Measuring service quality in urban bus transport: a modified SERVQUAL approach

Abstract

PurposeThe paper adapts and applies a modified SERVQUAL approach compliant with the EN 13816, a European standard on service quality in public transport. The purpose of the study is to provide a quality evaluation tool readily usable by transport operators willing to certify the service offered.Design/methodology/approachCorrespondence between the SERVQUAL and the standard is ensured by guaranteeing that the 15 attributes investigated encompass the eight macro‐areas of the norm. Primary data were collected by means of an on‐board survey conducted in Cagliari over a two week period.FindingsThe study shows the possibility to implement a SERVQUAL approach abiding by the requirements set by the EN 13816. The results illustrate a high degree of importance placed on attributes such as on‐board security, bus reliability, cleanliness and frequency, with these latter three characterized by the widest negative gaps between perceptions and expectations. The sole quantitative supply of transport does not seem to influence quality perceptions more than attributes such as staff courtesy and bus comfort.Research limitations/implicationsThe results are too specific to enable their generalization. Moreover, the SERVQUAL framework might be improved with the inclusion of additional attributes.Originality/valueThe study provides public transport operators with a tool characterized by a good degree of openness and flexibility, so to fit individual needs. It might also be of interest for practitioners wishing to explore the main drivers of satisfaction among transport users.

A hybrid fuzzy methodology to evaluate customer satisfaction in a public transportation system for Istanbul

“…According to their results, the service experience was multidimensional, consisting of a cognitive dimension related to SERVQUAL and two affective dimensions related to positive activation, such as enthusiasm or boredom, and positive deactivation, such as relaxation or stress. Barabino, Deiana, and Tilocca (2012) used the modified SERVQUAL approach compliant with the EN13816, a European standard on SERVQUAL in public transport. Castillo and Benitez (2012) determined a methodology to identify and quantify the relationship between the ratings given to the overall satisfaction and those given to specific aspects of the service or specific ratings to measure the quality of public transport through user surveys by rating different aspects of the service.…”

Characterizing, measuring, and managing transit service quality

“…The SERVQUAL methodology was proposed as a framework for the concurrent evaluation of desires and perceptions in terms of a single service aspect or parameter (). Its application to transit services has been limited (), but this methodology is used extensively in the service industry () despite some criticisms (). One major criticism of SERVQUAL was raised by who asserted that explanations of the desires and wants of consumers could be vague.…”

“…Therefore, managers are able to monitor users' desires whenever they measure satisfaction. Although many data collection methods can be used in TRANSQUAL, they are collected through on‐board interviews in which passengers give marks in suitable not‐binary ranges .…”

Conceptualising The Free Bus Service Quality Performance Assessment

“…According to Muthupandian and Vijayakumar (2012) the model of SERVQUAL helped in focusing on the grey area in ensuring the high quality of service that should be received by every passenger that ride public transports. Barabino, Deiana and Tilocca (2012) also stated that this model measured on several features of the passengers' expectations and perceptions on the bus service quality, in which the end results helped in the improvement and implementation of programs on public transportation services organised by the agencies. The application of this model in identifying the free bus service quality performance is necessary and important in establishing the specific attributes that influent the level of service quality.…”