Ride-hailing platforms: literature review and a regulatory proposal

Abstract

This article discusses the challenges for public policy of the rise of ride-sourcing applications around the world during the last decade. Among the topics discussed are the effects of this technological innovation on traffic safety, tax issues and the funding of mass transit systems, labor standards, quality of service, information privacy, as well as the social and distributive consequences of the rise of these applications. The article reviews the academic literature available on these issues, highlighting available empirical evidence, and places particular emphasis on the impact of these applications on urban congestion, an issue that is recently receiving more attention from researchers. In the conclusions, a regulatory proposal is presented that allows to reap the benefits of these applications while avoiding or minimizing their negative impacts.

Keywords:

digital technology, technological change, ride-sourcing applications, digital economy, taxi, Uber