The Role of trust with car-sharing services in the sharing economy in China: From the consumers’ perspective

Abstract

The development and advancement of ICT enable people to share excess capacity (e.g., car, apartment). In this paper, we focus on Didi Chuxing, which is one of the most prominent examples of car-sharing services in the sharing economy in China. This study aims to investigate the role of trust with car-sharing services in sharing economy from the consumers’ perspective. Based on the literature review, a research model with eight research hypotheses is proposed. The research model is empirically tested with Didi Chuxing by using survey data collected from a sample of 309 subjects. Six research hypotheses are significant supported, while two research hypotheses are rejected in this study. The results indicate that the most important determinant for the consumers’ trust in the car-sharing service platform is platform reputation. In addition, increased degree of the consumers’ familiarity with the car-sharing service platform has a positive impact the consumers’ trust in the car-sharing service platform. However, the perceived car-sharing service platform reputation has a positive impact on the consumers’ trust in drivers on the platform.