Unraveling the inconsistency in captive riders’ behaviors and attitudes within public transportation service usage: An integrated modeling approach

Fostering enduring patronage among passengers for public transportation (PT) services is crucial for sustaining ridership. However, a significant concern arises from the inconsistency between passengers' negative attitudes and their robust patronage behaviors toward PT services, particularly evident among the captive riders. This paradox entails the risk of these passengers potentially shifting to alternative transport modes in the future, thereby diminishing ridership. To unravel the intricate dynamics inherent in the relationship between captive riders' attitudes and behaviors, this study introduces a novel integrated model merging Satisfaction-Loyalty Theory (SLT) with Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The integrated model seeks to enhance the comprehension of the mechanisms that drive captive riders' ongoing utilization of PT services, specifically within the context of attitude-behavior inconsistency. Evident in a case study involving 637 samples collected in Dalian, China, the integrated model not only shows excellent goodness-of-fit but also outperforms both the conventional SLT and TPB frameworks. It excels in explaining why captive riders may persist in their behaviors towards the service even in the face of dissatisfaction and highlights how the perceived service quality shapes their attitudes and behaviors. This substantially contributes to the development of targeted service improvement strategies for sustaining captive riders’ continued patronage.