What Happens to Ambulance Use When Uber Enters a City

CityLab (12/21/2017)
  • University of Kansas economists found that ambulance usage declined by 7% in 700 US cities after UberX was introduced.
  • The main driver behind this trend is cost; 1 ambulance ride can cost $1,000+.
  • Another major driver is responsiveness; while ambulances (on average) take 8 minutes to arrive in urban areas, Uber’s only take 3 minutes.
  • The increase in ambulance demand sparked by Obamacare’s medicaid expansion slowed down response times by 19%.
  • 911 dispatchers may start advising some callers to take Ubers.