INFLUENCE OF PASSENGER TECHNOLOGY READINESS ON ELECTRONIC TICKETING SYSTEMS ADOPTION: A CASE OF TANZANIA STANDARD GAUGE RAILWAY (SGR)

Abstrak

This study assessed the influence of passenger technology readiness on Electronic Ticketing Systems (ETS) adoption at Tanzania standard gauge railway focusing on the Dar es Salaam to Dodoma corridor. The study was guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT).  A quantitative cross-sectional research design was employed. Data were collected from railway passengers using a structured questionnaire from 139 respondent collected from convenient sampling and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. The findings revealed a generally high level of passenger technology readiness toward electronic ticketing system adoption. Performance expectancy was strongly perceived, with passengers indicating that electronic ticketing system (ETS) makes ticket purchasing faster with mean score (M = 4.40), improves travel efficiency (M = 4.39), and reduces errors (M = 4.27). Effort expectancy was also positively assessed, particularly the ease of learning ETS (M = 4.21) and clarity of the system (M = 4.14). Social influence had a moderate positive contribution, with encouragement from important people recording the highest mean (M = 4.0). Facilitating conditions were generally favorable, particularly access to devices (M = 4.51) and internet connectivity (M = 4.24); however, technical issues recorded the lowest mean (M = 3.13), indicating continuing challenges related to system reliability. Since this study focused on the Dar es Salaam–Dodoma Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) corridor, future research could extend the investigation to other railway corridors and transport modes in Tanzania. Further studies could also employ inferential and predictive modeling techniques, such as structural equation modeling, to examine the strength and direction of causal relationships between UTAUT constructs and actual usage behavior. Additionally, future research could incorporate a qualitative dimension to explore the underlying reasons behind passengers’ perceptions, particularly regarding recurring technical issues and variations in social influence.