IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i20p11136-d652185.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the Effects of Carpooling on Travelers’ Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Metropolitan City

Author

Listed:
  • Anfeng Xu

    (Economics and Management School, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China)

  • Jiming Chen

    (Economics and Management School, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China)

  • Zihui Liu

    (Economics and Management School, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China)

Abstract

Transportation accounts for more than a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. Carpooling is a subset of the sharing economy, in which individuals share their vehicle with commuters to save travel expenses. In recent decades, carpooling has been promoted as a feasible alternative to car ownership with the potential to alleviate traffic congestion, parking demand, and environmental problems. Unstable economic conditions, cultural norms, and lack of infrastructure make cultural exchange activities and mobility habits different in developing nations to those in developed countries. The rapid evolution of sharing mobility has reshaped travelers’ behavior and created a dire need to determine the travel patterns of commuters living in megacities in developing countries. To obtain data, a web-based stated choice (SC) experiment was used in this study. It used mode-related variables, socioeconomic demographic variables, and a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) precautionary measure variable. Logit models, namely the mixed logit regression model (ML) and the multinomial logit regression model (MNL), were applied to analyze the available data. According to modeling and survey data, economic variables associated with modes of transport, such as trip time and trip cost, were determined to be significant. Additionally, the results revealed that commuters were more conscious of COVID-19 preventive measures, which was determined to be highly significant. The findings showed that the majority of residents in the COVID-19 pandemic continue to rely on automobiles and motorcycles. It is noteworthy that individuals with more than two members in their family and a travel distance of less than seven miles were more likely to prefer a carpooling service. This study’s findings will provide a basis for researchers to aid existing operators in the field of transportation, as well as offer guidelines for governments in developing countries to enhance the utility of transportation networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Anfeng Xu & Jiming Chen & Zihui Liu, 2021. "Exploring the Effects of Carpooling on Travelers’ Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Metropolitan City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:20:p:11136-:d:652185
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/20/11136/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/20/11136/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ahson Javaid & Amna Javed & Youji Kohda, 2019. "Exploring the Role of Boundary Spanning towards Service Ecosystem Expansion: A Case of Careem in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-27, July.
    2. Carroll, Páraic & Caulfield, Brian & Ahern, Aoife, 2017. "Examining the potential for car-shedding in the Greater Dublin Area," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 440-452.
    3. José Alberto Molina & J. Ignacio Giménez-Nadal & Jorge Velilla, 2020. "Sustainable Commuting: Results from a Social Approach and International Evidence on Carpooling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-12, November.
    4. Jun Guan Neoh & Maxwell Chipulu & Alasdair Marshall, 2017. "What encourages people to carpool? An evaluation of factors with meta-analysis," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 423-447, March.
    5. repec:cdl:itsrrp:qt4dh2h0rf is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Andani, I Gusti Ayu & La Paix Puello, Lissy & Geurs, Karst, 2021. "Modelling effects of changes in travel time and costs of toll road usage on choices for residential location, route and travel mode across population segments in the Jakarta-Bandung region, Indonesia," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 81-102.
    7. Train,Kenneth E., 2009. "Discrete Choice Methods with Simulation," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521766555, May.
    8. Ahmed, Qureshi Intikhab & Lu, Huapu & Ye, Shi, 2008. "Urban transportation and equity: A case study of Beijing and Karachi," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 125-139, January.
    9. Mustapa, Siti Indati & Bekhet, Hussain Ali, 2016. "Analysis of CO2 emissions reduction in the Malaysian transportation sector: An optimisation approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 171-183.
    10. Brownstone, David & Golob, Thomas F., 1992. "The effectiveness of ridesharing incentives: Discrete-choice models of commuting in Southern California," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 5-24, March.
    11. repec:cdl:uctcwp:qt0w0518qd is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Zhou, Fan & Zheng, Zuduo & Whitehead, Jake & Washington, Simon & Perrons, Robert K. & Page, Lionel, 2020. "Preference heterogeneity in mode choice for car-sharing and shared automated vehicles," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 633-650.
    13. Lars E. Olsson & Raphaela Maier & Margareta Friman, 2019. "Why Do They Ride with Others? Meta-Analysis of Factors Influencing Travelers to Carpool," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, April.
    14. Suresh Malodia & Harish Singla, 2016. "A study of carpooling behaviour using a stated preference web survey in selected cities of India," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(5), pages 538-550, July.
    15. Cláudia A. Soares Machado & Nicolas Patrick Marie De Salles Hue & Fernando Tobal Berssaneti & José Alberto Quintanilha, 2018. "An Overview of Shared Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, November.
    16. Correia, Gonçalo & Viegas, José Manuel, 2011. "Carpooling and carpool clubs: Clarifying concepts and assessing value enhancement possibilities through a Stated Preference web survey in Lisbon, Portugal," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 81-90, February.
    17. Wajeeha Aslam & Kashif Farhat & Laraib Ejaz & Imtiaz Arif, 2020. "Adoption of Android smartphones and intention to pay for mobile internet: an empirical analysis of consumers in Pakistan," International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 21(3), pages 428-446.
    18. Abdullah, Muhammad & Ali, Nazam & Hussain, Syed Arif & Aslam, Atif Bilal & Javid, Muhammad Ashraf, 2021. "Measuring changes in travel behavior pattern due to COVID-19 in a developing country: A case study of Pakistan," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 21-33.
