Impacts of Information Mechanisms on Taxi Drivers’ Behaviors in Ride-Hailing Services

Abstract:

The advent of the online ride-hailing platform enables the driver to obtain the departure time and destination of passengers in advance, thereby improving matching efficiency. However, it also causes potential discrimination because it makes it possible for the driver to select or reject specific passengers. In order to study the impact of information mechanism on taxi drivers, this paper uses the taxi operation data generated under different conditions by information mechanism to analyze driver service characteristics by using the descriptive statistical methods. Based on the results of non-parametric tests, taxi orders are divided into short and long distances. Spatial statistics and spatial analysis are used to study drivers’ responses to long-distance taxi orders. The results demonstrate that the impact of information differences on taxi operations. Drivers who provide the service through ride-hailing apps are likely to choose specific departure times and passenger locations when responding to long-distance taxi orders. Therefore, information regulation should be considered in the mechanism design and strategy evaluation of ride-hailing platforms in the future travel market.

Key words:taxi;ride-hailing platform;information mechanism;driver behavior;service provision