--- title: "Ride-Hailing Apps Linked to an Increase in Binge Drinking" description: "According to a recent study, ride-hailing apps like Uber might have had something to do with an increase in binge drinking as people are able to drink more and get a ride home after" date: "2019-11-20" modified: "2019-11-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/ride-hailing-apps-linkedincrease-binge-drinking" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "drinking" - "ridehailing" - "rideshare" - "Uber" --- # Ride-Hailing Apps Linked to an Increase in Binge Drinking ![According to a recent study, ride-hailing apps like Uber might have had something to do with an increase in binge drinking as people are able to drink more and get a ride home after]() *\Image: Uber/Victor Tangermann\* Ride hailing apps like Uber and Lyft are [clogging up streets]() and [don't provide]() their drivers with a living wage. But, [some argue](), at least they might be stopping people from driving while drunk. But the relationship between binge drinking and ride-sharing apps may be more complicated than that. If you know you can get a safe ride home from the bar, the thinking goes, maybe you'll stay for an extra round. Or five. A study by a team of researchers from the University of Louisville and Georgia State University found that alcohol consumption and binge drinking rose by three and eight percent respectively in cities where ride-hailing services become available, the [*Economist* reports](). Interestingly, in cities without public transport, the effect was even greater. The researchers used data collected by America's Centres for Disease Control and matched it to when Uber became available in major cities. A [paper]() of their research was uploaded to the research repository *SSRN* last week and has yet to be peer-reviewed. A [different study](), from February, found that the number one reason people chose to grab an Uber was so that they could drink. In 2015, the [*LA Times* also reported]() that ride-hailing services were linked to a surge in alcohol consumption. Despite the data, it's important to note that there's still no direct evidence of any causal link between ride-hailing services and binge drinking. Previous [studies]() have tried to link a decline in DUI-related incidents to the use of ride-share apps, but the relationship is far more complicated than that. "DUI is a complex subject with many causes," Chris Cochran of the California Office of Traffic Safety told the *LA Times* in 2015. "To be able to postulate whether the advent of Uber or other ride-share services had any significant effect would be difficult if not impossible." **READ MORE:** [After Uber arrives, heavy drinking increases]() \[*The Economist*\] **More on ride-sharing:** *[Ride-Hailing Apps Make Traffic Worse — And Now They’re Admitting It]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()