Sui Tao, Xiyan Chen, Jing Ma
With the rapid diffusion of smartphones, smartphone applications have become increasingly important in facilitating daily trip-making decisions, and received particular attention in their role in shaping travel behaviour. However, few studies have systematically explored the complex relationships among smartphone use for transport purposes, travel behaviour, and travel satisfaction for different travel modes. Based on survey data in Beijing, this study employs structural equation modelling (SEM) to investigate how smartphone use may affect travel frequency and preferences, as well as the reciprocal effects, and how smartphone use and travel behaviour jointly affect travel satisfaction. The results revealed that smartphone use was positively linked to increased travel satisfaction and exhibited a mutually reinforcing effect with self-reported travel frequency across the three mode categories, namely, public transport, private travel, and active travel. However, the relationship between smartphone use and mode preference varied across travel modes. Specifically, smartphone use was linked to higher preference for public travel, while negatively linked to the preference for private travel. It is recommended to develop policy strategies that better promote smartphone apps to enhance the travel experience by public travel modes, and support active travel through infrastructure improvements.