Citation

Bansal P, Gadepalli R, AitBihiOuali L. Transp. Policy 2023; 134: 19-30.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.tranpol.2023.02.006

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The Government of India has approved e-rickshaws in 2015 to make paratransit services more environmentally friendly. This approval has resulted in a substantial influx of e-rickshaws across India, but little is known about the demand side of e-rickshaws. By collecting stated preferences and revealed travel patterns of 800 respondents from the city of Gurugram, we quantify the individuals' willingness to shift to e-rickshaws from their current travel mode and their willingness to pay to use e-rickshaws for their first-mile travel. Our results indicate that e-rickshaws are perceived as a cheaper travel mode, perhaps the predominant factor driving the shift of a large demand to e-rickshaws. Moreover, e-rickshaws are likely to take away market share from other paratransit modes and walking instead of personalized travel modes. Thus, the net congestion and emission impact of e-rickshaws need to be evaluated in deciding the number of e-rickshaws allowed to operate in a city.

Language: en

Keywords

E-rickshaw; First mile; Paratransit; Sustainability; Willingness to pay