Exploring user characteristics and motivations for adopting e-motorcycle ride-hailing in Hanoi, Vietnam

Ride-hailing is becoming popular among students in motorcycle-dependent Southeast Asian countries. This development calls for a shift from conventional motorcycles to greener options, such as e-motorcycles. So far, little is known about the factors associated with the adoption of e-moto ride-hailing in Vietnam or similar contexts. This study aims to determine the prevalence of e-moto ride-hailing use among students in Hanoi, while also exploring their characteristics and motivations. A primary survey (N = 516) reveals that nearly a third of students use e-moto ride-hailing services. The application of binary logit regression to the survey data shows that those most likely to use these services share the following characteristics: they are female, have lower incomes, are not employed, live in shared housing far from the university, and lack other transport options (such as public buses or private motorcycles). They are attracted to e-moto ride-hailing platforms for their low prices, app quality, service convenience, and driver behaviour. Their personal values reflect a mix of hedonism and environmentalism. Based on these findings, we recommend a set of policy interventions to boost e-moto ride-hailing use among students in Vietnam and neighbouring countries. These include offering student discounts; enhancing driver training and recruitment; and promoting the environmental benefits of e-moto ride-hailing.