Evaluating public insight on smartphone applications for sustainable urban mobility in the GCC States
• Community Acceptance : The study revealed that smartphone applications in public transport are widely accepted by the community in the GCC States. • Environmental Benefits : Significant benefits were identified in terms of reducing urban greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and congestion, contributing to improved sustainability. • Enhanced Accessibility and Safety: These smart applications meet various needs of people, including accessibility, cost, routes, and safety, particularly benefiting women, the elderly, and those with mobility impairments. • Research Methodology and Findings : Using a questionnaire survey of 250 respondents and logistic regression analysis, the study demonstrated that smart transport applications significantly enhance the efficiency of public transportation systems. The integration of smartphone applications in public transportation is clearly contributing to advancing urban smartness and promoting sustainability by addressing challenges such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, traffic congestion, and road safety. These applications are designed to assist in meeting diverse user needs within public transit systems, providing accessible, cost-effective, and optimized routes, with enhanced safety features for groups like women, the elderly, and individuals with mobility impairments. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework, this study investigates community perspectives on the role of these applications in improving urban mobility within the GCC States. A questionnaire survey of 250 respondents from various GCC cities was conducted to assess perceived benefits and factors influencing adoption. Logistic regression analysis identified significant variables affecting adoption intentions. Findings reveal strong community support for smartphone applications in public transportation, with notable benefits in efficiency, environmental impact, and user experience. These insights underscore the transformative potential of smart applications in fostering sustainable, accessible, and efficient urban transport systems in the GCC region.
Authors
- Elnazir Ramadan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0425-3331)
- Suliman Zakaria Suliman Abdalla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7995-5675)
- Nour Eldin Elshaiekh
Institutions
- United Arab Emirates University (AE)
- Sultan Qaboos University (OM)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
- Published
- 2025-03-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2025.101377
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Human Mobility and Location-Based Analysis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 15.24