Revealed demand patterns of people with disabilities in on-demand ridepooling
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59490/ejtir.2025.25.2.7742Keywords:
accessible transportation, demand-responsive transit, wheelchair accessible, people with disabilities, paratransit, microtransitAbstract
Since 2023, the on-demand ridepooling service MOIA operates, as part of Hamburg's public transport, an integrated wheelchair-accessible service and offers subsidized fares for individuals with severe disabilities. This study analyzes one year of demand patterns in Hamburg following these enhancements, utilizing data analyses to assess their impact on service usage and accessibility. Findings reveal insights into distinct spatio-temporal user behavior, offering valuable guidance for the development of large-scale urban mobility solutions.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Authority for Transport and Mobility Transformation. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.hamburg.de/bvm/
Bearse, P., Gurmu, S., Rapaport, C., & Stern, S. (2004). Paratransit demand of disabled people. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, 38(9), 809-831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trb.2003.10.004
Bischoff, J., Maciejewski, M., & Nagel, K. (2017). City-wide shared taxis: A simulation study in Berlin. IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Proceedings, ITSC. https://doi.org/10.1109/ITSC.2017.8317926
Blais, D., & El-Geneidy, A. (2014). Better living through mobility: The relationship between access to transportation, well-being and disability. In 93rd annual meeting of the transportation research board, Washington, DC (pp. 454–464). Retrieved from http://tram.mcgill.ca/research/publications/development_disability.pdf
Brown, A., Manville, M., & Weber, A. (2021). Can mobility on demand bridge the first-last mile transit gap? Equity implications of Los Angeles’ pilot program. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 10, 100396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2021.100396
Brumbaugh, S. (2018). Travel patterns of american adults with disabilities (Tech. Rep.). Retrieved from https://www.bts.gov/sites/bts.dot.gov/files/2022-01/travel-patterns-american-adults-disabilities-updated-01-03-22.pdf
Çetin, T. (2017). The rise of ride sharing in urban transport: Threat or opportunity. Urban Transport Systems, 191.
Chandakas, E. (2020). On demand forecasting of demand-responsive paratransit services with prior reservations. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 120, 102817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2020.102817
Choi, J., & Maisel, J. L. (2022). Assessing the implementation of on-demand transportation services for people with disabilities. Transportation Research Record, 2676(5), 437-449. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211067976
Cochran, A. L. (2020). Understanding the role of transportation-related social interaction in travel behavior and health: A qualitative study of adults with disabilities. Journal of Transport & Health, 19, 100948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2020.100948
Cochran, A. L., & Chatman, D. G. (2021). Use of app-based ridehailing services and conventional taxicabs by adults with disabilities. Travel Behaviour and Society, 24, 124–131.
CPUC. (2022). TNC: Accessibility for persons with disabilities program. Retrieved from https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/regulatory-services/licensing/transportation-licensing-and-analysis-branch/transportation-network-companies/tnc-accessibility-for-persons-with-disabilities-program
Deka, D. (2014). The role of household members in transporting adults with disabilities in the United States. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 69, 45-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2014.08.010
Destatis. (2022). Destatis - Statistisches Bundesamt. "7,8 Millionen schwerbehinderte Menschen leben in Deutschland." Press release on 22nd of June 2022. Retrieved from https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Gesundheit/Behinderte-Menschen/_inhalt.html#_eck761aaa
