Intentions to use ride-sourcing services in Vietnam: What happens after three months without COVID-19 infections?

Duy Quy Nguyen-Phuoc; Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios; Minh Hieu Nguyen; My Thanh Tran Dinh; Diep Ngoc Su

doi:10.1016/j.cities.2022.103691

Intentions to use ride-sourcing services in Vietnam: What happens after three months without COVID-19 infections?

Cities. 2022 Jul:126:103691. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2022.103691. Epub 2022 Apr 5.

Authors

Duy Quy Nguyen-Phuoc¹, Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios^{2

3}, Minh Hieu Nguyen⁴, My Thanh Tran Dinh⁵, Diep Ngoc Su^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Road and Bridge Engineering, The University of Danang - University of Science and Technology, 54 Nguyen Luong Bang Street, Danang City, Viet Nam.
² Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q), Faculty of Health, 130 Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059, Australia.
³ Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Science and Engineering Faculty, 2 George St., S Block, Room 701, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia.
⁴ Faculty of Transport - Economics, University of Transport and Communications, No. 3 Cau Giay Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
⁵ Faculty of International Business, The University of Danang - University of Economics, 71 Ngu Hanh Son, Danang City, Viet Nam.
⁶ The University of Danang - Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Le Duan, Danang City, Viet Nam.
⁷ Faculty of Tourism, The University of Danang - University of Economics, 71 Ngu Hanh Son, Danang City, Viet Nam.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new risks and stress for paid transport users worldwide. COVID-19 has changed mobility dynamics worldwide, including low- and middle-income countries (e.g., Vietnam). The present study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of ride-sourcing passengers' behavioural intentions when COVID-19 pandemic management successfully prevented community transmission by extending the TPB with two constructs: perceived virus infection risk and problem-focused coping. Using self-administered questionnaires, data were collected from ride-sourcing customers in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). A total of 540 responses were used for validating the proposed theorethical model. The structural equation model results indicate that problem-focused coping is a multi-faceted construct with two dimensions: problem-solving and self-protection. Also, problem-focused coping has the highest total effect on the intention to use ride-sourcing services following a period of COVID-19 suppression (3 months without identified cases). The findings also reveal that attitude partially mediates the link between problem-focused coping and behavioural intention. The results of this study could be used to develop strategies to promote ride-sourcing services in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Attitude; COVID-19; Pandemic; Problem-focused coping; Ride-sourcing; Road user behaviour.