Exploring the User Acceptance of Urban Air Mobility: Extending the Technology Acceptance Model with Trust and Service Quality Factors

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore how trust in and the service quality of urban air mobility (UAM) relate to the user acceptance of UAM. We hypothesized that trust directly influences the attitude and intention to use UAM, while service quality factors affect its perceived usefulness and ease of use. A survey data of 450 respondents were analysed by using a partial least squares structural equation model. The results show that trust positively influences the intention to use UAM, and safety perception contributes the most to UAM’s trustworthiness. In addition, transport service quality factors (i.e., time-saving, availability, flight comfort, and perceived cost) significantly explained the perceived usefulness and/or ease of use. Path coefficients of the structural model indicate that trust has a greater impact on the user's attitude toward UAM than perceived usefulness. The results of this study contribute to increasing the early user adoption of UAM.