Unlocking the wheels of change: Perceptions and participation of Serbian Gen Z in ride-sharing

Abstract

As global urban mobility undergoes significant transformations, a profound understanding of the attitudes and behavioural inclinations of the youngest demographic cohort toward shared transportation has become paramount. The complexities surrounding the motives driving participation in ride-sharing services have posed a formidable challenge to researchers, yielding a corpus of literature marked by heterogeneous and inconclusive findings. Consequently, a notable scholarly imperative exists to determine the underlying factors shaping engagement in ride-sharing, particularly among the Generation Z population. In this study, we explored the behaviour of Gen Z in a developing country, the Republic of Serbia, concerning their proclivity towards shared transportation modalities, with a focus on ride-sharing services. Central to this investigation is the delineation of socio-demographic factors that exert discernible influences upon Generation Z's decision-making processes regarding adopting or abstaining from shared transportation practices, alongside a nuanced exploration of their cognitive schema and perceptual frameworks pertinent to the shared mobility paradigm. To answer the questions raised, a survey was devised and administered among students at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia.