The findings of a recent study reveals the effects of transportation network companies to be the enemy of all forms of alternative transportation—far from the urban savior some hope they'll be.
David Sachs the reports on a new study by a Alejandro Henao, a PhD candidate at the University of Colorado that will be of interest to anyone tracking the impact of transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft on mode choice and congestion.
"Ride-sourcing companies like Uber and Lyft add tons of traffic to Denver and Boulder streets, and make the transportation system less efficient by cannibalizing transit, biking, and walking trips," according to Sachs's summary of the study.
The findings of Henao's study offer resistance to the predictions offered by a study by MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in January, which found carpool services operated by TNCs could reduce the number of vehicles on the road by 75 percent.
The debate will likely continue.
FULL STORY: Study: Uber and Lyft Add Traffic, Reduce Efficiency on Denver and Boulder Roads
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research