Unsustainable: The Impact of App-Based Ride Service on Traffic, Travel and Growth in NYC

App-based ride hailing services like Lyft and Uber promised to reduce traffic and congestion, but information on their impact has been limited. But last week, Bruce Schaller, a former Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Dept of Transportation, released “UNSUSTAINABLE,” a new analysis of the growth of transportation network companies in New York City. Utilizing trip and mileage data, he provides a detailed and comprehensive look at the explosive expansion of these services and the ways they have impacted NYC’s streets and transit systems.

Bruce found that that total miles driven in NYC by TNC vehicles has increased by 600 million miles in the past three years, and that trips taken by taxis and TNCs together has outpaced the increase in trips taken by transit; while for the preceding 24 years, growth in person trips in New York had been led by increased transit ridership.

Bruce will present his research, and will be joined by Chris Ward of Aecom and Lillie Cariño Higgins of 1199 Political Action Fund, who will offer their responses and perspectives on the implications of Bruce’s findings for the future of transportation policy and for NYC itself.