Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Automotive Engineering
Committee Chair/Advisor
Johnell O. Brooks
Committee Member
Yunyi Jia
Committee Member
Patrick J. Rosopa
Committee Member
Bing Li
Abstract
This dissertation explores factors influencing pooled rideshare (PR) adoption to provide actionable insights for transportation network companies (TNCs) and policymakers. PR allows travelers to share rides with unknown passengers, offering benefits such as cost reduction and congestion relief. However, adoption remains limited due to safety concerns, privacy issues, and trust in rideshare platforms. A national U.S. survey with 5,385 respondents examined transportation preferences and barriers to PR adoption. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified five key factors influencing PR consideration—safety, service experience, privacy, traffic/environment, and time/cost. Second factor analyses examined ways to optimize PR experiences, revealing four factors—comfort/ease of use, convenience, vehicle technology/accessibility, and passenger safety. Privacy concerns, for instance, using regression analysis, were found to reduce the likelihood of PR adoption by 77%, and convenience had the potential to increase it by 156%. The Pooled Rideshare Acceptance Model (PRAM), based on the Technology Acceptance Model, assessed the impact of these factors using the Structural Equation Model (SEM). Privacy, safety, trust, and convenience had a large effect (Cohen's f2 > 0.35) on PR acceptance, while multigroup analyses (PRAMMA) explored 16 demographic variables such as gender, generation, and income, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies. Based on all the statistical analysis and workshops using descriptive statistics, 95 actionable recommendations were made from the riders' perspective. Findings highlight the importance of customized services, user experience improvements, and policy interventions to enhance PR adoption. This dissertation provides a roadmap for future research and policy development, ensuring evidence-based, practical strategies to improve PR services in the U.S. and beyond.
Recommended Citation
Gangadharaiah, Rakesh, "Understanding and Modeling Pooled Rideshare Acceptance: Influential Factors, Preferred User Experiences, and Implications" (2025). All Dissertations. 3867.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/3867
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7139-1119
Included in
Automotive Engineering Commons, Human Factors Psychology Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Transportation Commons