The influence of app function evolution on transport SuperApp use behaviour over time

Abstract

In the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in smartphone apps that are designed to help users optimise their daily activities. As a result, there has been a noticeable impact on travel demand. Some of these apps have evolved with the incorporation of additional functions in a gradual transformation into multi-function apps or SuperApps, thereby providing users with more integrated and personalised services for a wider range of activities. Focusing on Transport SuperApps (TSA) in Indonesia, this study aims to investigate how app usage behaviour interacts with the evolving functions of these apps over time. The study further examines the influence of personality traits, socio-demographic factors, and residential location on app usage patterns. In this study, longitudinal data on TSA usage from 2015–2022 was collected from users in four Indonesian cities. The Latent Markov (LMM) and Negative Binomial (NBM) Models were used to analyse the transition of behaviours, app types, and the number of apps used. The findings reveal that transport and shopping services are the most popular and consistently utilised services by users. The results suggest that the introduction of new services has a positive impact on the number of TSA services used. However, some services were found to be used only temporarily, primarily serving as alternatives to support users’ daily needs and desires. Initial higher service usage was observed among educated users with sociable and disorganised personalities, while discontinuation of usage is associated with older users and affluent households. Higher transition and continuation to use more services are also observed in larger cities like Jakarta compared to smaller cities like Cianjur.