Exploring Consumers’ Intention to Use Bikes and E-Scooters during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Approach with a Consideration of Pro-Environmental Identity

Abstract

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted nations globally to adopt lockdown policies, resulting in a substantial shift in people’s travel behavior. This pandemic has influenced micro-mobility, an emerging urban transportation mode, including in the Philippines. However, a limited quantifiable study is dedicated to understanding the evolving micro-mobility use in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our future intention to use micro-mobility, particularly e-scooters/bikes, and to explore how hedonic and environmental motivations influence the decision-making process of its adoption. An extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was employed, with 152 Filipinos answering an online questionnaire that was distributed using a convenience sampling approach. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the awareness of environmental issues and the negative impact of cars, thereby significantly influencing the usage intention of e-scooters/bikes. In addition, social norms and perceived behavioral control partially mediated the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the intention to use micro-mobility. Meanwhile, the magnitude and significance of motivation variables were inconclusive, although they confirmed a positive relationship with attitude. The findings of this study could help provider firms and policymakers devise evidence-based policies concerning micro-mobility and promote its usage, particularly in developing countries.