The Role of Motorbike Hailing Services in Travel Behavior and Mobility

Abstract

With the increasing popularity of motorbike-hailing services in Pakistan, this study aimed to examine their impact on travel behavior and mobility patterns of users. Through an online survey of users in twin cities of Pakistan, the study collected information about users' trip patterns, mobility options, trip purposes, trip costs, and reasons for using motorbike-hailing services from both users and captain. The findings revealed that young adults with higher education degrees are the major users of bike-hailing services in Pakistan, while lower to middle-income groups also make up a significant proportion of users. Male users dominate the services due to social and cultural factors, and students are the largest user group, followed by employees. Price, availability, safety, and reliability were identified as the most important characteristics for users, with soft skills of bike captains prioritized over physical abilities. The study also highlighted the challenges faced by captain, who are mostly males, have a low level of education, and earn below the minimum wage with a lack of job security. The study recommends various measures such as increasing awareness, improving the quality of services, collaborating with the government, improving services to meet the needs of non-users, and promoting integration of bike-hailing services in urban transportation planning and policies. Collecting user feedback and incorporating it into the services can also help improve customer satisfaction and overall service quality. These findings have implications for policymakers and motorbike-hailing service providers, who can use this information to improve their services and cater to the needs of users and captain.