Enhancing safety and trust in ride-hailing services : a customer-centric study of the Gig Market in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal
Paudel, Subodh (2025)
2025
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025123139042
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025123139042
Tiivistelmä
In the gig mobility market of Kathmandu valley, Nepal, this thesis investigates how ride hailing applications technological characteristics affect user happiness and trust. Although ride hailing services like Pathao, and InDrive have grown significantly in Nepal’s cities, there is still a dearth of empirical and trust building processes. This study attempts to ascertain if technical characteristics directly improve customer satisfaction or weather trust acts as a mediator in this connection by utilizing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Trust theory.
The study adopts a quantitative research approach. Data were collected through a structured survey administered to 100 ride-hailing users aged 18–35 in the Kathmandu Valley. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse perceptions of technological performance, trust, and satisfaction. Inferential techniques, including correlation, regression, and mediation analyses, were applied to examine the relationships among the three key constructs and to test the mediating role of trust.
The findings indicate that users rate technological features highly (M = 4.31), particularly real-time tracking, SOS functions, and user interface design. Trust levels are moderately strong (M = 4.13), although complaint handling and perceived fairness receive comparatively lower evaluations. Overall user satisfaction is high (M = 4.30), driven mainly by convenience and ease of booking. The regression and mediation analyses reveal that technological features do not have a direct effect on satisfaction once trust is accounted for. Instead, trust fully mediates the relationship between technology and satisfaction, emerging as the strongest predictor of customer satisfaction in Kathmandu’s ride-hailing context.
The study adopts a quantitative research approach. Data were collected through a structured survey administered to 100 ride-hailing users aged 18–35 in the Kathmandu Valley. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse perceptions of technological performance, trust, and satisfaction. Inferential techniques, including correlation, regression, and mediation analyses, were applied to examine the relationships among the three key constructs and to test the mediating role of trust.
The findings indicate that users rate technological features highly (M = 4.31), particularly real-time tracking, SOS functions, and user interface design. Trust levels are moderately strong (M = 4.13), although complaint handling and perceived fairness receive comparatively lower evaluations. Overall user satisfaction is high (M = 4.30), driven mainly by convenience and ease of booking. The regression and mediation analyses reveal that technological features do not have a direct effect on satisfaction once trust is accounted for. Instead, trust fully mediates the relationship between technology and satisfaction, emerging as the strongest predictor of customer satisfaction in Kathmandu’s ride-hailing context.