“Sustainability” as a Motive for Choosing Shared-Mobility Services: The Case of Polish Consumers of Uber Services

Abstract

(1) Background: Uber Technologies are currently changing the pattern of urban transport. Statista reports that in the period 2017–2019 alone, the average monthly number of active Uber users worldwide increased by 126.5%, and the average monthly number of Uber trips grew by 115%. The purpose of this article is to identify the most important motives encouraging both current and potential customers to use Uber “taxi” services. Particular attention was paid to the factor of perceiving these services as a more sustainable way of meeting transport needs. Uber creates its image specifically on the idea of sustainability. (2) Methods: The operationalization of the sustainability concept was based on three dimensions: ecological, social and economic. The CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) technique was used to collect the research data. The representative research sample covered 1003 Poles. A logistic regression model was used to analyze empirical data collected based on the survey. The data analysis used R program and the selected packages for this program. (3) Results: Among the most important motives, sustainability is the most frequently indicated. (4) Conclusions: The choices of Uber services are significantly influenced by the reasons related to two sustainability pillars—one social and one economic. The factors significantly influencing consumer decision-making processes related to the use of shared mobility services belong to the following groups of motives: sustainable development, knowledge of information and communication technologies (ICT), innovation, user convenience and savings. The findings from the study can become the basis for organizations and local authorities to undertake appropriate marketing activities to promote shared-mobility services (SMS) and support sustainable and environmentally friendly development.