Understanding the roles of risk and trust in the context of collaborative consumption: A test of competing models

Based on a survey of 266 ridesharing consumers in the United States, the study investigates relative impacts of trust and risk on intentions to continue using the service by comparing three alternative models via SEM analysis. We examine specific trust and risk sub-dimensions that are salient in the online-to-offline environment and identify a mechanism of their joint effects on consumer decision-making. Our findings show that risk does not directly affect intentions in this collaborative consumption context but is mediated by consumer trust. The results highlight the importance of trust-building efforts for ridesharing service providers.