Date: June 1, 2018
Author(s): Anne Brown
Abstract
Ridehail services such as Uber and Lyft have revolutionized how people access cars. The closest historical analog to new ridehail services are taxis, which have a history of discrimination, particularly against black riders and neighborhoods. Ridehail services may discriminate less than taxis and extend reliable car access to neighborhoods underserved by taxis. Or they may not. While a 2016 study in Seattle suggests that discrimination may occur against black ridehail users, no research has yet evaluated potential biases against riders of other races or ethnicities, or evaluated ridehail services alongside taxis. This research found that discrimination in the taxi industry results in higher cancellation rates and longer wait times for black riders compared to white riders. By contrast, ridehail services nearly eliminate the racial-ethnic differences in service quality.
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