The 20th and 21st joint COTA International Conference of Transportation Professionals (CICTP 2020-21)

The imbalance between supply and demand causes low operational efficiency for Transportation Network Company (TNC) services. Demand management is an efficient way to re-distribute requests in space and time dimensions, and eventually, enhance service operating efficiency. The ability to understand and influence travel behavior is one of the most significant challenges in demand management. This paper aims to investigate users’ attitudes toward incentive strategies for TNC services in China: 1) share trips with others, 2) extra walk to a pick-up or drop-off location, 3) request rides in advance. The survey data was collected from university communities in Suzhou, China. Descriptive analysis and binary logit models are developed to understand users’ preferences over these strategies. The results highlight a high acceptance of these incentive strategies, sharing trips (68%), extra walk (69%), and request rides in advance (67%). The commonly important factors impacting the acceptance of these strategies include commuting mode, commuting time, monthly expense, ownerships of cars/e-bicycles, and public transport membership. The findings provide useful insights into the planning and management of TNC services in cities.

CICTP