Reflections from TRB #2: Intersection of Health and Transportation
Reflections from TRB #2: Intersection of Health and Transportation
Tuesday afternoon here at the TRB Annual Meeting, I found myself in the subcommittee meeting on Health and Transportation. As much of my work prior to joining EBP was in the field of Health Economics, I am eager to become familiar with research at the intersection of health and transportation.
Personally, I’m very interested in the modal choice decisions for trips to the emergency room. Since the introduction of ride-sharing services, ambulance use has fallen by 7%. However, Uber and Lyft say that their service is best used in non-emergency situations, and encourage people to call 911 when appropriate. Undeniably, this decision to utilize a ride-sharing service is largely influenced by the price of an ambulance, which could be over a thousand dollars. Other factors would include wait times and the perceived urgency of one’s medical situation. In providing more options for non-emergency medical transportation, new mobility services can be extremely beneficial for travelers looking to save hundreds of dollars.
