Factors influencing consumer choice in ride sharing platform : a study on Uber and Bolt in Helsinki
Younas, Fahad (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025060219149
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025060219149
Tiivistelmä
Ride sharing has become popular in almost every country across the globe, due to its fast-growing and innovative approach to providing transport services in urban areas. Today’s market segmentation analysis shows that Uber occupies the dominant position by having 53% of the market share due to the well-known brand name and premium services it provides; Bolt, in turn, operates with 10.2% of the market share by building a client base thanks to low prices. This thesis aims to analyze the compe-tition between Uber and Bolt and the factors that can influence the decision of the consumers in the context of the ride-sharing market of Helsinki.
The results show a rather fragmented decision-making process where price sensitivity is identified as the most important factor (mean = 4.3 on the 1 = ‘very unimportant’, 5 = ‘very important’ scale) espe-cially in relation to promotional offers and clear fares. But still, this price sensitivity is combined with rather high expectations for quality, for instance, as to the professionalism of the driver – 4.1 out of 5, cleanliness of the vehicle – 4.0 out of 5. The safety factor consisting of real-time tracking (4.0/5), emergency features (4.0/5), and driver screening (3.9/5) is yet another crucial decision-making factor with 47% of female respondents being most sensitive to this factor.
The study identifies three emerging trends with strategic implications: (1) The growing importance of integrated mobility solutions, with 36% of rides serving work commutes and 24% for leisure activi-ties; (2) The untapped potential in environmental positioning, where eco-friendly vehicle options score moderately (3.9/5) but show strong growth potential among younger demographics; and (3) The critical role of digital experience, where app usability (4.2/5) rivals physical service elements in im-portance.
For industry practitioners involved in managing and participating in the mobility platform market in Helsinki, the research offers tangible data-driven insights into Helsinki’s mobility platform market and provides guidance on how each of these platforms can attract and retain the relevant customer base. At the end of the thesis, future research studies are proposed to further explore trends associated with continued adoption of the new mobility services and to focus on differentiated fortnight demand characteristics across different groups of the Nordic population.
The results show a rather fragmented decision-making process where price sensitivity is identified as the most important factor (mean = 4.3 on the 1 = ‘very unimportant’, 5 = ‘very important’ scale) espe-cially in relation to promotional offers and clear fares. But still, this price sensitivity is combined with rather high expectations for quality, for instance, as to the professionalism of the driver – 4.1 out of 5, cleanliness of the vehicle – 4.0 out of 5. The safety factor consisting of real-time tracking (4.0/5), emergency features (4.0/5), and driver screening (3.9/5) is yet another crucial decision-making factor with 47% of female respondents being most sensitive to this factor.
The study identifies three emerging trends with strategic implications: (1) The growing importance of integrated mobility solutions, with 36% of rides serving work commutes and 24% for leisure activi-ties; (2) The untapped potential in environmental positioning, where eco-friendly vehicle options score moderately (3.9/5) but show strong growth potential among younger demographics; and (3) The critical role of digital experience, where app usability (4.2/5) rivals physical service elements in im-portance.
For industry practitioners involved in managing and participating in the mobility platform market in Helsinki, the research offers tangible data-driven insights into Helsinki’s mobility platform market and provides guidance on how each of these platforms can attract and retain the relevant customer base. At the end of the thesis, future research studies are proposed to further explore trends associated with continued adoption of the new mobility services and to focus on differentiated fortnight demand characteristics across different groups of the Nordic population.