On the Effects of the Availability of Means of Payments: The Case of Uber
利用墨西哥和巴拿马的四项准自然实验，研究优步引入现金支付后对出行需求、价格及用户行为的影响，发现现金支付显著增加了低收区块的出行量，但对价格影响甚微。
Abstract We use three quasi-natural experiments in Mexico and one in Panama to estimate the effects of having the option to pay with cash on Uber rides. The ability to pay in cash affects the demand for rides, which is reflected in large changes in the total number of trips, fares, miles, and number of users after Uber introduced cash payments, particularly in lower-income city blocks. On the other hand, the effects on prices, estimated times of arrival, and competitor pricing are negligible, consistent with the supply of trips being very elastic. Although cash payments naturally increase the fraction of users that pay exclusively with cash, more than half of the users have access to both cards and cash, and alternate between payment methods. We find evidence consistent with cash and card payments being imperfectly substitutable at both the intensive and extensive margins, which magnifies the effect of policies that restrict the availability of payment methods.