Examining the impact of ride-hailing on alleviating transport poverty in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

• Motorcycle-based ride-hailing users face higher transport poverty due to existing mobility challenges. • Ride-hailing benefits young people and motorcycle owners but offers little to the poor. • Poor individuals struggle with transport affordability but face fewer accessibility issues. • Transport poverty depends on multiple dimensions, not just income. With the rise of ride-hailing services, their impact on transport poverty in regions like Indonesia is crucial for policymaking and transportation equity. This study examines how ride-hailing services affect transport poverty across income groups, including individuals below the poverty line in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Research on transport poverty has largely focused on the Global North, leaving gaps in the Global South context. Using survey data, we identified four transport poverty indicators through Confirmatory Factor Analysis and explored their socio-demographic relationships via regression analysis. Surprisingly, users of motorcycle-based ride-hailing (RH MC) experience higher transport poverty levels, suggesting they rely on RH MC to mitigate its impact. While young people and private motorcycle owners benefit from RH MC, those in poverty gain limited advantages. Our findings highlight transport poverty is multidimensional issue beyond income disparities. We propose policy recommendations to enhance mobility equity and discuss study limitations for further exploration.