Who uses Transport Network Companies?: Characterization of Demand and its Relationship with Public Transit in Medellín

Transport Network Companies (TNCs) have become a popular alternative for mobility due to their ability to provide on-demand flexible mobility services. By offering smartphone-based, ride-hailing services capable of satisfying specific travel needs, these modes have transformed urban mobility worldwide. However, to-date, few studies have examined the impacts in the Latin American context. This analysis is a critical first step in developing policies to promote efficient and sustainable transport systems in the Latin-American region. This research examines the factors affecting the adoption of on-demand ride services in Medellín, Colombia. It also explores whether these are substituting or competing with public transit. First, it provides a descriptive analysis in which we relate the usage of platform-based services with neighborhood characteristics, socioeconomic information of individuals and families, and trip-level details. Next, factors contributing to the election of platform-based services modeled using discrete choice models. The results show that wealthy and highly educated families with low vehicle availability are more likely to use TNCs compared to other groups in Medellín. Evidence also points at gender effects, with being female significantly increasing the probability of using a TNC service. Finally, we observe both transit complementary and substitution patterns of use, depending on the context and by whom the service is requested

Interactions of Transport Network Companies (TNCs) and public transit in Medellín

Transport Network Companies (TNCs) have become a popular alternative for mobility due to their ability to provide on-demand flexible mobility services. By offering smartphone-based ride-hailing services capable of satisfying specific travel needs, these modes changed urban mobility worldwide. However, few studies have analyzed ride-hailing in the Latin American context. This research examines the factors affecting the adoption of on-demand ride services in Medellín, Colombia, using data from the 2017 transport household survey and from a survey conducted in 2020. First, it provides a descriptive analysis that relates the usage of platform-based services with neighborhood characteristics, socioeconomic information of individuals and families, and trip-level details. Next, factors contributing to the election of platform-based services are identified using discrete choice models. The results show that wealthy and highly educated families with low vehicle availability are more likely to use TNCs than other groups in Medellín. Evidence also points at gender effects, with being female significantly increasing the probability of using a TNC service. Finally, we find evidence of TNCs usage in combination with public transit, depending on the context and by whom the service is requested. This analysis contributes to developing policies that promote efficient and sustainable transport systems in Latin America

Not my usual trip: Ride-hailing characterization in Mexico City

The literature on ride-hailing has experienced rapid growth in recent years, with an accent on industrialized cities, mainly in the United States and Europe. Previous research has identified the characteristics and preferences of ride-hailing adopters in a handful of cities. However, given their marked geographical focus, whether such findings are relevant and applicable to the practice of transport planning and regulation in cities in the Global South remains largely untested. This paper examines ride-hailing in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City. We build on statistical modelling informed by the Mexico’s household travel survey from 2017 to determine the main drivers for ride-hailing adoption, unpack ride-hailing user characteristics, and understand how they differ from other transport users in the local context. We use findings to discuss the implications of ride-hailing for urban mobility in one of the largest cities in Latin America. Recognizing that the trajectory of adoption and development of app-based urban transport services differs from those followed in the United States and Europe, the paper hypothesizes that ride-hailing usage in a context such as Mexico may be mediated by social issues such as the perception of crime, risk of sexual harassment in public transportation, and lack of flexibility and quality in other modes. Such challenges are frequently experienced by women in this and similar contexts as documented by the literature. Our findings shed light on the complex role of gender and care relationships play in the adoption of on-demand transportation services. Relevant findings suggests that variables such as age, education and income have a positive effect on ride-hailing adoption, in line with the existing literature. Also in line with current literature, we find that ride-hailing in Mexico City is instrumental for leisure and health trips. However, when considering gender, and the links between gender and care responsibilities, findings show that women in households with a higher number of elders depend more on on-demand transport. These results are novel in the context of the ride-hailing literature and suggest areas for further exploration in similar contexts to inform discussions about the role of these travel alternatives for women and their ability to navigate the city

