Overview
The TNC Division has issued our annual rideshare data report since 2017. In 2023, rideshare companies – also called Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) – provided approximately 78.7 million rides that started in Massachusetts, a 29.9% increase from the 60.6 million rides that started in Massachusetts in 2022. Through use of interactive maps, graphs, and tables in this report, you can learn how the rideshare industry is changing in Massachusetts. You can also explore the data behind this 2023 report, view the 2022 report and 2021 report, and 2020 report, and discover prior years’ reports.
Continued Recovery in 2023
The transportation landscape in Massachusetts experienced widespread, multimodal changes in 2020 due to pandemic-related factors. Rideshare volume substantially declined across the entire state from 91.1 million rides in 2019 down to 35 million in 2020. In 2021, there were only about 12.5% more rideshare trips1 in Massachusetts than in 2020, and this modest recovery was not seen in all areas. In 2022, a broader recovery occurred, with a 52% increase in rideshare trips statewide, reaching 60.6 million rides. Recovery continued in 2023 with a year-over-year increase of 29.9%, reaching 78.7 million rides.
The largest increase in ride volume occurred in Boston, where 35.6 million rides started in 2023, an increase of over 6.8 million from 2022 (24% increase year-over-year). Worcester trip volume grew to 1.8 million in 2023, up 47% from 2022. In 2020 Worcester experienced a significant decline in trips (only 800K rides) due to pandemic-related factors, but in 2023 Worcester now shows all-time peak volume at 1.8 million, a bolstering indicator of ride recovery for the city.
Among municipalities that grew by more than 10,000 rides in 2023, the following municipalities experienced high year-over-year percentage growth: Bellingham (74% increase; 10,293 more rides), Gloucester (73% increase; 13,509 more rides), and Southborough (72% increase; 13,376 more rides). Fall River also exhibited high growth (71% increase; 212,429 more rides).
Overall, 344 of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts had at least one rideshare pickup in 2023, and for 325 of these cities and towns, it was more than the number of trips that started there in 2022. 184 cities and towns even had more rideshare pickups in 2023 than they had pre-pandemic in 2019, led by Brockton (530,846 more trips than pre-pandemic 2019), Fall River (273,381 more trips), Lowell (258,823 more trips), Lawrence (235,039 more trips), New Bedford (220,190 more trips), and Worcester (206,318 more trips). While many cities in 2023 experienced an all-time peak in rides taken, the number of total rides state-wide remains below 2019 levels, as Boston experienced approximately 10 million fewer trips taken in 2023 compared to 2019.
Using the map below, you can explore the 2023 rideshare pickup numbers in Massachusetts in greater detail. Type a city or town name into the search bar to see the number of rides that started in each municipality. Darker shades of blue indicate more trips started in a location compared to other places, while lighter shades of blue indicate fewer rides when compared to other places. You can also click or tap locations on the map to explore numbers across different locations.
Using the table below, you can further explore the year over year changes on a local level going back to 2017. Type a city or town into the search bar below to see rideshare pickup numbers going back to 2017. For example, if you search for ‘Hawley’, you'll see that in 2023 this town in Franklin County saw its first rideshare trip since the DPU started regulating rideshare in 2017. You can also tap or click the column headings to sort the table by any of these values.
Explore Year over Year Changes
Using the interactive line graph below, you can review the changes in rideshare volume seen on a local level since 2017. Using the dropdown menu, select a city or town you're interested in. For example, you could select 'Boston' to see how the city's rideshare volume was impacted by the pandemic. You could also select 'Provincetown' to see the post-pandemic recovery of rideshare volume on the Cape. You can mouse over, click, or tap on ride year data points in the graph to see exact numbers.
TNC Travel Patterns across Massachusetts
Below, you can explore travel patterns within the 2023 rideshare data, reflecting the continued recovery experienced in 2023. To explore the data, type a Massachusetts city or town into the search bar below to see the number of rides that started and ended in that city or town, along with the number and percentage of "local rides" – rides that started and ended in the same city or town. You can also see rideshare pickups and drop-offs calculated "per capita" based on the 2020 census population of the origin or destination city or town2. You can also tap or click the column headings to sort the table by any of these values.
For a more granular look at how many rideshare trips went from one place in Massachusetts to another, including trips that ended out of state, you can explore the 2023 rideshare data using the matrix map below. Click or tap the filter menu below to select a destination city or town. Then, type a starting city or town in the search box, like 'Springfield' or 'Framingham' or 'Barnstable'. Darker shades of red indicate more trips compared to other routes, while lighter shades of red indicate fewer or no trips compared to neighboring cities and towns. You can click or tap locations on the map to see whatever travel patterns you're interested in.
Explore 2023 Ride Data Metrics
Average Speed, Distance, and Accident Data
State-wide average trip distance, duration and speed exhibited marginal changes in 2023 compared to 2022. The average rideshare trip in Massachusetts in 2023 lasted 16.5 minutes (approx. 2.3% longer than 2022) and traveled approximately 5.93 miles at 21.59 miles per hour (MPH)3. This is virtually the same distance and slightly slower compared to the average trip in 2022 which traveled 5.91 miles at 22.03 MPH.
Rides in Central and Western Massachusetts tended to travel long distances, last longer, and move faster than in Eastern Massachusetts, the same as in prior years.
Among municipalities with ride count greater than 40, Gill had the longest average ride duration, highest average speed, and most average miles traveled from origin in 2023. The shortest trip distances were usually in densely populated areas, for example Cambridge (4.2 miles) and Boston (5.2 miles), and in areas popular with tourists, like Nantucket (2.8 miles) and Provincetown (3.9 miles).
Municipalities that averaged speeds of more than 40 MPH were again mostly located in Central and Western Massachusetts. Cambridge had the lowest average speed at 16.1 MPH, followed by Brookline with 16.2 MPH. Boston, Somerville, Nantucket, Chelsea, and Everett all had average ride speeds below 19 MPH in 2023.
Using the map below, you can explore average ride distance, time, and speed for rides in 2023 by searching for a city or town and clicking or tapping locations on the map. Using the filter menu, you can switch between average speed, average miles traveled, and average trip minutes. Darker shades of green indicate higher average speed, greater average distance, longer average ride times, and more accidents compared to neighboring locations.
*Accidents as reported to insurance
Rideshare Trust Fund Update
For calendar year 2023, the Commonwealth collected approximately $15.7 million from a $0.20 per-ride assessment on each rideshare trip that started in Massachusetts. Cities and towns receive half of this amount based on the number of rides that started in their communities, while the other half is distributed to the Commonwealth's Transportation Fund. Since establishing the assessment, Massachusetts has so far collected more than $90 million from rideshare companies from the per-ride assessment of over 428 million rides.
Municipal Distribution Amounts
2023 Municipal Project Reports
In 2023, municipalities were required to report on their use of the 2022 fund distributions. Below are some highlighted municipal projects made possible by 2022 per-ride assessment funds.
A list of municipal projects as reported to the Division for per-ride assessment funds greater than $1,000 can be found here. A full list of projects can be provided upon request.
| Date published: | June 14, 2024 |
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