Which Factors Affect User Satisfaction with ETC? Evidence from Shanghai and Beijing

Abstract

Owing to the current development trend of globalization and informatization, traditional transportation technologies and means can no longer meet the needs of economic and social development. Thus, intelligent transportation will be an inevitable and revolutionary choice for the development of the transportation industry. As a subsystem of the intelligent transportation system, the electronic nonstop toll collection (ETC) system provides a good solution to the problems of traffic congestion, environmental pollution, energy consumption, and low toll operation efficiency caused by expressway toll collection. This high-technology system is utilized in many fields, such as radio communication and computer and automatic control in the transportation field. China’s expressway ETC systems have evident effects on congestion reduction at toll stations. Although the advantages of ETC lanes are significant, and China actively implements ETC-handling policies, some drivers are reluctant to install ETC on-board systems or they have negative experiences after handling them. According to a survey, existing literature lacks research on the factors affecting user satisfaction with ETC. On the basis of the questionnaire data of ETC user experience in Shanghai and Beijing, we comprehensively investigate the reasons of banking, ETC equipment, and drivers’ personal factors and travel characteristics to establish an ordinal logistics model. Through cluster analysis, drivers in the two cities are divided into three groups, and the significance of related variables is further analyzed. This research can help us understand the degree of influence of different factors on user satisfaction with ETC to a certain extent. Moreover, effective methods and measures can be used to promote the popularity of ETC vehicle equipment and the utilization rate of ETC-dedicated lanes.