Acceptance and use of demand-responsive transport by older people in old new town: Evidence from Senboku new Town

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing older adults’ acceptance and use of demand-responsive transport (DRT) in an old New Town (old NT). The old NTs have a high density of older people, differing from urban or rural areas. The selected case was Senboku New Town (Senboku-NT), one of the largest old NTs in Japan. This study applied the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model, moderating for age differences between older people and adults. Participants were recruited using a web-based questionnaire via a local smartphone application in Senboku-NT. As a result, we found a significant relationship between social influence and behavior intention for both older people (ß_SI-BI = 0.347) and adults (ß_SI-BI = 0.445). In addition, behavior intention was significantly correlated with performance expectancy for older people (ß_PE-BI = 0.233) and with trust and safety for adults (ß_TS-BI = 0.369). Regarding the importance of social influence, older people acquire face-to-face information via consultation meetings about DRT usage and referrals from family and friends. Therefore, our findings are directed to policymakers regarding the importance of emphasizing social influence to promote the use of DRT among older adults. The reason may be related to old NTs, which differ from urban and rural areas. These results provide interesting insights for generalizing our findings to DRT in old NTs.