rates had a positive effect on ridesourcing demand, suggesting a correlation between perceived safety and willingness to use ridesourcing services.
5. Comparison Between Locations:
   • Chicago's ridesourcing services experienced more substantial decreases in demand and were more sensitive to the number of hospitalizations and deaths compared to Innisfil.
   • Conversely, Innisfil showed a lesser decline and a more substantial positive response to increased vaccination rates.
   • Recovery rates in Chicago were lower, indicating a slower return to pre-pandemic levels of ridesourcing activity.

Implications:

The paper highlights significant variations in how the pandemic impacted urban versus smaller town environments, pointing to the importance of context-specific analyses when assessing transportation trends during crises. For urban planners and policymakers, these findings emphasize the need to consider demographic and regional factors when designing interventions to support transportation services during public health emergencies.