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In the era of digitalization and technology, tremendous changes have taken place in the taxi industry worldwide. The traditional taxi service has transformed into the latest innovative technology-based e-hailing service. There are innumerable factors that drive the user adoption of e-hailing apps. This study aims to primarily concentrate on identifying, analyzing and ranking these factors which have an impact on the user intention toward using e-hailing apps.

The e-hailing app users in the state of Punjab and Chandigarh are the target population for the study. A fuzzy analytical hierarchy process technique has been applied to analyze and codify the determinants that influence the user intention of adopting e-hailing apps. The primary factors that have been considered for the study are social influence, perceived usefulness, facilitating conditions, perceived ease of use, self-efficacy, perceived risk, compatibility and trust.

The study revealed that “Perceived Usefulness” is the factor that influences user intention to use e-hailing apps the most, while “Perceived Risk” the least. The sub-criteria codified in the top priority was as follows: “Overall, I find the e-hailing app useful in booking a taxi (C15)”; “I do not need some people to use e-hailing apps (C52); “I believe e-hailing app is compatible with existing technology (C61).” The sub-criterion “E-hailing app service provider keeps its promise (C72)” was demonstrated to have the least impact on the user intention of adopting e-hailing apps.

The study has been confined to only eight factors selected from the extended technological acceptance model framework and some related technology acceptance theories. Some more other factors may have an impact on user adoption of e-hailing apps, which need to be added further. Also, the scope of the study should be enhanced by expanding the geographical area beyond the selected region.

The findings of the study enable the e-hailing service providers and marketers to understand the users’ intention in a better way, to make improvements in e-hailing apps and formulate strategies accordingly.

The previous literature provides the base to the present study for identifying the factors affecting user behavioral intention toward e-hailing apps and information technology. The findings and results of the present research make value addition to the existing knowledge base.

This article addresses the lack of scholarly attention paid to the sharing economy from a sociological perspective, with respect to the technology-mediated interactions between sharing economy users. The paper provides a critical overview of the sharing economy and its impact on business and communities and explores how information technology can facilitate authentic, genuine sharing through exercising and enabling conviviality and non-direct reciprocity.

The paper begins with a critique of the technology-mediated sharing economy, introduces the concept of conviviality as a tool to grow and shape community and sustainability within the sharing economy and then explores reciprocity and sharing behaviour. Finally, the paper draws upon social exchange theory to illustrate conviviality and reciprocity, using four case studies of technology-enabled sharing.

The paper contributes to the emerging debate around how the sharing economy, driven by information systems and technology, affects social cohesion and personal relationships. The paper elucidates the central role conviviality and reciprocity play in explaining the paradoxes, tensions and impact of the sharing economy on society. Conviviality and reciprocity are positioned as key capabilities of a more sustainable version of the sharing economy, enabled via information technology.

The findings reveal that information technology-mediated sharing enterprises should promote conviviality and reciprocity in order to deliver more positive environmental, economic and social benefits. The diversity of existing operations indicated by the findings and the controversies discussed will guide the critical study of the social potential of sharing economy to avoid treating all sharing alike.

The paper intends to examine mobile taxi (m-taxi) adoption, so as to close the gap in the current literature and clarify the behaviour of users by synthesising technological factors that are related to the characteristics of m-taxi applications with non-technological factors that are associated with the psychological characteristics of customers. The moderating effects of gender were also tested.

A self-administered questionnaire was adopted for data collection with 415 useable responses. The theoretical lens was tested via partial least squares-structural equation modelling. Additionally, state-of-the-art techniques such as permutation and multigroup analysis were applied.

Results indicate that social pressure, technology anxiety, effort expectancy, performance expectancy, and service and system quality are not significantly related to behavioural intention. Also, findings show no significant differences among gender in this study, which suggests that the model is invariant across gender groups.

This study provides a novel insight by taking a broader perspective of ride-hailing terminology by considering both taxis and private vehicles.

Just who is the ‘analyst’ who practices rhythmanalysis? The extension of the name ‘rhythmanalyst’ to other than scholarly practitioners makes possible an investigation of the relationship of rhythmanalysis to other rhythmanalytic forms of knowing and representing urban space and the ways in which these differing but related practices may challenge, undermine or inform each other. In this paper, drawing on years of ethnographic and autoethnographic research in three North American cities, I discuss the rhythmanalytical practice involved in cabdriving, as this is shaped by the technologies drivers use to sense the city and by the transformation of the taxicab into the ‘ridesharing’ or soft cab. First, I discuss the occupational knowledge and wayfinding practice of cabdrivers and the extent to which their work requires the development by means of a variety of tools and practices, of a sense of the city as composed of multiple interacting rhythmic movements or polyrhythmia, with which they must strategically converge and facilitate. Second, I discuss the redelegation of the role of rhythmanalyst to predictive algorithms and mobile interfaces, as part of the reinvention of the taxicab, and its associated micropolitics and power/knowledge relations, by smartphone-enabled hailing and dispatching services. Struggles over, and transformations of, these non-academic forms of rhythmanalysis may provide insight, in turn, into the contemporary politics of the production of social space.

By late March 2014, the ridesharing company Uber was on a roll, rapidly expanding service to untapped markets and gaining new, enthusiastic customers, as well as a few vocal and visible detractors. Uber’s innovative organization of the supply-demand matching process produced eager customers who recruited others. Buzz marketing and aggressive recruitment of drivers augmented growth.

