Overweight young woman getting on the passenger seat while taking a trip on a ride share app
Publication Year: 2024

Invisible Rides: How Car-Less Americans Access Cars

Citation:

Klein, N. J., Brown, A.,  Howell, A., & Smart, M. J.  (2024). Invisible Rides: How Car-Less Americans Access Cars. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 0(0). doi.org/10.1177/0739456X241274520

How and why do zero-car households seek car access? We used a national online survey of 830 American adults and interviews with twenty-nine low- and moderate-income travelers about their car access behaviors to answer this question. We validated our findings with the 2017 National Household Travel Survey. Respondents got rides, borrowed cars, and used ride-hail to access grocery trips, social/recreational activities, and medical care. While most interviewees intend to purchase a vehicle in the future, they also desire better transit, suggesting that households without cars do not necessarily prefer car ownership.