Investigating the Effects of Eco-Friendly Service Options on Rebound Behavior in Ride-Hailing

TL;DR

This study examines how different eco-friendly service options in ride-hailing influence user behavior, revealing that certain options can unintentionally increase ride usage due to rebound effects, with implications for designing more effective eco-feedback systems.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on how various eco-friendly ride-hailing options impact user choices and rebound effects, highlighting the importance of eco-feedback design.

Findings

EFSOs without explicit eco-feedback increase ride-hailing usage.

Participants perceive EFSOs as making convenience more acceptable.

Rebound effects are significant in eco-friendly ride-hailing options.

Abstract

Eco-friendly service options (EFSOs) aim to reduce personal carbon emissions, yet their eco-friendly framing may permit increased consumption, weakening their intended impact. Such rebound effects remain underexamined in HCI, including how common eco-feedback approaches shape them. We investigate this in an online within-subjects experiment (N=75) in a ride-hailing context. Participants completed 10 trials for five conditions (No EFSO, EFSO - Minimal, EFSO - CO2 Equivalency, EFSO - Gamified, EFSO - Social), yielding 50 choices between walking and ride-hailing for trips ranging from 0.5mi - 2.0mi (0.80km - 3.22km). We measured how different EFSO variants affected ride-hailing uptake relative to a No EFSO baseline. EFSOs lacking explicit eco-feedback metrics increased ride-hailing uptake, and qualitative responses indicate that EFSOs can make convenience-driven choices more permissible. We conclude with implications for designing EFSOs that begin to take rebound effects into account.