Uber vs. Taxi: A Driver’s Eye View

Abstract

At least one co-author has disclosed a financial relationship of potential relevance for this research. Further information is available online at http://www.nber.org/papers/w23891.ack NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been peer-reviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications.

Frictions in a Competitive, Regulated Market Evidence from Taxis

“…Figure 11 displays the results. The uniform increase results in an elasticity estimate of 1.5, which, interestingly, is remarkably close to the number (1.2) reported in Angrist et al (2017) in an experiment on Uber data.…”

“…Specifically, we contrast the response to a uniform shock throughout the day to an hour-specific shock for each hour. The former results in an elasticity estimate of 1.5, which, interestingly, is remarkably close to the number (1.2) reported by Angrist et al (2017) from an experiment on Uber data. The latter results in estimates that vary from 0.9 to 1.7 depending on the hour, with beginning-and end-of-shift elasticities that are lower than those for the middle of the shift.…”

Existing Issues of Ride Sharing Company Operation and Sharing Economy in China: Uber Case Analysis

“…Also, it is a complex process to be a taxi driver with a license and medallions, so that the taxi industry was a winner-take-all industry where top drivers could get high payments but lower-level ones were paid few wages. The appearance of Uber completely broke the traditional model of the taxi industry, whose interest was badly damaged (Angrist, Caldwell, & Hall, 2017). The pre-conditions of Uber drivers are much simpler that almost everyone could be qualified for a smartphone and a vehicle.…”

Existing Issues of Ride Sharing Company Operation and Sharing Economy in China: Uber Case Analysis

“…Also, it is a complex process to be a taxi driver with a license and medallions, so that the taxi industry was a winner-take-all industry where top drivers could get high payments but lower-level ones were paid few wages. The appearance of Uber completely broke the traditional model of the taxi industry, whose interest was badly damaged [4]. The pre-conditions of Uber drivers are much simpler that almost everyone could be qualified for a smartphone and a vehicle.…”