Unconventional Green Transport Innovations in the Post-COVID-19 era. A Trade-off between Green Actions and Personal Health Protection

ABSTRACT

Irrefutable evidence attributes environmental challenges, such as air and noise pollution, to unsustainable transportation, especially in urban settings. In this context, urban public transport is a sustainable mobility system with ecological benefits. However, limited research focuses on understanding the factors that promote urban public transport adoption in the face of disruptive events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study integrates the push-pull-mooring (PPM) model and institutional theory to examine urban commuters' intentions to switch to urban public transport in the post-COVID-19 era. This study is the first to investigate the trade-offs consumers perceive between green actions and personal health protection in the COVID-19 context. Our results indicate that regulative and normative environments, public transport's economic viability and commuters’ pro-environmental concerns and identities significantly influence their intentions to switch to public transportation. Furthermore, hygiene concerns and choice uncertainty partially moderate the tested associations. The study thus provides unique insights into the nuances of individual decision-making regarding public transport use. Leveraging our findings, we present implications for theory and practice. We also offer a possible framework for classifying consumers of green urban public transport, which can be used to create targeted communication to encourage commuters to switch to routine public transport use for sustainability and environmental protection.