The unexplored potential of trust to boost customer loyalty for transport platforms

Abstract

Ride-sharing and services associated with mobility are developing a growing presence in society, especially those that are focused on mobility in cities. These services are provided to a great extent through a digital platform. Measure the aspects of quality, trust and loyalty are relevant to understand the rationale of this kind of business models. The purpose of this paper is to test empirically the relationship between quality, trust (digital and driver trust), satisfaction (platform and driver satisfaction) and loyalty. Specially, we examine the mediating role of trust among these relationships in on-demand ridesharing services. A sample of 429 respondents completed an on-line questionnaire in four European countries (France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy). We propose a model for investigating this relationship and assess its constructs using exploratory factor analysis, and the whole research model by Structural Equating Modelling, using EQS. 6.4 software. In addition, a focus group with users from the four countries was conducted to confirm the results. The present study contributes theoretically to the field of examining the antecedents and consequences of trust in the sharing economy. In addition, this research proposes several trust-building actions that managers can take to increase both business and the level of loyalty to these digital platforms.