Modelling user perception of bus transit quality considering user and service heterogeneity

Abstract

Transport operating companies and decision-makers not only have to satisfy the demand for transport but they must also provide a quality service which is attractive to customers. This article presents a methodology to model bus transit quality in the city of Santander using user perception data. The perceived quality has been estimated with random-ordered probit models. First, general service user population models are presented which initially only consider the service attributes and later introduce systematic variations in taste which have economic and social implications. Second, the quality perceived in different bus lines is analysed. The results show that each line is perceived differently by its users who prioritise different aspects and that heterogeneity is clearly present in the perception of service quality. However, if the measures that need to be taken aim to improve the overall service, partial effects suggest that changes need to be made in the aspects where improvements have the greatest impact on quality: reliability, journey time, available information and driver kindness, meaning that service improvement strategies need to be designed around these aspects.

The effects of travel time and cost savings on commuters’ decision to travel on public transport routes involving transfers

“…Bordagaray et al (2014) have shown that this variation is due to socio-economic characteristics as well as the particular route line the commuter uses. Although the present study is case-specific in terms of the surveys' locations and the participants, the study contributes to current knowledge by developing a method which can be progressed by future studies to gain a better understanding of users' perceptive related to transfers.…”

“…Bordagaray et al (2014) have shown that heterogeneity exist in users' perception of overall services and of individual lines in the network. Therefore, as stated earlier, the estimated values are provided as guidelines which can be used by planners.…”

“…However, it is certainly expected to have a high variation in human-behaviour type data on perception. Bordagaray et al (2014) stated that perception of services is likely to vary among users. Eqs.…”

“…Such systems work as ''one unit'' and give users more destination options. Thus, the quality of service needs to be investigated in order to meet the requirements (Bordagaray et al, 2014). The aim of the present study is to determine the smallest increase in travel time and cost savings which will induce a change in route choice.…”

A Bus Service Evaluation Method from Passenger’s Perspective Based on Satisfaction Surveys: A Case Study of Beijing, China

“…Many studies have focused on the satisfaction evaluation and performance assessment of public transportation. Some related studies have been conducted on the topics of the index system construction [1,2], the method of evaluation [2,3] and the analysis of the influencing factors [4,5]. Table 1.…”