    19. Ma, Rui & Zhang, H.M., 2017. "The morning commute problem with ridesharing and dynamic parking charges," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 345-374.
    20. Shaheen, Susan A. & Chan, Nelson D. & Gaynor, Teresa, 2016. "Casual carpooling in the San Francisco Bay Area: Understanding user characteristics, behaviors, and motivations," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 165-173.
    21. Ali Keyvanfar & Arezou Shafaghat & Nasiru Zakari Muhammad & M. Salim Ferwati, 2018. "Driving Behaviour and Sustainable Mobility—Policies and Approaches Revisited," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-27, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xiaojuan Lu & Jianjun Wang & Choon Wah Yuen & Qian Liu, 2023. "Multi-Objective Intercity Carpooling Route Optimization Considering Carbon Emission," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Muntaser Mohamed Nuttah & Paolo Roma & Giovanna Lo Nigro & Giovanni Perrone, 2024. "The Short- and Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Sharing Economy: Distinguishing Between “Symptomatic” and “Asymptomatic” Platforms," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 9238-9287, June.
    3. Haghani, Milad & Bliemer, Michiel C.J. & de Bekker-Grob, Esther W., 2022. "Applications of discrete choice experiments in COVID-19 research: Disparity in survey qualities between health and transport fields," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    4. Tinessa, Fiore & Román Garcia, Concepción & Simonelli, Fulvio & Papola, Andrea & Pagliara, Francesca, 2024. "How public transport users would react to different pandemic alert scenarios in the post-vaccine era? An analysis of preferences and attitudes of the users in the metropolitan area of Naples (Italy)," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Leonidas G. Anthopoulos & Dimitrios N. Tzimos, 2021. "Carpooling Platforms as Smart City Projects: A Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-29, September.
    2. Saxena, Aditya & Gupta, Vallary, 2023. "Carpooling: Who is closest to adopting it? An investigation into the potential car-poolers among private vehicle users: A case of a developing country, India," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 11-20.
    3. Anne Aguiléra & Eléonore Pigalle, 2021. "The Future and Sustainability of Carpooling Practices. An Identification of Research Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, October.
    4. Eva Malichová & Ghadir Pourhashem & Tatiana Kováčiková & Martin Hudák, 2020. "Users’ Perception of Value of Travel Time and Value of Ridesharing Impacts on Europeans’ Ridesharing Participation Intention: A Case Study Based on MoTiV European-Wide Mobility and Behavioral Pattern ," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-19, May.
    5. Wenyuan Zhou & Xuanrong Li & Zhenguo Shi & Bingjie Yang & Dongxu Chen, 2023. "Impact of Carpooling under Mobile Internet on Travel Mode Choices and Urban Traffic Volume: The Case of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Vicente Delgado-Fernández & María del Carmen Rey-Merchán & Manuela Pires Rosa, 2024. "Development and Assessment of a Carpooling Applied System: Perspective of Users from Public-Education Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-13, November.
    7. María del Carmen Rey-Merchán & Antonio López-Arquillos & Manuela Pires Rosa & Jesús Manuel Gómez-de-Gabriel, 2022. "Proposal for an Institutional Carpooling System among Workers from the Public-Education Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-10, November.
    8. Tzu-Ying Chen & Rong-Chang Jou & Yi-Chang Chiu, 2021. "Using the Multilevel Random Effect Model to Analyze the Behavior of Carpool Users in Different Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-13, January.
    9. Yi, Xu & Lian, Feng & Yang, Zhongzhen, 2022. "Research on commuters’ carpooling behavior in the mobile internet context," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 14-25.
    10. Lazarus, Jessica R. & Caicedo, Juan D. & Bayen, Alexandre M. & Shaheen, Susan A., 2021. "To Pool or Not to Pool? Understanding opportunities, challenges, and equity considerations to expanding the market for pooling," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 199-222.
    11. José Alberto Molina & J. Ignacio Giménez-Nadal & Jorge Velilla, 2020. "Sustainable Commuting: Results from a Social Approach and International Evidence on Carpooling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-12, November.
    12. Qing Shen & Yiyuan Wang & Casey Gifford, 2021. "Exploring partnership between transit agency and shared mobility company: an incentive program for app-based carpooling," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 2585-2603, October.
    13. Julie Bulteau & Thierry Feuillet & Sophie Dantan, 2019. "Carpooling and carsharing for commuting in the Paris region: A comprehensive exploration of the individual and contextual correlates of their uses," Post-Print hal-04362193, HAL.
    14. María del Carmen Rey-Merchán & Antonio López-Arquillos & Manuela Pires Rosa, 2022. "Carpooling Systems for Commuting among Teachers: An Expert Panel Analysis of Their Barriers and Incentives," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-12, July.
    15. Rossetti, Tomás & Broaddus, Andrea & Ruhl, Melissa & Daziano, Ricardo, 2023. "Commuter preferences for a first-mile/last-mile microtransit service in the United States," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    16. Monchambert, Guillaume, 2020. "Why do (or don’t) people carpool for long distance trips? A discrete choice experiment in France," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 911-931.
    17. Rezwana Rafiq & Suman Kumar Mitra, 2020. "Shared school transportation: determinants of carpooling as children’s school travel mode in California," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 1339-1357, June.
    18. Julie Bulteau & Thierry Feuillet & Sophie Dantan & Souhir Abbes, 2023. "Encouraging carpooling for commuting in the Paris area (France): which incentives and for whom?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 43-62, February.
    19. Jun Guan Neoh & Maxwell Chipulu & Alasdair Marshall, 2017. "What encourages people to carpool? An evaluation of factors with meta-analysis," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 423-447, March.
    20. Zhou, Yuyang & Wang, Peiyu & Zheng, Shuyan & Zhao, Minhe & Lam, William H.K. & Chen, Anthony & Sze, N.N. & Chen, Yanyan, 2024. "Modeling dynamic travel mode choices using cumulative prospect theory," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:20:p:11136-:d:652185. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.