User acceptance of shuttle bus decision support system based on smartphone probes

Abstract

One of the most common procedures in service transport is to adjust the service location information of the passengers or the bus stops. Service companies assign a staff to update service information. These staff prepare lists of passengers and give them to service drivers. In this study, a model is proposed to facilitate the process of updating the service. With the smartphone application, a platform has been prepared in which passengers can automatically update their service information by selecting one of the three closest stops offered to them before the service hour. After development and implementation, its user acceptance is tested and validated via the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model and structural equation modeling. The main purpose of this study is to determine the acceptance and use of the mobile passenger application by the passengers. In this context, the moderator effect of the frequency of mobile use of passengers, education levels, genders, and ages on the performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating condition, behavioral intention, and use behavior of passenger mobile applications was examined. As a result of the research, it was found out that the frequency of mobile usage has a moderator effect on both the effect of facilitation conditions on the actual use and the effect of behavioral intention on actual use. And also, it appears that the education level has a moderator effect on the effect of facilitating conditions on the actual use, and gender has a moderator effect on the effect of behavioral intention on the actual use. The proposed decision support system reduces the workload of service companies and facilitates the process, which is normally long and painful. Thus, customer satisfaction also increases. Hence, position and stop information between the service firm, passengers, and the drivers is easily and instantly shared.