Measuring the perceived need for motorcycle-based ride-hailing services on trip characteristics among university students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Since the emergence of ride-hailing services has changed travel behaviors, a greater understanding of the ride-hailing mode enables us to explore choices and assists in the drafting of more effective policies. This paper aims to investigate the degree of perceived need for motorcycle-based ride-hailing services among university students because young and well-educated people dominate this service. By involving 632 respondents and considering 12 trip characteristics, the Rasch model was used as an instrument to measure the students' perceived needs and inherent resistance to motorcycle-based ride-hailing services. The model results revealed that the students perceived the highest need for motorcycle-based ride-hailing services for their first- and last-mile trips when they needed to travel out of town by public transport. A need for this service was also perceived by the students for trips at peak periods, trips within tight schedules, trips to downtown areas, trips to campus, and food delivery. In contrast, the study found a weakly perceived need for motorcycle-based ride-hailing for shopping goods and documents delivery, trips for shopping, social, and momentary activities, and short-distance trips. The empirical findings also showed that the variable of gender, monthly income, motorcycle ownership, frequency of use, and time spent as motorcycle-based ride-hailing users contributed to differences of perceived need. The research findings can help the government in deciding effective policies for ride-hailing, especially those related to riding safety and increasing urban transit demand.