Investigating the Suitability of Blockchain Technology for Public Transportation Systems

Blockchain is experiencing a rapid increase in the amount of attention paid to it and has the full potential to revolutionize transportation systems applications. The public transportation ecosystem's resources and infrastructure can be used more effectively by using Blockchain to provide secure, reliable, and decentralized autonomous services without the need for a third-party entity to oversee transactions. Despite the promising benefits of Blockchain technology, the current literature shows no evidence of its suitability for the public transportation sector and very little research explores its application. This research explored the suitability of Blockchain technology in the public transportation sector. A suitability evaluation framework is proposed based on the technology-organization-environment TOE technology adoption framework. Several factors derived from existing Blockchain-suitability frameworks in the literature were used for this evaluation. The analysis showed that all technologically relevant factors should encourage adoption. Only insufficient support from top management could be a significant obstacle in terms of organizational factors. The environmental factors are still challenging for adoption as more preparation has to be done to govern the path of adoption. This study is part of ongoing research that aimed to inspire further efforts in this area and serve as a useful guide and point of reference for future research projects while also offering insightful information for decision-makers and technology providers in the public transportation industry.