UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN SUSTAINABLE RIDE-HAILING SERVICES A CASE STUDY OF GREEN SM IN HO CHI MINH CITY

As ride-hailing services continue to expand across Vietnam, competition among platforms has become increasingly intense, making customer loyalty a critical issue for long-term business sustainability. At the same time, growing environmental awareness has encouraged the emergence of greener transportation alternatives, including Green SM, Vietnam’s pioneering electric ride-hailing platform. Against this backdrop, the present study explores how perceived service quality, safety perception, and sustainability-driven brand image influence customer satisfaction and customer loyalty among Green SM users in Ho Chi Minh City. The study also examines the mediating role of customer satisfaction in linking these factors to customer loyalty. The empirical results reveal that perceived service quality, safety perception, and sustainability-driven brand image all contribute positively to customer satisfaction. Among these determinants, safety perception emerged as the most influential factor. The findings further demonstrate that customer satisfaction significantly enhances customer loyalty and serves as an important mediating mechanism through which the three antecedent variables affect loyalty outcomes. By examining both conventional service-related factors and sustainability- oriented perceptions within a unified framework, this study provides a broader perspective on customer loyalty formation in the context of sustainable ride-hailing services. The findings offer useful managerial insights for Green SM and other mobility providers seeking to improve customer satisfaction, strengthen customer retention, and build sustainable competitive advantages in an increasingly dynamic transportation market.