TITLE:
Factors Affecting the Adoption and Usage of Luggage Tracking System by Public Transporters Based on TAM Model
AUTHORS:
George Kasanga, Jackson Phiri
KEYWORDS:
Public Transport, Luggage Tracking, TAM, RFID, GPS, Web Technologies
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.8 No.2,
March
23,
2020
ABSTRACT: Technology
has revolutionized communication, and how
services can be delivered to the intended end-users. Many
areas such as supply chain, logistics, health, aviation, and education have
been greatly influenced. Despite all the technological advancements, public
transportation in Zambia, which is dominated by bus operators, still
faces challenges in computerizing and automating their business processes, to
improve service delivery. The problem of misplaced and missing luggage is among
the problems the operators are currently facing. The first
objective was to identify the challenges faced by bus operators in managing
passenger luggage and factors that affect the adoption of technology. A
population of bus operators and passengers was identified, of which a sample
was conveniently drawn from the intercity bus terminus. Technology Adoption Model (TAM) was used in this research to guide the
development of questionnaires, interviews and observations, in order to
understand the business processes and operations. Results from
the study show a link between the use of technology in managing passengers’
language, ease of use and usefulness of the technology. Furthermore, the
results show that 28% of the sample population misplaced or lost luggage during
a journey. Most participants in the research expressed willingness to use a
system that can allow for real-time monitoring of luggage, with a few
expressing security concerns of a system that is connected to the internet. The study
recommends the development of luggage tracking system based on RFID, GPS and
GSM technologies with a GUI to aid bus
operators in managing passenger luggage, which will improve accountability and reduce lost customer
luggage incidences.