¹Chia-Chih Chang, ²Tzu-Ching

¹Feng Chia University, Taiwan Doctoral Program of Business Administration, Wenhua Road, Xitun District, Taichung City 407, Taiwan

²Feng Chia University, Taiwan Doctoral Program of Business Administration, Wenhua Road, Xitun District, Taichung City 407, Taiwan

DOI : https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i4n02

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ABSTRACT

This study explores how emerging rail transit systems restructure the spatial mobility and social practices of urban residents. Moving beyond the neutral perspective of traditional transport research focused on "operational performance" and "average service quality," this study introduces Data Personification, Mobility Socialization, and Spatial Empowerment as its core theoretical frameworks. By analyzing longitudinal passenger satisfaction data from the Taichung MRT (TMRT) from 2023 to 2025 (Total N=4,645), this research transforms monotonous demographic and satisfaction indicators into three core passenger Personas characterized by distinct behavioral motivations and sociological implications: "The Steadfast Pink-Collar Worker," "The Emerging Student Generation," and "Opportunity-driven Leisure Seekers and Senior Explorers". Utilizing cross-tabulation, independent sample t-tests, and longitudinal trend analysis, the empirical findings indicate: 1. Path Shift and Spatial Empowerment: In an urban context traditionally centered on private vehicles, the MRT has become a vital medium for women’s spatial empowerment due to its safety advantages (with women valuing safety significantly higher than men, p < .001), facilitating the establishment of stable spatial participation habits. 2. Policy Intervention and Socialization: The implementation of the TPASS (Taiwan Public Transport Pass)—a government-subsidized, regional multi-modal monthly subscription scheme—effectively eliminated the marginal economic cost of travel. This intervention caused the student population proportion to surge to 26.65% and their public transport transfer rate to jump to 41.2%, confirming the policy's effectiveness in fostering independent mobility (Mobility Socialization) among adolescents. 3. Structural Breakthrough: The policy-driven "Virtual Network" has successfully triggered a significant mode shift. Our findings demonstrate that private motorcycle dependency for inbound trips plummeted from 28.3% in 2023 to 10.8% by 2025, proving that multi-modal integration can overcome the physical constraints of a single-line rail system. The constructed "Data Personification" model not only reveals the micro-sociological impacts of emerging rail systems on urban social structures but also provides empirical insights for precision governance and station-area service strategies in motorized cities during periods of transport transition.

KEYWORDS:

Data Personification, Mobility Socialization, Spatial Empowerment, Path Dependency, Public Transport, Taichung MRT

REFERENCES

Chinese Literature and Official Reports 1) Taichung MRT Corp. (2024). 2023 Taichung MRT Passenger Satisfaction Survey Result Report. Taichung: Taichung MRT Corp.

2) Taichung MRT Corp. (2025a). 2024 Taichung MRT Passenger Satisfaction Survey Result Report. Taichung: Taichung MRT Corp.

3) Taichung MRT Corp. (2025b). 2025 Taichung MRT Passenger Satisfaction Survey Result Report. Taichung: Taichung MRT Corp. English Literature

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Cite this Article:Chang, C. C., & Ching, T. (2026). From Data to Mobility Socialization: Longitudinal Construction and Empirical Study of Taichung MRT Passenger Personas (2023-2025). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE HUMANITY & MANAGEMENT RESEARCHS, 5(4), 588-598. https://doi.org/10.58806/ijsshmr.2026.v5i4n02

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 04 April 2026