2023
Nicolas Astier et al., « Riding Together: Eliciting Travelers' Preferences for Long-Distance Carpooling », HAL-SHS : économie et finance, ID : 10670/1.42mnaq
Most seats in private cars are empty when drivers hit the road. Carpooling could thus represent a low-cost strategy to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector. Using revealed preference data from actual long-distance carpooling trips in France, we estimate passengers' preferences for the different characteristics of a ride. We find that passengers are highly price-elastic and value significantly the convenience of pick-up and drop-off locations. In contrast, their value of time once in the car is significantly lower than typical reference values. Finally, we discuss the effectiveness of a number of counterfactual policies aimed at promoting carpooling.