SUSTAINABILITY AND SHARING ECONOMY IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT DURING CRISIS TIME: INSIGHTS FROM CROATIA

Numerous indicators show that the sharing economy in public transport, with the help of its strong flexibility as a market model, has adapted extremely well to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.Consequently, this paper investigated the attitudes of users in the Republic of Croatia when it comes to the sharing economy as a business model used in public transport during the pandemic.The empirical research conducted in the Republic of Croatia shows that the respondents prefer to use digital platforms of the sharing economy in transport compared to conventional forms of public transport.The results of the conducted research indicate that respondents are aware of the advantages of ordering and paying for rides through digital platforms of the sharing economy in public transport.The analysis of the results of the empirical research clearly points that the respondents will not stop using public transport companies that use the business model of digital platforms of the sharing economy (Uber, Bolt) and that they will not switch to conventional forms of public transport, since conventional forms of public transport pollute the environment less with carbon dioxide emissions.The conducted empirical research indicates the uncertainty of the use of public transport after the pandemic.