Exploring Public Transportation-Centric Crowd-Shipping Initiatives: Is thereUser Willingness to Participate? If Not, Why?

A burgeoning category of Crowd-Shipping (CS) solutions is centered on leveraging the existingmomentum of Public Transportation (PT) for delivering viable packages through PT passengers.While some studies have delved into the acceptance behavior of PT passengers engaged in PT-basedCS initiatives, the critical aspect of passengers' behavioral intention to participate has been largelyoverlooked. It is imperative for newly introduced CS platforms to thoroughly examine the behavioraltendencies of potential crowdshippers, focusing on their intention to participate, and formulateeffective marketing strategies accordingly. Drawing on survey data collected from ۲,۲۰۸ PTpassengers in the Sydney metropolitan area, this study investigates the intention of PT passengers toparticipate as crowd-shippers in PT-based CS initiatives. Additionally, it explores the factorsinhibiting participation. A binomial logit model is developed to identify the variables influencing theintention to participate. Through inductive thematic analysis, ۹۱۷ text responses detailing reasons fornon-participation are scrutinized, and the inhibiting factors are identified and categorized. Taking intoaccount the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, the study unveils theextent to which passengers with different attributes are sensitive to inhibiting factors. The researchyields practical insights that can aid in effectively defining, launching, and promoting a new PT-basedCS initiative. Key findings reveal that women, full-time employees, the elderly, retirees, and lowincomePT passengers exhibit low participation rates. In contrast, the youth, individuals with apositive attitude towards sustainable freight initiatives, and those familiar with parcel lockersdemonstrate a higher probability of participation. Furthermore, the study observes that factors relatedto time availability/flexibility and the physical health condition/importance of passengers aresignificantly more influential than compensation levels in determining their willingness to participatein PT-based CS initiatives.

کلیدواژه ها:

Crowdsourcing delivery ، Last-mile logistics ، Shared economy ، Random utility ، Statedpreference