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Driving Electric Rides: Experimental Evidence on Vehicle Access Contracts, Labor Productivity, and Driver-Firm Incidence

Last registered on February 11, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Platform-Based Incentives and the Diffusion of Electric Vehicles in Nairobi's Taxi Industry
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014462
Initial registration date
October 18, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 19, 2024, 9:48 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
February 11, 2025, 11:10 PM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Kenya
Region
Nairobi

Primary Investigator

Name
Narae Lee
Affiliation
World Bank Group
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Hee Kwon Seo
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
David Sungho Park
PI Affiliation
KDI School of Public Policy and Management
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PI Name
Yoomin Lee
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Joshua Merfeld
PI Affiliation
KDI School of Public Policy and Management
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PI Name
Chungeun Yoon
PI Affiliation
KDI School of Public Policy and Management
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-09-19
End date
2025-05-31
Keywords
Environment & Energy, Labor
Additional Keywords
Transport, Urban
JEL code(s)
J41, O18, Q51
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study evaluates whether labor and capital incentives combined with rider-and-driver matching platforms can improve drivers' working conditions, safety, firms' business viability, and scalability of EV adoption into taxi industry.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Lee, Narae et al. 2025. "Platform-Based Incentives and the Diffusion of Electric Vehicles in Nairobi's Taxi Industry." AEA RCT Registry. February 11. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14462-1.2
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Guaranteed salary scheme for drivers on fixed labor hour contracts, Lease-To-Own program for Electric Vehicles (EVs)
Intervention Start Date
2024-09-19
Intervention End Date
2025-03-21

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
labor hours, earnings, fuel costs
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
road safety, idle time, and other driving behavior indicators
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
In the first phase of the experiment, we recruit taxi drivers and randomly assign them to either a treatment group (using an EV-based platform for taxi hiring) or a control group. We track labor and other outcomes for those hired on a fixed salary, compared to those who remain self-employed. In the second phase, we examine the labor dynamics, driving behavior, and other impacts as drivers transition from the EV-based platform model back to self-employment under an EV Lease-To-Own program.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is conducted in the office using computer coding, with the driver list from the baseline survey data.
Randomization Unit
Individual driver
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
50 and 420 drivers
Sample size: planned number of observations
GPS data: millions, Survey data: Approx. 40,000 high frequency responses
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
25 treated, 24 control and then 420 phase-in treatment changes
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
0.14 to 0.39
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
KDI School Institutional Review Board for Human Subject Research
IRB Approval Date
2024-07-26
IRB Approval Number
2024-23
Analysis Plan