| Summary, etc. |
The study aimed to determine the impact of the state's regulatory role on improving the performance level of ride-hailing projects, and to identify the importance of a unified platform for companies operating in the ride-hailing sector. It also aimed to determine the degree of presence of good specifications on both the platforms and applications of ride-hailing services operating in Egypt, as well as to identify the most significant challenges facing ride-hailing projects and ways to overcome them.A main hypothesis was formulated to test the statistical significance of the state's regulatory role's impact on improving the performance of ride-hailing projects in Egypt. Four sub-hypotheses were derived from this main hypothesis, namely the existence of a statistically significant impact of each of the following on improving the performance of ride-hailing projects: establishing a unified platform, the Ministry of Transport's license, data security, and data management.Four scales were designed to achieve the study's objectives. The first scale related to the performance of ride-hailing projects, the second related to measuring the importance of the unified platform, the Ministry of Transport's license, and data security and management, the third related to measuring the good specifications of ride-hailing companies' platforms, and the fourth related to measuring the good specifications of ride-hailing companies' applications. To achieve the study's objectives and test its hypotheses, a questionnaire was designed, and its data were collected from a sample of 100 specialists and a sample of 6 ride-hailing companies. The data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software, employing the following statistical tools: weighted average, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, simple correlation coefficient, path analysis, multiple regression analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Tables with frequencies and percentages, as well as graphs, were used to present the results.<br/>The results showed a strong agreement among the study sample on the importance of the four independent variables related to establishing a unified platform, requiring a Ministry of Transport license as a condition for ride-hailing companies to operate, ensuring and preserving customer data, and making data available and managing it by the concerned authorities, with weighted averages ranging between 4.13 and 4.33.On the other hand, the opinions of the study sample agreed on the high-performance level of ride-hailing projects as a dependent variable, with a weighted average of 4.24. The most significant and highest-rated aspect of this performance was the necessity of implementing ride-hailing legislation through a unified platform to monitor the performance of companies operating in the ride-hailing sector.The results of testing the main hypothesis of the study showed that the impact of the state's regulatory role on improving the performance of ride-hailing projects is positive. Similarly, the results of testing the sub-hypotheses of the four variables (establishing a unified platform, the Ministry of Transport's license, data security, and data management) on the performance of ride-hailing projects.By examining the specifications of a good platform for the ride-hailing companies in the study sample, which included 26 characteristics, the study results showed that 14 characteristics (53.9%) were present on all platforms of the sampled companies, and 9 other characteristics (34.6%) varied in their presence among the companies, while 3 characteristics (11.5%) were absent from all ride-hailing platforms in the study sample. Regarding the specifications of good smartphone applications, which numbered 14 characteristics, the results on the sampled applications showed that 8 characteristics (57.1%) were present in all applications, while 6 characteristics (42.9%) varied in their presence among the applications of some companies but not others.<br/>The results also indicated that the most significant challenges facing ride-hailing include legislative challenges such as weak adherence of companies to regulations and organized laws, difficulty in coordination between concerned authorities, and the failure of legislation to keep pace with modern developments in ride-hailing. There were also technical and security challenges such as some companies storing and managing data outside Egypt and weak communication services in some areas, as well as economic and social challenges including the need for drivers to have training programs on communication and maintenance skills, and the need for some vehicles to be updated.The study concluded with 17 recommendations divided into three main areas. The first area includes recommendations related to the state's regulatory role over ride-hailing projects, including: accelerating the implementation procedures for launching the unified ride-hailing platform to monitor the application of legislation and laws and establishing a mechanism for continuous review and updating to keep pace with developments in information technology; the importance of covering all areas with internet services to provide ride-hailing services to customers and drivers; and establishing an expert office within the Ministry of Transport with a special nature to provide technical advice, training, and scientific research in the field of ride-hailing.The second area includes recommendations related to ride-hailing companies, including: the rapid connection of companies to the unified platform; the necessity of activating some smart technological services (Smart App), such as activating facial recognition for drivers; adhering to the issuance of the necessary permit to practice the activity; committing to storing data in secure and reliable local data centers within Egypt and securing that data; directing ride-hailing companies to keep a copy of the data with a unified data center and making it available to the authorities responsible for monitoring ride-hailing; and the continued efforts of companies to enhance the good specifications of platforms and add other good specifications that are not currently present, especially indicating the existence of a license to practice the activity on the platform, and adding contact numbers for technical support. It also includes the necessity of adding services that do not present in some of the sampled companies' mobile applications, such as activating voice recording during the trip, and providing a tracking feature that allows another person within the family to share the trip route, while emphasizing the necessity of having an emergency request icon in case of a problem during the trip.The third area concerns recommendations for finding solutions to the challenges facing ride-hailing. These recommendations include those related to the state, such as establishing a customer service center affiliated with the concerned authorities to follow up on the implementation of solutions, and striving to establish national companies affiliated with the Ministry of Transport to maintain balance in the level and prices of services. There are also recommendations related to this area that concern companies, including the necessity of paying attention to training and developing the human element of drivers on customer communication skills, adding a feature to the applications for people with disabilities to identify and choose the appropriate vehicle for them according to the state's plan to integrate them into social life, and working to modernize vehicles and provide attractive incentives for drivers wishing to update their vehicles.Finally, the recommendations concluded with the presentation of a proposed action plan for establishing a unified regulatory platform for ride-hailing companies. |