Factors Affecting Public Transportation Use during Pandemic

Abstract

For preventing the spread of COVID-19, health authorities urgently turned their attention to urban public transportation. It is believed that virus transmission is more likely to occur in public transportation due to increased exposure to infected individuals in the closed and crowded spaces of public transport. This study aimed to model effective factors in the use of public transportation systems during a pandemic based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The methodology used was structural equation modeling, with 358 Iranian passengers in Tehran participating and data collected through a questionnaire. The data underwent analysis by means of the partial least squares method with the assistance of SMARTPLS software. The results indicate that passenger satisfaction is affected positively and significantly by expectation and service quality. Behavioral control, subjective norm, attitude, perceived usefulness (PU), and perceived ease of use (PEU) each contribute positively and significantly to the formation of intention. Service quality, PU, and PEU positively and significantly affect attitude. Finally, expectation, intention, PU, and PEU positively and significantly affect the use of the public transportation system. Therefore, it can be inferred that amalgamating TPB and TAM can serve as a robust indicator of passengers' inclination towards using public transportation during pandemic situations, as well as their actual usage of it.