Investigating the Effects of Eco-Friendly Service Options on Rebound Behavior in Ride-Hailing

arXiv:2602.10237v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Eco-friendly service options (EFSOs) aim to reduce personal carbon emissions, yet their eco-friendly framing may permit increased consumption, weakening their intended impact. Such rebound effects remain underexamined in HCI, including how common eco-feedback approaches shape them. We investigate this in an online within-subjects experiment (N=75) in a ride-hailing context. Participants completed 10 trials for five conditions (No EFSO, EFSO – Minimal, EFSO – CO2 Equivalency, EFSO – Gamified, EFSO – Social), yielding 50 choices between walking and ride-hailing for trips ranging from 0.5mi – 2.0mi (0.80km – 3.22km). We measured how different EFSO variants affected ride-hailing uptake relative to a No EFSO baseline. EFSOs lacking explicit eco-feedback metrics increased ride-hailing uptake, and qualitative responses indicate that EFSOs can make convenience-driven choices more permissible. We conclude with implications for designing EFSOs that begin to take rebound effects into account.