Investigation of behavioral influences of carpool adoption for educational trips – A case study of Thammasat University, Thailand

Abstract

Carpooling is emerging as a more appealing “sharing economy” form with promising benefits in reducing carbon emissions, traveling costs, and traffic congestion. However, a thorough understanding of carpooling adoption is lacking for policymakers and transport planners in developing countries due to limited scientific research, specifically in Southeast Asia. Therefore, the present study aimed to understand the behavioral influences of carpool adoption in Thailand by conducting a multivariate analysis on a dataset of 307 observations gathered at Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand. First, a conceptual model was developed to assess the influence of effort expectancy, perceived safety, hedonic motivation, and social influence on carpool behavior intention. Additionally, two constructs related to COVID-19 and time credits were added to assess their impacts. Then, the sample data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). It was found that hedonic motivation, social influence, and time credits as payment method factors play statistically significant direct roles in the carpool behavior intention, whereas effort expectancy, perceived safety, and perception towards compliance with COVID-19 guidelines for carpooling did not. However, significant indirect impacts of effort expectancy and social influence through hedonic motivation were discovered. Upon analysis of the findings, policy implications are presented.