Service quality in public transport understanding user and non user perspectives a case of Ahmedabad

Abstract

Public transport is a sustainable alternative to personalised modes but attracting people to public transport is not always easy. Therefore, undertaking research that can help understand and identify the service quality factors which influence decisions in favour of public transport becomes important. This study aims to analyse service quality of public transport from the perspective of existing public transport (PT) users and non-users and determine the key service attributes that can help motivate ridership on public transport. Using Ahmedabad as a case, an empirical study of existing PT users (city bus services and Bus Rapid Transit System), shared auto users and personalised mode (two wheeler and car) users has been undertaken. Perceptions of users and non-users were captured through Importance Performance Analysis and Importance Analysis of different PT service attributes respectively. Perceptions of service providers and sector experts were studied through the Analytical Hierarchy Process. For assessing the relative importance of key service attributes, stated choice methods were employed. The research suggests the need to look at the overall public transport journey experience for service quality assessment rather than focusing on only some of the components. An approach of Perceived Equivalent Journey Time (PEJT) analysis has been proposed for evaluating PT service quality perceptions of different user groups and assessing impact of each attribute in the overall journey perception. It was seen that out-of-vehicle factors contribute highly in the overall service quality perception of users while for nonusers in-vehicle factors are more important. The research presents a service quality assessment framework from user perspective which can be used by PT agencies to monitor efficacy of service improvement measures in enhancing user satisfaction levels. The study brings out that quality attribute weights are dependent on the service level experienced and hence may need to be assessed periodically.