Kaplan Marcella, Hotle Susan, Heaslip Kevin
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Charles Edward Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 750 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
Center for Transportation Research, University of Tennessee Knoxville, 600 Henley Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, USA.
Transp Policy (Oxf). 2023 Apr;134:217-230. doi: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2023.02.020. Epub 2023 Feb 23.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created an environment where nearly all aspects of mobility changed to ensure the health and safety of the public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that people quarantine for 14 days if they were potentially exposed to the virus, stay at least six feet apart from others, and stay at home as much as possible. Delivery via third-party restaurant app, grocery, and package delivery quickly became an essential service. This study assesses customer's changes in use and perceived quality of delivery services in Southwest Virginia, via an online stated-preference survey (n = 423). The responses were analyzed using ordered logit and generalized ordered logit models to identify which population segments had changing delivery behavior and perceptions due to the pandemic. Findings include that before the pandemic, only households with an income greater than $100,000 had a significantly higher demand for package delivery services than those making less than $25,000. During the pandemic, all income brackets had a significantly higher demand for package delivery "weekly" than households with less than a $25,000 income, with a 19.50%, 22.54%, and 45.59% greater chance of use for income levels $25,000 to $50,000, $50,000 to $100,000, and over $100,000, respectively. This trend highlights that package delivery became necessary during the pandemic. Respondents who lived within town limits were statistically significantly more likely to use third-party restaurant delivery apps at least once a week before (3.10%), during (9.20%), and after (4.50%) the pandemic compared to those outside town limits. The results also found people who lived within town limits were 7.77% more likely to be satisfied with delivery services in general than those who lived outside town limits. The findings from this paper identify expanding delivery equity gaps within the population and provide recommendations for policymakers and delivery agencies. Some limitations include that low sample size did not allow for fully segmented models and meant that the study should be considered exploratory in nature.
新型冠状病毒（COVID-19）大流行营造了一种环境，在此环境下，几乎所有出行方面都发生了变化，以确保公众的健康与安全。美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）建议，若人们可能接触到该病毒，需居家隔离14天，与他人保持至少6英尺的距离，并尽可能待在家里。通过第三方餐厅应用程序、杂货店和包裹递送进行的配送迅速成为一项基本服务。本研究通过一项在线陈述偏好调查（n = 423），评估了弗吉尼亚州西南部客户在配送服务使用情况和感知质量方面的变化。使用有序逻辑回归模型和广义有序逻辑回归模型对回答进行分析，以确定哪些人群因疫情而改变了配送行为和认知。研究结果包括，在疫情之前，只有收入超过10万美元的家庭对包裹递送服务的需求显著高于收入低于2.5万美元的家庭。在疫情期间，所有收入阶层对“每周”包裹递送的需求都显著高于收入低于2.5万美元的家庭，收入在2.5万美元至5万美元、5万美元至10万美元以及超过10万美元的人群使用包裹递送服务的可能性分别高出19.50%、22.54%和45.59%。这一趋势凸显了在疫情期间包裹递送变得不可或缺。居住在城镇范围内的受访者在疫情之前（3.10%）、期间（9.20%）和之后（4.50%）每周至少使用一次第三方餐厅配送应用程序的可能性在统计学上显著高于居住在城镇范围外的受访者。结果还发现，居住在城镇范围内的人总体上对配送服务感到满意的可能性比居住在城镇范围外的人高7.77%。本文的研究结果确定了人群中不断扩大的配送公平差距，并为政策制定者和配送机构提供了建议。一些局限性包括，样本量较小不允许建立完全细分的模型，这意味着该研究本质上应被视为探索性的。
