Research on Effects of Cash Incentives on Consumer Self-Scheduling of Bike Sharing Based on the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior

To overcome this problem of insufficient bike-sharing supply in certain areas, bike-sharing companies encourage users in such areas to self-schedule with cash incentives. This study explores user acceptance of and sensitivity to cash incentives. A questionnaire survey on cash incentives sensitivity of bicycle-sharing users was conducted at Shandong Jianzhu University; 520 valid responses were collected. Based on extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) modeling and structural equation modeling (SEM), users’ sensitivity to different cash incentive strategies in different cycling environments was measured under five factors: social norms, affordability, perceived green value, physical strength, and perceived service; five related assumptions were also set. Results show that affordability and physical strength are the most significant factors in users’ acceptance of self-scheduling, and greater cash incentives increase sensitivity to bike-sharing. The conclusions help the bike-sharing companies optimize business strategies, reduce operating costs, and improve user satisfaction and vehicle utilization rate.