Has your life changed since ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft ceased Austin operations after a resounding defeat of a resolution they pushed at the ballot box? Do you use any of the several smaller companies that have popped up to replace them?
These are the kinds of questions researchers from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute are asking in a current survey, according to a Wednesday story by Matt Largey on the KUT-FM website.
After the two mammoth companies left Austin in May, a number of smaller companies—including GetMe, Fasten, Ride Austin, and Wingz—popped up to replace them. Since then, some Austin drivers and passengers have voiced opinions that they’d rather not have the larger companies back in town, for a variety of reasons. Others are not so sure.
While Austinites ultimately not have a say in the matter of ride-hailing regulations—at least two bills aimed at stripping local control over said rules have been filed for the upcoming Texas legislative session—researchers are still looking into how, or if, local changes in ride-hailing have affected residents.
The survey is open here now; it closes Dec. 31.
• Researchers Want to Know About Your Life Before and After Uber and Lyft [KUT]