New Mobility Survey

In May-June 2020, START administered a survey to 3,658 representative Canadians to assess respondents’ awareness, interest in, and adoption of several “new mobility” innovations. New mobility innovations include “ride-hailing” (on-demand ride services, such as Uber and Lyft), “car-sharing services” (short-term vehicle rental services shared among a network of members, such as ZipCar, Evo, and Car2Go), automated vehicles (vehicles that can operate without human drivers), and electric vehicles (vehicles which can be powered partially or fully using electricity).

A societal and technical transition to one or some combination of these innovations could play an important role in achieving sustainable transport goals, substantially impacting the environment, energy use, and social well-being. However, considerable uncertainty remains about the likelihood of widespread deployment, uptake, and usage of these innovations, and the ultimate magnitude and direction of societal impacts.

The survey assessed respondents’:

  • Travel patterns and behaviour
  • Awareness and familiarity with ride-hailing, car-sharing, automated vehicles, and electric vehicles
  • Adoption and interest re: ride-hailing, car-sharing, automated vehicles, and electric vehicles
  • Perceptions of private car-based mobility (“automobility”)
  • Perceptions of ride-hailing, car-sharing, automated vehicles, and electric vehicles
  • Support and opposition to new mobility policies

Findings from this study provide insight into Canadians’ prospective adoption of new transport technologies, which can help inform policymakers’ anticipation of how these potentially transformative technologies might be used by travellers. Analysis of survey findings is summarized in our report, Consumer response to new mobility innovations in Canada. We also summarize key findings and insights in a two-page research brief.

Project documents:

Publications:

  • Long and Axsen 2022 investigate consumer demand for new mobility innovations in three Canadian metropolitan regions.
  • Gauer, Axsen, Dütschke, and Long 2022 explore the association between consumer demand for new mobility innovations and incumbent patterns of private car use.
  • Gauer et al. 2023 compare consumer engagement with automobility in Canada and Germany, collaborating with researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI.