Document Type
Discussion Paper
Publication Date
1-31-2020
CFDP Number
2219R
CFDP Revision Date
08/12/2020
CFDP Pages
92
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) Code(s)
L13, R41, D62
Abstract
This paper studies the e ects of economies of density in transportation markets, focusing on ridesharing. Our theoretical model predicts that (i) economies of density skew the supply of drivers away from less dense regions, (ii) the skew will be more pronounced for smaller platforms, and (iii) rideshare platforms do not nd this skew ecient and thus use prices and wages to mitigate (but not eliminate) it. We then develop a general empirical strategy with simple implementation and limited data requirements to test for spatial skew of supply from demand. Applying our method to ride-level, multi-platform data from New York City (NYC), we indeed nd evidence for a skew of supply toward busier areas, especially for smaller platforms. We discuss the implications of our analysis for business strategy (e.g., surge pricing) and public policy (e.g., consequences of breaking up or downsizing a rideshare platform).
Recommended Citation
Ghili, Soheil and Kumar, Vineet, "Spatial Distribution of Supply and the Role of Market Thickness: Theory and Evidence from Ride Sharing" (2020). Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers. 2562.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/cowles-discussion-paper-series/2562