Car-shared mobility services: development of quality measurement scales

This work provides three different scales aimed to assess the perceived quality of the services included in the car-shared mobility industry called RH-scale, RS-scale and CS-scale for ride-hailing, ride-sharing and car-sharing services respectively. The services considered have grown in Collaborative Consumption trend, basing their business on online platforms allowing the sharing of vehicles among users . Even if they share common features, they are characterized by specific characteristics and different providing models, involving specific economic figures as well as peers’ interactions typologies. The scope of this study is, therefore, to provide a multiple-services' analysis aimed to highlight all these differences in order to investigate about which are the different factors affecting customers' perceived quality of each mobility service. The result of the analysis is the development of three different measurement scales able to capture the relevant quality dimensions specific for each mobility service. For each typology of mobility service, the possible interactions involving the final customer in the use of the service have been analyzed in order to evaluate the relevant dimensions and features directly linked to users' perceptions of quality. For each of these interactions, a set of relevant dimensions and items have been proposed and included in each scale. The surveys have been sent to three samples of 61, 63 and 67 respondents for ride-hailing, ride-sharing and car-sharing respectively and the data have been used to perform the scales' validation processes. The RH-scale, proposed for ride-hailing services, is composed by 15 items in 4 dimension, two referring to the interaction with the platform provider (Site organization, Economic) and two to the PSP and car perceived quality (Ride, Empathy). As concern the RS-scale, aimed to assess the quality of ride-sharing services, the structure proposed includes the same dimension with slight differences and a new quality dimension referring to the social interaction with the other users. The result is a scale of 20 items and 5 dimension: Site organization, Economic, Ride, Empathy and Social Interaction. As concern the scale proposed for carsharing services, CS-scale, it is composed by 15 items and 5 dimension, 4 concerning the platform perceived quality (Site organization, Platform responsiveness, Legal Protection, Contact) and one related to the perceived quality of the physical assets (Tangibles). This study aims to add new knowledge about the relevant factors affecting the perceived quality of Collaborative Consumption services. Furthermore, it provides useful tools for companies to support managers in the assessment of the quality level delivered, in the evaluation of customers’ need and benchmarking activities and also for customers, effective or potential, to achieve a general view of the service.