  Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) are changing the transportation
ecosystem, but micro-decisions of drivers and users need to be better
understood to assess the system-level impacts of TNCs. In this regard, we
contribute to the literature by estimating a) individuals' preferences of being
a rider, a driver, or a non-user of TNC services; b) preferences of ridehailing
users for ridepooling; c) TNC drivers' choice to switch to vehicles with better
fuel economy, and also d) the drivers' decision to buy, rent or lease new
vehicles with driving for TNCs being a major consideration. Elicitation of
drivers' preferences using a unique sample (N=11,902) of the U.S. population
residing in TNC-served areas is the key feature of this study. The statistical
analysis indicates that ridehailing services are mainly attracting personal
vehicle users as riders, without substantially affecting demand for transit.
Moreover, around 10% of ridehailing users reported postponing the purchase of a
new car due to the availability of TNC services. The model estimation results
indicate that the likelihood of being a TNC user increases with the increase in
age for someone younger than 44 years, but the pattern is reversed post 44
years. This change in direction of the marginal effect of age is insightful as
the previous studies have reported a negative association. We also find that
postgraduate drivers who live in metropolitan regions are more likely to switch
to fuel-efficient vehicles. These findings would inform transportation planners
and TNCs in developing policies to improve the fuel economy of the fleet.
