Exploring The Determinants and Perception of University Students on the Use of Ridesourcing Services for Social/Recreational Trips in Umuahia Metropolis

The transportation sector in Nigeria is one of the sectors facing major disruptive innovations, and one of such innovations is ridesourcing. Ridesourcing is a GPS enabled mobile application for e-hailing taxis or tricycles in Nigeria, and it provides a mode choice for individuals to choose from for different types of trips. The introduction of ridesourcing into Nigeria has heighten competition within the transport sector, as drivers who enroll with the ridesourcing companies now compete with yellow cab taxis and other public transport services in Nigeria. The main objective of the study is to explore the determinants and the perception of the students on the usage of ridesourcing services for social/recreational trips in Umuahia Metropolis, Nigeria. The study adopted survey design in data collection and analysis. A structured questionnaire was administered to students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) Abia State, Nigeria. The findings show that the students have positive attitude/perception towards the use of ridesourcing services for social/recreational trips, and the major determinants for the use of ridesourcing services are: cost, shorter waiting time, door-to-door pick up, convenience, and safety. The study recommends an improvement in the waiting time, training to the drivers in map reading and navigating some routes during traffic jam. Besides, the payment system should be properly secured as most young people are avoiding online payment methods in order not to expose their account details to online fraudsters.