Examining the Influence of Moral Norms on Dockless Shared Bicycle Users’ Parking Behavior—An Exploratory Study Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Wei Wei,Chun Yang,Chao Gu

doi:10.3390/systems10010011

Wei Wei, Chun Yang + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/systems10010011

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Abstract

The disorderly parking of dockless shared bicycles (DBS) has brought about great challenges to the use and management of shared bicycles. Although previous research related to the DBS industry has covered many patterns, the psychological mechanisms underlying users’ behavior remain unclear. This study proposed an extended TPB model and recruited 334 participants from diverse professions and geographic locations in China to examine the influence of internal and external factors on users’ orderly parking behavior. It was shown that personal moral norms have a significant direct influence on users’ attitudes toward orderly parking and thus influence the behavioral intention of orderly parking. Users’ perception of parking facilities has significant influence on users’ perceived behavior control and intention of orderly parking. This study indicates that cultivation of users’ moral obligation can help improve users’ intention of orderly parking. Furthermore, governments and DBS companies should work together to provide sufficient parking facilities to DBS users.

Highlights

Dockless shared bicycles (DBS) have provided a convenient and affordable solution to city dwellers’ first-/last-mile trips since their emergence in 2015 due to the popularity of smartphones and mobile payments all over the world [1]
Besides the convenience brought by the DBS systems, problems came to light, such as lack of financial sustainability, vulnerability to vandalism, threat to local bicycle industries through low profitability for manufacturers [5], poor management [6], and disorderly parking; these negative aspects gradually overshadowed the advantages and convenience brought by DBS
Each respondent was asked whether there was any part of the question items that needed to be adjusted after filling in the questionnaire so as to confirm that the questionnaire content was consistent with the researchers’ intention

Summary

Introduction

Dockless shared bicycles (DBS) have provided a convenient and affordable solution to city dwellers’ first-/last-mile trips since their emergence in 2015 due to the popularity of smartphones and mobile payments all over the world [1]. DBS systems have been widely adopted by municipal governments to promote sustainable modes of transportation [2]. Besides the contribution to sustainable transportation, DBS systems help users improve physical health and bring about economic growth [4]. In 2017, due to the explosive growth of DBS systems, the entire society started to pay attention to this industry to monitor its following development. Besides the convenience brought by the DBS systems, problems came to light, such as lack of financial sustainability, vulnerability to vandalism, threat to local bicycle industries through low profitability for manufacturers [5], poor management [6], and disorderly parking; these negative aspects gradually overshadowed the advantages and convenience brought by DBS. Due to the free-floating mode, the problem of disorderly parking of DBS has been troubling users, enterprises, and governments. The bicycle-sharing industry was initially defined as a completely independent business model, with the government giving sufficient market freedom, which has brought both growth and regulatory challenges to the industry

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