Driving Sustainable Mobility: Adoption and the Willingness to Participate in Electric Ride-Hailing Service Among Driver Groups in Less-Developed Cities

The decarbonization of urban transport is critical for achieving sustainable development goals, and the electrification of ride-hailing services offers one promising pathway. However, the acceptance of electric ride-hailing services (ERHS) in less-developed cities lags behind that in developed regions, and existing research lacks a systematic analysis. This study fills the gap by conducting a survey in Zhangzhou, China, and employing ordered and binary logit models to analyze the factors influencing the acceptance of ERHS and the willingness to participate in this sustainable program by drivers and potential drivers. The findings indicate the following: (1) For drivers, environmental awareness is an important driving factor for accepting ERHS. Drivers who worry about the potential health effects of EV radiation are less willing to adopt ERHS. Part-time drivers and those who receive operational subsidies are more likely to adopt ERHS. (2) Among potential drivers, males, individuals aged 36 to 45, and those who are insensitive to fuel price fluctuations show a lower willingness to adopt ERHS. Conversely, the perceived fairness of the commission rates of the platform, driving range, and driving experience significantly promote the acceptance. (3) For potential drivers, the willingness to participate in ERHS is significantly affected by recycling subsidies, education level, and the currently driven vehicle type. The results could provide a policy blueprint for accelerating the green transformation of the ride-hailing industry, and could also provide policymakers with the empirical evidence needed for differentiated intervention measures to promote sustainable and low-carbon urban transportation.