Ride-hail, also known as Transportation Network Companies (TNC), may alleviate the high cost of car ownership and reduce mobility gaps across socioeconomic divides by providing people with car trips on an as-needed basis. While the socioeconomic characteristics of ride-hail users vary by region, studies often find that users earn higher incomes than the average resident [1]. However, a small portion of all ride-hail users in California suggests frequent users, those who ride more than three times per week, are more likely to not own a car and earn low-income than those who ride less or non-users [2]. Trip data suggest that most ride-hail users request service only for special occasions which averages three trips per month or less instead of relying on ride-hail for regular travel.

In addition to supporting mobility needs among car-free or car-light households, ride-hail may also address issues of racial bias among taxi drivers. Brown [3] found that Black users were more likely to have a taxi trip canceled or a longer wait than white users; ride-hail exhibited no such ethnic/racial gap in service quality. However, important gaps in access to ride-hail services remain. The benefits of ride-hail can only be seen in jurisdictions that allow them and in markets that support them. For instance, users in rural areas with low population densities and destinations spread far apart account for a small minority of riders [4].