Recent studies suggest ridesharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, may reduce instances of intoxicated driving. However, such services may reduce the costs, and thus increase the frequency and intensity, of drinking activity. To examine whether ridesharing affects alcohol consumption, we leverage spatial and temporal variation in the presence of Uber's taxi-like service, UberX, across the United States. Using self-reported measures of alcohol consumption in the past 30 days among individuals aged 21 to 64, we find that UberX is associated with a 3.6% increase in number of drinks per drinking day, a 2.7% increase in drinking days, a 5.4% increase in total drinks, a 4.3% increase in the maximum number of drinks in a single occasion, and a 1.3% increase in those who report drinking any alcohol. For certain groups, such as males, individuals aged 21–34, and students, UberX is associated with even larger increases in drinking. For example, among those aged 21–34, total drinks increase by 7.4% and binge drinking instances increase by 9.5%. We also find that the marginal impact of Uber on drinking is larger in areas that have weaker public transit. Using administrative employment data, we find that some of the additional alcohol consumption is occurring at bars. Specifically, we estimate that UberX is associated with a 3.5% increase in employment and a 3.7% increase in total earnings among workers at NAICS-designated “drinking places”.

最近的研究表明，Uber 和 Lyft 等拼车服务可能会减少酒驾的发生。然而，此类服务可能会降低成本，从而增加饮酒活动的频率和强度。为了研究拼车是否影响酒精消费，我们利用了美国各地优步类似出租车服务 UberX 的空间和时间变化。使用自我报告的 21 至 64 岁人群过去 30 天的饮酒量，我们发现 UberX 与每天饮酒量增加 3.6% 相关，饮酒天数增加 2.7%，增加 5.4%总饮酒量增加，单次饮酒的最大数量增加了 4.3%，报告饮酒的人数增加了 1.3%。对于某些群体，例如男性，对于 21-34 岁的个人和学生，UberX 与饮酒量的增加有关。例如，在 21-34 岁的人群中，总饮酒量增加了 7.4%，狂饮次数增加了 9.5%。我们还发现，在公共交通较弱的地区，优步对饮酒的边际影响更大。使用行政就业数据，我们发现一些额外的酒精消费发生在酒吧。具体而言，我们估计 UberX 与 NAICS 指定的“饮酒场所”的工人的就业增长 3.5% 和总收入增长 3.7% 相关。我们还发现，在公共交通较弱的地区，优步对饮酒的边际影响更大。使用行政就业数据，我们发现一些额外的酒精消费发生在酒吧。具体而言，我们估计 UberX 与 NAICS 指定的“饮酒场所”的工人的就业增长 3.5% 和总收入增长 3.7% 相关。我们还发现，在公共交通较弱的地区，优步对饮酒的边际影响更大。使用行政就业数据，我们发现一些额外的酒精消费发生在酒吧。具体而言，我们估计 UberX 与 NAICS 指定的“饮酒场所”的工人的就业增长 3.5% 和总收入增长 3.7% 相关。