This case presents Uber as an example of a middleman adding real value for consumers and upstream suppliers (limo drivers). Unlike Tesla, which battled to sell cars directly to the public, Uber created value by adding a layer between limos and prospective riders, organizing the market for convenience and transparency for both sides. Where Uber stirred up the competitive equivalent of a hornet’s nest was with expansion from the livery car market into the taxi service market with UberX. The material allows for a lively discussion around disruptive digital technology and the firm’s business model.

This paper aims to identify the dimensions of service quality in the case of ride-sourcing services in Indian context.

The service quality dimensions of ride-sourcing services are identified using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Further, the reliability and validity of the factors are established through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using AMOS.

The service quality dimensions of ride-sourcing services are identified: comfort, internal environment, safety and personnel, mobile convenience and reliability, mobile system efficiency and availability, mobile customer service and billing and mobile security and privacy.

The various dimensions are identified to measure service quality of ride-sourcing services in India. So, these dimensions can be tested for ride-sourcing services of countries having similar culture as India.

The proposed dimensions can be used as a diagnostic tool to identify and compare important criteria for service quality of ride-sourcing services.

Most relevant studies about dimensions of service quality for ride-sourcing services do not have stable factor structure. The dimensions identified include the traditional taxi service quality and mobile app service quality, which are not covered in current literature.

The purpose of the study is to explore and analyze m-car rental service quality dimensions.

Exploratory factor analysis method is applied to explore the m-car rental service quality dimensions. Further, confirmatory factor analysis is done to prove the reliability and validity of the factors using AMOS 22.0.

The results reveal the m-car rental service quality dimensions: ambient quality, technical quality, comfort, safety and employee service, mobile convenience, mobile responsiveness, mobile efficiency and reliability and mobile safety and billing.

The explored dimensions of car rental services are in Indian environment. So, these dimensions can be further validated in other similar cultural context.

The proposed measurements can also be applied to measure and compare the service quality performance of car rental firms.

Current literature does not confirm the stable factor structure of m-car rental service quality. This study confirms the reliable and valid dimensions of care rental service through mobile app.

The purpose of this research article is to explore the behavioural intention of consumers to use app-based shopping for green-tech products in the emerging economy of Bangladesh. The study investigates the indirect effects of perceived ease of use, usefulness, perceived delivery and perceived security on the behavioural intention to use app-based shopping for purchasing green-tech products by considering the mediating role of perceived trust.

A quantitative research approach was applied to collect data from the respondents who had previously used app-based shopping for green-tech products in Bangladesh. An online, self-administered survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 348 respondents. The survey data was analysed using SmartPLS-4 to measure the reliability and validity of the constructs. In addition, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the research model and hypotheses.

The study's results reveal that perceived usefulness, ease of use, security and delivery positively and significantly influence perceived trust, leading to a higher behavioural intention to use app-based shopping for green-tech products. Additionally, perceived trust significantly mediates the relationship between the behavioural intention to use app-based shopping and perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived security and perceived delivery.

The study's findings have important implications for app-based shopping services to support customers interested in purchasing green-tech products in an emerging economy. The results also indicate that green-tech product companies must adopt new service delivery channels and ensure consumers' convenience and cost and time savings. The present research findings suggest that green-tech product companies need to ensure that they integrate digital technologies into their services for secure and timely delivery of products, improving customer convenience.

The study's findings can be insightful for app-based shopping service providers to foster their businesses by focussing on developing a positive trust perception in the consumer's mind, leading to a positive intention to use the app-based shopping services. The present study will enrich the current literature by investigating how consumers' perceived trust affects their behavioural intention to use app-based online shopping for purchasing green-tech products. It will also expand the existing knowledge on app-based shopping by exploring how perceived delivery impacts perceived trust, which subsequently affects customers' intentions to adopt the purchase of green-tech products.

Mobile taxi booking apps (MTB) have revolutionalized the transportation industry. As taxis can be hired via smartphones, irrespective of any time or place, the business platform for taxi service has completely changed. Now customers are saved from the hassle of going to the designated taxi stands or waiting along the roadside. But, the long-term sustainability of this service depends on its continued use. Therefore, this study aims to explore factors that hedonically incline people toward continuance of MTB. To achieve the purpose, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) was extended with mediation effects of hedonic motivation.

The data were collected from existing users of MTB and analyzed through structural equation modeling and revalidated via artificial neural networks.

The statistical results show that the main factors of UTAUT substantially create hedonic motivation to use the apps and significantly mediate their effects on behavioral intention to continue using MTB. However, mediation between social influence and continuity intent was not statistically supported. The findings represent important contributions to the extended UTAUT.

This study adds value to the theoretical horizon and also presents M-taxi companies with useful and pertinent plans for efficient designing and effective implementation of MTB. Moreover, limitations and suggestions for future researchers are also discussed.

This study extends UTAUT with the mediating role of hedonic motivation to predict continued use of MTB, which further initiates the applicability of UTAUT in a new setting and a new perspective (post adoption). This, in turn, significantly expands theory by using hedonic motivation as an important attribute that could mediate impact of all main antecedents to shape customers loyalty toward system use.