Why do passengers use pooled-rides services? Social effects and implications for policy making

App-based pooled–ride services transform how passengers plan and execute their trips. Even though there is extensive research on the travel behavior and user characteristics of some shared-mobility services, such as ride-hailing, bike-sharing, and scooter-sharing, the user characteristics of pooled-rides platforms have not received as much attention. This paper thoroughly analyzes the travel behavior effects and user characteristics of a new pooled–ride service, the Jetty platform in Mexico, based on a large-scale user survey (N = 2484). The service provides pooled–rides in different-sized vehicles, such as cars, vans, and buses. We characterize the top reasons to choose the pooled–rides service and the activities performed by users while traveling, using Logit and Hybrid choice models, and we perform sentiment analysis to extract patterns from the users’ open opinions about the service. Our findings confirm common shared-mobility user attributes while identifying characteristics unique to pooled rides. First, women are more likely to use pooled–rides, as they find a greater sense of security in this shared-mobility platform. Second, pooled–ride services replace complex multi-modal trips, increasing users’ convenience and job accessibility by reducing door-to-door travel time. Third, regarding the use of time while traveling, passengers more commonly use their smartphones or try to sleep while traveling, a finding possibly related to the increased comfort and security perceived in Jetty vehicles relative to the usual public transport alternatives in the city. Regarding research methods, choice modeling, and sentiment analysis are complementary tools to uncover different dimensions of travel behavior effects and quality attributes of a new shared mobility mode. From a policy perspective, we conclude that the analyzed pooled-rides platform is a step towards improving the quality of service for people who do not want (or cannot) travel by car and that having a more inclusive pooled-rides service requires the provision of subsidies to low-income travelers.