Study: MA consumers used app-based rideshare and delivery services nearly 85 million times in 2021

A new study conducted by BW Research Partnership shows that Massachusetts residents, businesses, and visitors relied heavily on rideshare and delivery services in 2021, using the services nearly 85 million times, with 29% of rides and deliveries ending in lower-income areas. 

The study illustrates the profound reliance of Massachusetts residents and businesses on app-based rideshare and delivery drivers, who, in turn, depend on the flexibility in scheduling they enjoy as independent contractors to meet the immense demand for services.

Study: Ability to Set One’s Own Schedule Equivalent to Substantial Increase in Wages

A new study conducted by renowned labor economist Kathryn Shaw of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research found that reclassifying app-based economy workers as employees could lead to significantly reduced scheduling flexibility.

The report, commissioned by Flexibility & Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers, speaks to the issue of worker classification in Massachusetts. Shaw’s report focused on evaluating, from an economic perspective, “the potential effects of a proposal to require these workers to be classified as employees instead of independent contractors.”

Positive Impact of Rideshare and Delivery Platforms on the Massachusetts Economy

A study from the UCLA Anderson School of Management found that rideshare and delivery platforms likely increase economic activity in Massachusetts by $8.3 billion per year. This drives over $503 million in state and local tax revenue.

Findings of recent research studies illustrate the impact that rideshare and delivery have in the economic livelihood of tens of thousands of individuals, as well as the state of Massachusetts.

A new study conducted by third-party researchers at BW Research Partnership (BW Research) and Mass Insight Global Partnerships found that Massachusetts app-based rideshare and food delivery drivers working on the DoorDash, Instacart, Lyft, and/or Uber platforms earned on average $26.08 per hour during a six month period in 2021 examined by the study. 

A study from Beacon Economics found that reclassifying Massachusetts rideshare and delivery drivers as employees would result in the loss of at least 58% of these jobs in the Commonwealth, and could result in the loss of up to 87% of all rideshare and delivery jobs in the state.