The Influence of Physical and Virtual Servicescapes on Public Transportation Choices

The predominant use of private cars is the root of several problems like traffic congestion and air pollution in cities worldwide. While it is generally believed that mobility apps as part of smart city initiatives can help influence mobility choices in favor of public transport, there is not much empirical evidence for this. This study used a choice-based conjoint analysis to examine mobility choices among 185 private car commuters. By adopting a service-dominant logic perspective, we analyzed the influence of physical and virtual servicescapes on public transportation choices for the commuters. In contrast to previous servicescape literature, we found that the physical (e.g., overcrowding of a vehicle) and the virtual servicescape (e.g., app layout and functionality) influenced commuters’ mobility choices. Our study also found that commuters who had no information about travel times by public transport before using apps continued to choose private cars for commuting.