Dicianno, B. E., Sivakanthan, S., Sundaram, S. A., Satpute, S., Kulich, H., Powers, E., . . . Cooper, R. A. (2021). Systematic review: Automated vehicles and services for people with disabilities. Neuroscience Letters, 761, 136103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136103
Dorynek, M., Aumüller, A., Ma, J., Rathsack, B., Weidmann, J., & Bengler, K. (2022). Mobility on demand for everybody—Investigation of the current challenges in establishing ride-pooling services for persons with mobility impairments in Germany. Disabilities, 2(2), 247–263. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities2020018
Eisenberg, Y., Hofstra, A., Tilahun, N., & Shanley, J. (2022). Rideshare use among people with disabilities: Patterns and predictors based on a large nationally representative survey. Travel Behaviour and Society, 29, 246–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2022.07.001
Friman, M., & Olsson, L. E. (2023). Are we leaving some people behind? Travel autonomy, perceived accessibility, and well-being among people experiencing mental and physical difficulties. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 98, 243–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2023.08.009
Gebresselassie, M. (2023). Wheelchair users’ perspective on transportation service hailed through Uber and Lyft apps. Transportation Research Record, 2677(5), 1164–1177. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981221140369
Gebresselassie, M. (2024). Why app-hailed transportation remains inadequately accessible to wheelchair users. Disability & Society, 0(0), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2024.2397731
Gebresselassie, M. (2025). Labor issues from the perspective of drivers on the Uber and Lyft apps and the impact on riders who use wheelchairs. Travel Behaviour and Society, 38, 100891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2024.100891
Goodwill, J. A., & Joslin, A. (2013). Forecasting paratransit services demand – Review and recommendations (Tech. Rep.). Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged. Retrieved from https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/25954
Goralzik, A., König, A., Alčiauskaitė, L., & Hatzakis, T. (2022). Shared mobility services: An accessibility assessment from the perspective of people with disabilities. European Transport Research Review, 14(1), 34.
Haglund, N., Mladenović, M. N., Kujala, R., Weckström, C., & Saramäki, J. (2019). Where did Kutsuplus drive us? Ex post evaluation of on-demand micro-transit pilot in the Helsinki capital region. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 32, 100390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2019.100390
Hamburg Tourismus. (2024). Barrierefrei mit Fahrdiensten in Hamburg unterwegs. Retrieved from https://www.hamburg-tourism.de/barrierefreies-reisen/information-service/mobilitaet-vor-ort/taxi-transport/
Hassanpour, A., Bigazzi, A., & MacKenzie, D. (2021). Equity of access to Uber’s wheelchair accessible service. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 89, 101688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2021.101688
Houtenville, A., Bach, S., & Paul, S. (2023). Annual report on people with disabilities in America: 2023. Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire.
Hwang, J., & Kim, S. (2023). Autonomous vehicle transportation service for people with disabilities: Policy recommendations based on the evidence from hybrid choice model. Journal of Transport Geography, 106, 103499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103499
Jenkins, S. P., & Rigg, J. A. (2004). Disability and disadvantage: Selection, onset, and duration effects. Journal of Social Policy, 33(3), 479–501. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279404007780
Kameswaran, V., Gupta, J., Pal, J., O’Modhrain, S., Veinot, T. C., Brewer, R., . . . O’Neill, J. (2018, November). “We can go anywhere”: Understanding independence through a case study of ride-hailing use by people with visual impairments in metropolitan India. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 2(CSCW), Article 137. https://doi.org/10.1145/3274354
Khan, M. A., Shahmoradi, A., Etminani-Ghasrodashti, R., Kermanshachi, S., & Rosenberger, J. M. (2021a). A geographically weighted regression approach to modeling the determinants of on-demand ride services for elderly and disabled. In International Conference on Transportation and Development 2021 (pp. 385–396). https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784483541.036
