Abstract
Exploring the mechanism that influences the choice of urban public travel mode is an important policy research topic that can promote urban residents’ pro-environment travel (PET) behaviour and relieve the pressure on urban traffic and environmental problems. By expanding the theory of planned behaviour by considering the effects of the quality of public transport service and individual behaviour, this paper establishes a mixed PET behaviour model. Grounded theory is used to analyse data obtained from in-depth interviews, with the aim of determining the relationships among different attributes of the quality of public transport service and PET. An empirical examination in the form of a questionnaire was conducted in Changsha, China, to obtain the intensity and mechanism of various factors influencing pro-environment behaviour decision-making. The results reveal three new pieces of information. First, the influence of many psychological variables (except subjective norms) is consistent with the prediction results of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and the predictions of the model are accurate. More specifically, intention (0.535) and habit (0.354) are key factors in PET behaviour, while attitude (0.527) has the most significant effect on intention towards PET behaviour. Second, the perceived service quality of public transport has a direct and significant impact on intention towards PET behaviour. Satisfaction with public transport service quality exerts a mediating effect on perceived service quality and PET behaviour. More specifically, operation and management (0.808) and vehicle environment (0.809) have the most important influence on intention towards PET behaviour. Last but not least, the extent of the influence of PET behaviour varies based on travellers’ demographic characteristics. The driving age, income and ownership of private cars show the greatest impact. The perceived service quality of public transport and travellers’ social and economic characteristics all play roles in the psychology of travel decisions, and are associated with PET behaviour on several distinct levels. From the perspectives of passenger psychology, public transport service quality and personal attributes of passengers, this paper provides a scientific basis for decision-making in transportation systems and the formulation of traffic intervention strategies to promote voluntary public reductions in carbon-intensive travel behaviour.
Highlights
Pro-environment behaviour means reducing the negative impacts of individual behaviour on nature and human society to a minimum [1]
The results show that the measurement model of a good fit with the collected data: CMIN: 94.434; CMIN/DF: 1.098; goodness-of-fit index (GFI): 0.972; adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI): 0.962; normed fit index (NFI): 0.969; attitude towards service quality has a good fit with the collected data: CMIN: 94.434; CMIN/DF: index fit index (IFI): 0.997; TLI: 0.996); comparative fit index (CFI): 0.997; and RMSEA: 0.015, all exceeding the respective acceptance levels
The results revealed that income level and number of private cars had a significant effect on people’s choice of travel mode, while their socio-economic background had a distinct effect on pro-environment travel (PET) behaviour intentions and perception of service quality
Summary
Pro-environment behaviour means reducing the negative impacts of individual behaviour on nature and human society to a minimum [1] This concept is used to define pro-environment travel behaviour, which means voluntarily choosing low-carbon travel, including public transport (PT), non-motorised traffic and walking, based on an attitude of caring about the environment and a willingness to sacrifice some degree of convenience, comfort and time. Many governments have attempted to mitigate the trend of travelling by private cars through methods such as limiting travel and the purchase of cars, but to no avail When it comes to the traveller’s final decision on traffic behaviour, such as choosing to give up carbon-intensive modes of travel and use more environmentally friendly PT, there are many factors that make a difference, and the quality of the PT service and personal psychological factors are especially important [4].
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