This research examines how responsiveness affects e-hailing service performance through the mediating role of professionalism. Despite Malaysia’s rapid digital transformation in public transportation, empirical insights into behavioral drivers of service quality remain limited. Adopting a quantitative approach, data were gathered from 391 e-hailing users in Kuala Lumpur using structured questionnaires. The responses were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via SmartPLS to test direct and indirect effects. The study integrates SERVQUAL and Sociological theories to provide a multidimensional explanation of how responsiveness and professional behavior shape performance outcomes. Findings reveal that responsiveness directly improves service performance and indirectly strengthens it through professionalism. Drivers’ courteous communication, punctuality, and commitment to ethical conduct are identified as crucial contributors to customer satisfaction and trust. This research expands the application of SERVQUAL theory by empirically validating professionalism as a mediating construct, contributing both theoretically and practically to service management and e-hailing quality improvement in Malaysia.
Adu-Brobbey, D., & Asare, N. (2020). Responsiveness and service performance in customer relationship management. International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology, 11(2), 45–59.
Ali, M., & Raza, S. A. (2020). Service quality perception and customer satisfaction in app-based transportation: Evidence from developing markets. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 30(3), 289–308.
APAD. (2022). Annual report on Malaysia’s e-hailing and transport performance. Land Public Transport Agency, Government of Malaysia.
Choudhury, S., & Maheshwari, A. (2021). The role of responsiveness and digital experience in consumer satisfaction: Evidence from mobility platforms. Journal of Services Marketing, 35(6), 809–823.
Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: The tailored design method (4th ed.). Wiley.
Durkheim, E. (1895). The rules of sociological method. Free Press.
Dyer, S., Keller, J., & Farmer, T. (2019). Professionalism and ethical behaviour in service industries: A conceptual synthesis. Journal of Business Ethics, 157(4), 981–994.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2019). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Hogan, R., Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Kaiser, R. B. (2013). Employability and career success: Bridging the gap between theory and practice. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 6(1), 3–16.
Kim, H., & Lee, S. (2020). Professional ethics, customer satisfaction, and service quality: Evidence from the hospitality industry. Service Industries Journal, 40(7–8), 553–575.
Kuo, Y.-F., Chen, J.-Y., & Hsu, C.-W. (2020). Investigating the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction in ride-hailing services. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 136, 1–13.
Lee, T. W. (1994). Professionalism and organizational performance: A sociological perspective. Management Review Quarterly, 9(1), 45–58.
Ndubisi, N. O. (2006). Relationship marketing and customer loyalty. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 24(1), 98–106.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.
Parsons, T. (1951). The social system. Free Press.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster.
Rahman, M. S., Ahmad, N. H., & Ali, S. (2022). Behavioural determinants of professionalism and customer satisfaction in e-hailing services: Evidence from Malaysia. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 34(9), 1903–1922.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2020). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (8th ed.). Wiley.
Wu, J., & Chen, M. (2022). The effects of service responsiveness on consumer trust in digital transportation: A cross-national perspective. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 15, Article 100671.
Yu, W., Jacobs, M., Salisbury, W. D., & Enns, H. (2014). The effects of supply chain integration on customer responsiveness and financial performance. Journal of Operations Management, 32(7–8), 682–697.
Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., & Gremler, D. D. (2018). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Ramli, M. S. S. bin, & Yusof, R. N. R. (2026). Service Quality Determinants of E-Hailing Performance: The Mediating Role of Professionalism in Kuala Lumpur. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(1), 798-811.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
