First Advisor

Jennifer Dill

Term of Graduation

Spring 2025

Date of Publication

6-2-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Urban Studies

Department

Urban Studies and Planning

Language

English

Subjects

Older people -- Transportation -- United States, Ridesharing -- United States, Older people -- United States -- Attitudes, Choice of transportation

DOI

10.15760/etd.3956

Physical Description

1 online resource (ix, 165 pages)

Abstract

Due to age-related physical and cognitive changes, older drivers have a greater risk of crashes and are restricted by age-dependent regulation. Nonetheless, many older adults in the United States maintain a car-dependent lifestyle and still prefer driving. When driving cessation or reduction becomes necessary, a primary concern is finding suitable alternative transportation modes. However, the availability of alternative transportation modes does not guarantee their actual use of these options.

As a relatively new transportation mode, ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, offer on-demand, door-to-door transportation and may be a feasible transportation solution for older adults who stop driving. While accessibility is often defined as access to opportunities, this study focuses on access to transportation itself--whether individuals can access and use alternative transportation services. This dimension is particularly relevant for older adults who may face physical, psychological, or technological barriers to accessing ride-hailing services.

This dissertation aims to investigate whether ride-hailing can be a potential solution for older adults who stop driving by examining both objective and perceived accessibility. Access to transportation is influenced not only by transportation service availability but also by individuals' perception of ride-hailing. Therefore, this study examines the distinction between the actual availability of ride-hailing services and whether older adults perceive and adopt these services as their alternatives to driving.

Rights

© 2025 Minju Kim Song

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43883

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