Contextualizing the Transition to Electrification of Utility Vehicle (UV) Express Operations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19456112Keywords:
UV Express, Vehicle Electrification, EV TransitionAbstract
This study examined the transition to electric and hybrid vehicle electrification in UV Express operations in the Greater Manila Area by centering on the lived managerial realities of operators, driver-operators, and cooperative officers. Other public utility vehicle modes were included only for contextual comparison, while the technological scope was limited to electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) under the current modernization agenda. The study approached electrification as an unfolding cross-sectional modernization context, capturing how operators interpreted and responded to policy and technology uncertainties as these were being experienced in practice. Using a Constructivist Grounded Theory orientation with iterative and cyclical field engagement, the study generated qualitative evidence primarily through intensive semi-structured interviews conducted across two iterative rounds, supported by field notes, memos, non-participant observations, and relevant documents for triangulation. Interviews were audio-recorded with consent and analyzed through constant comparison, analytic memoing, and iterative coding to refine emerging concepts across cases. Purposive sampling focused on participants with sustained UV Express involvement, active operational engagement, and decision-making roles in route management, maintenance, dispatch, financing, and cooperative governance. Findings showed that electrification was not understood by operators as a simple vehicle substitution, but as a governance-and-continuity problem embedded in livelihood-dependent transport operations. Adoption became plausible when route viability and passenger trust could be maintained, livelihood investments were not overexposed to cash-flow pressures and downtime risk, and governance arrangements made the transition fair, credible, and operationally workable. The study advances a grounded explanation of electrification as a process of conditional alignment, in which strategic deferral may function as a rational form of livelihood protection under boundary-based operating conditions. It also offers a practice-oriented operational framework that may inform policy sequencing, cooperative planning, and service ecosystem readiness, particularly in relation to charging access, repair support, parts availability, technician capability, and credible service commitments.
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