The role of ridesharing in improving transportation resilience during a crisis

Recently, there have been many different human-made and natural crises happening around the world; for instance, the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the recent earthquake in Turkey. Mobility infrastructure and services are essential, especially during these times, for both passenger and freight transport. However, these crises generate questions about whether our transport systems are resilient enough under disruption and during emergency situations. During crises, the infrastructure that some modes depend on are often disrupted, such as rail lines, airports and electricity networks. In such scenarios, there may be more reliance on personal travel modes such as private car use, walking or cycling. This phenomenon has been observed recently in Ukraine, where disruptions to the electrical grid have impacted certain modes more than private combustion engine car use. In these scenarios, there may be a greater role for ridesharing. In this study, we evaluated the attitudes and perceptions toward ridesharing in Ukraine i.e. Kyiv and Odesa. Data for analyses were collected through a survey. Participants were asked about their travel behaviours and mode choice before and after the war. Then, a digital-platform-based ridesharing concept was introduced to the participants and attitudes and perceptions about using this during a crisis were collected and evaluated. A factor analysis and a path analysis (Structural Equation Modelling) were conducted (using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a theoretical underpinning) to examine the behavioural intention and use of ridesharing. Preliminary results reveal the importance of several influencing factors in the respondents’ intention to use ridesharing as a main transport mode. This can perhaps shed light on the role that ridesharing can hold in efforts to improve transportation resilience during a crisis.