Memorias del primer Simposio Nacional de Ciencias Agronómicas

Primer simposio nacional de Ciencias Agronómicas: El renacer del espacio de discusión científica para el Agro colombiano

Memorias del primer Simposio Nacional de Ciencias Agronómicas

Primer simposio nacional de Ciencias Agronómicas: El renacer del espacio de discusión científica para el Agro colombiano

Efficacy and safety of two neutralising monoclonal antibody therapies, sotrovimab and BRII-196 plus BRII-198, for adults hospitalised with COVID-19 (TICO): a randomised controlled trial

We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of two neutralising monoclonal antibody therapies (sotrovimab [Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline] and BRII-196 plus BRII-198 [Brii Biosciences]) for adults admitted to hospital for COVID-19 (hereafter referred to as hospitalised) with COVID-19. In this multinational, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, clinical trial (Therapeutics for Inpatients with COVID-19 [TICO]), adults (aged ≥18 years) hospitalised with COVID-19 at 43 hospitals in the USA, Denmark, Switzerland, and Poland were recruited. Patients were eligible if they had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 symptoms for up to 12 days. Using a web-based application, participants were randomly assigned (2:1:2:1), stratified by trial site pharmacy, to sotrovimab 500 mg, matching placebo for sotrovimab, BRII-196 1000 mg plus BRII-198 1000 mg, or matching placebo for BRII-196 plus BRII-198, in addition to standard of care. Each study product was administered as a single dose given intravenously over 60 min. The concurrent placebo groups were pooled for analyses. The primary outcome was time to sustained clinical recovery, defined as discharge from the hospital to home and remaining at home for 14 consecutive days, up to day 90 after randomisation. Interim futility analyses were based on two seven-category ordinal outcome scales on day 5 that measured pulmonary status and extrapulmonary complications of COVID-19. The safety outcome was a composite of death, serious adverse events, incident organ failure, and serious coinfection up to day 90 after randomisation. Efficacy and safety outcomes were assessed in the modified intention-to-treat population, defined as all patients randomly assigned to treatment who started the study infusion. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04501978. Between Dec 16, 2020, and March 1, 2021, 546 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to sotrovimab (n=184), BRII-196 plus BRII-198 (n=183), or placebo (n=179), of whom 536 received part or all of their assigned study drug (sotrovimab n=182, BRII-196 plus BRII-198 n=176, or placebo n=178; median age of 60 years [IQR 50–72], 228 [43%] patients were female and 308 [57%] were male). At this point, enrolment was halted on the basis of the interim futility analysis. At day 5, neither the sotrovimab group nor the BRII-196 plus BRII-198 group had significantly higher odds of more favourable outcomes than the placebo group on either the pulmonary scale (adjusted odds ratio sotrovimab 1·07 [95% CI 0·74–1·56]; BRII-196 plus BRII-198 0·98 [95% CI 0·67–1·43]) or the pulmonary-plus complications scale (sotrovimab 1·08 [0·74–1·58]; BRII-196 plus BRII-198 1·00 [0·68–1·46]). By day 90, sustained clinical recovery was seen in 151 (85%) patients in the placebo group compared with 160 (88%) in the sotrovimab group (adjusted rate ratio 1·12 [95% CI 0·91–1·37]) and 155 (88%) in the BRII-196 plus BRII-198 group (1·08 [0·88–1·32]). The composite safety outcome up to day 90 was met by 48 (27%) patients in the placebo group, 42 (23%) in the sotrovimab group, and 45 (26%) in the BRII-196 plus BRII-198 group. 13 (7%) patients in the placebo group, 14 (8%) in the sotrovimab group, and 15 (9%) in the BRII-196 plus BRII-198 group died up to day 90. Neither sotrovimab nor BRII-196 plus BRII-198 showed efficacy for improving clinical outcomes among adults hospitalised with COVID-19. US National Institutes of Health and Operation Warp Spee