Peter Sibusiso Gwebu
Abstract
This study investigates the psychological and experiential factors influencing users’ intention to continue using the Uber ride-hailing application in South Africa. Drawing from the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research integrates constructs of user skill, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and enjoyment to explain continuance intention in a mobile service context. A cross-sectional quantitative design was adopted, and data were collected through a structured online survey completed by 340 active Uber users in Gauteng Province. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess measurement and structural models. The findings reveal that user skill significantly predicts perceived usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment. Furthermore, perceived ease of use, usefulness, and enjoyment each have a significant and positive influence on users’ intention to continue using the Uber app. Enjoyment also exerts an indirect influence on continuance intention via perceived usefulness. The strongest effects were observed between user skill and perceived ease of use, and between perceived usefulness and continuance intention, highlighting the importance of both digital self-efficacy and perceived utility in fostering sustained usage. These results offer key managerial insights for ride-hailing service providers operating in emerging markets. Specifically, enhancing user digital skills, designing for cognitive simplicity, and fostering hedonic engagement may lead to stronger platform loyalty. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on mobile app continuance behaviour by demonstrating the integrated role of cognitive, affective, and self-efficacy factors in app-based transport services. It also underscores the importance of context-specific factors such as digital inequality in shaping post-adoption user behaviour.