Khan, M. A., Shahmoradi, A., Etminani-Ghasrodashti, R., Kermanshachi, S., & Rosenberger, J. M. (2021b). Travel behaviors of the transportation-disabled population and impacts of alternate transit choices: A trip data analysis of the Handitran paratransit service in Arlington, TX. In International Conference on Transportation and Development 2021 (pp. 502–512). https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784483534.043
Kostorz, N., Fraedrich, E., & Kagerbauer, M. (2021). Usage and user characteristics—Insights from MOIA, Europe’s largest ridepooling service. Sustainability, 13(2), 958. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020958
Krassowski, M. (2020). ComplexUpset. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3700590
Krohn, A.-L., Fassina, Z., Kuehnel, N., & Zwick, F. (2023). Stadtweites barrierefreies Ride-pooling – Erste Erfahrungen des Moia-Rollstuhlservices in Hamburg. Der Nahverkehr. Retrieved from https://solutions.moia.io/mobility_analytics/studies/2309_Nahverkehr_Wheelchair_Service.pdf
Kuehnel, N., & Zwick, F. (2022). Sharing is caring: Evaluation of wheelchair accessible ride-sharing services in agent-based transport simulations. In MATSim User Meeting (MUM 2022), Leuven, Belgium, May 31, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000549914
Kurbjeweit, F. (2023). Zwischen Sonderfahrdienst und neuer Mobilität: Menschenrechtliche Perspektiven auf die Mobilität von Menschen mit Behinderungen in Berlin (Tech. Rep.). Deutsches Institut für Menschenrechte. Retrieved from https://www.institut-fuer-menschenrechte.de/publikationen/detail/zwischen-sonderfahrdienst-und-neuer-mobilitaet
Kwon, K., & Akar, G. (2022). People with disabilities and use of public transit: The role of neighborhood walkability. Journal of Transport Geography, 100, 103319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103319
Lee, C. D., Koontz, A. M., Cooper, R., Sivakanthan, S., Chernicoff, W., Brunswick, A., . . . Cooper, R. A. (2024). Understanding travel considerations and barriers for people with disabilities to using current modes of transportation through journey mapping. Transportation Research Record, 2678(5), 271–287. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981231188730
Levine, K. (2024). “The bus is accessible, but how do you get to the bus”: First and last mile experiences of disabled transit riders. Journal of Public Transportation, 26, 100086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubtr.2024.100086
Lex, A., Gehlenborg, N., Strobelt, H., Vuillemot, R., & Pfister, H. (2014). UpSet: Visualization of intersecting sets. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 20(12), 1983–1992. https://doi.org/10.1109/TVCG.2014.2346248
Macfarlane, G. S., Lant, N. J., et al. (2021). Estimation and simulation of daily activity patterns for individuals using wheelchairs (Tech. Rep.). Utah Department of Transportation, Division of Research.
Miller, S., Huang, E., Sullivan, M., & Shavit, A. (2021). Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstration: LA Metro First/Last Mile Partnership with Via (Tech. Rep.). LA Metro. https://doi.org/10.21949/1520687
Myers, A., Ipsen, C., & Standley, K. (2022). Transportation patterns of adults with travel-limiting disabilities in rural and urban America. Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2022.877555
Neven, A., Braekers, K., Declercq, K., Wets, G., Janssens, D., & Bellemans, T. (2015). Assessing the impact of different policy decisions on the resource requirements of a demand responsive transport system for persons with disabilities. Transport Policy, 44, 48–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2015.06.011
Neven, A., & Ectors, W. (2023). “I am dependent on others to get there”: Mobility barriers and solutions for societal participation by persons with disabilities. Travel Behaviour and Society, 30, 302–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2022.10.009
Nobis, C., & Kuhnimhof, T. (2019). Mobilität in Deutschland – MiD Ergebnisbericht (Technical Report). Bonn, Berlin: Studie von infas, DLR, IVT und infas 360 im Auftrag des Bundesministers für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur.
O’Neill, Y., & O’Mahony, M. (2005). Travel behavior and transportation needs of people with disabilities: Case study of some categories of disability in Dublin, Ireland. Transportation Research Record, 1924(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198105192400101
Ong, F., Loa, P., & Nurul Habib, K. (2024). . Ride-sourcing demand in Metro Vancouver: Looking through the lens of disability. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 181, 103984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2024.103984
OpenStreetMap contributors. (2023). Open Street Map. Retrieved from https://www.openstreetmap.org
Park, J., & Chowdhury, S. (2018). Investigating the barriers in a typical journey by public transport users with disabilities. Journal of Transport & Health, 10, 361–368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2018.05.008
Park, K., Esfahani, H. N., Novack, V. L., Sheen, J., Hadayeghi, H., Song, Z., & Christensen, K. (2023) . Impacts of disability on daily travel behaviour: A systematic review. Transport Reviews, 43(2), 178–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2022.2060371
Perera, S., Ho, C., & Hensher, D. (2020). Resurgence of demand responsive transit services – Insights from BRIDJ trials in Inner West of Sydney, Australia. Research in Transportation Economics, 83, 100904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2020.100904
Portell, L., Rodríguez-Pereira, J., & Ramalhinho, H. (2025). Optimization of shared trips in the door-to-door transportation service for people with disabilities: A case study in Barcelona. In A. A. Juan, J. Faulin, & D. Lopez-Lopez (Eds.), Decision sciences (pp. 245–259). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Ralph, K., Morris, E. A., & Kwon, J. (2022). Disability, access to out-of-home activities, and subjective well-being. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 163, 209–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2022.06.006
Riggs, W., & Pande, A. (2022). On-demand microtransit and paratransit service using autonomous vehicles: Gaps and opportunities in accessibility policy. Transport Policy, 127, 171–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.07.024
Ruvolo, M. (2020). Access denied? Perceptions of new mobility services among disabled people in San Francisco (Tech. Rep.). UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies. https://doi.org/10.17610/T6DK5J
Shen, X., Zheng, S., Wang, R., Li, Q., Xu, Z., Wang, X., & Wu, J. (2023). Disabled travel and urban environment: A literature review. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 115, 103589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2022.103589
Shirgaokar, M., Misra, A., Agrawal, A. W., Wachs, M., & Dobbs, B. (2021). Differences in ride-hailing adoption by older Californians among types of locations. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 14(1), 367–387.
Sivakanthan, S., Dicianno, B. E., Koontz, A., Adenaiye, O., Joseph, J., Candiotti, J. L., . . . Cooper, R. A. (2024). Accessible autonomous transportation and services: Voice of the consumer – Understanding end-user priorities. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 19(6), 2285–2297. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2023.2283066
Son, J.-H., & Kim, D.-G. (2022). Investigating spatiotemporal characteristics of demand responsive transport (DRT) service for the disabled through survival analysis. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 26(7), 3094–3101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-022-0807-9
Soza-Parra, J., Kucharski, R., & Cats, O. (2024). The shareability potential of ride-pooling under alternative spatial demand patterns. Transportmetrica A: Transport Science, 20(2), 2140022. https://doi.org/10.1080/23249935.2022.2140022
Uddin, M., Pan, M. M., & Hwang, H.-L. (2023). Factors influencing mode choice of adults with travel-limiting disability. Journal of Transport & Health, 33, 101714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2023.101714
Ward, D. (2017, February). Transportation network companies & accessibility: How other jurisdictions are navigating accessibility issues in an evolving vehicle-for-hire industry & ideas for B.C. Retrieved from https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/graduateresearch/310/items/1.0342994
WHO. (2011). World report on disability summary. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-NMH-VIP-11.01
Wissenschaftliche Dienste des Deutschen Bundestages. (2021). Mobilität schwerbehinderter Menschen mit Bewegungseinschränkungen. Sachstandsbericht Zeichen WD 5–3000–043/21, WD 6–3000–040/21. Retrieved from https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/848382/d664acbc4b66855c485158f616b3c6d4/WD-5-043-21-WD-6-040-21-pdfdata.pdf
Zhang, Y., Farber, S., Young, M., Tiznado-Aitken, I., & Ross, T. (2023). Exploring travel patterns of people with disabilities: A multilevel analysis of accessible taxi trips in Toronto, Canada. Travel Behaviour and Society, 32, 100575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2023.100575
Zhang, Y., Farber, S., Young, M., Tiznado-Aitken, I., & Ross, T. (2024). Travel behaviour differences among people with disabilities: A cluster analysis of accessible taxi users before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Transport & Health, 35, 101753. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2023.101753
Zwick, F., & Axhausen, K. W. (2022, April). Ride-pooling demand prediction: A spatiotemporal assessment in Germany. Journal of Transport Geography, 100, 103307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103307
Zwick, F., Fraedrich, E., & Axhausen, K. W. (2022). Ride-pooling in the light of COVID-19: Determining spatiotemporal demand characteristics on the example of MOIA. IET Intelligent Transport Systems. https://doi.org/10.1049/itr2.12293
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Nico Kuehnel, Felix Zwick, Tom-Erik Kuhlen
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
