مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد تاثیر مسیر بر روی درک کیفیت خدمات حمل و نقل عمومی – الزویر 2018

User satisfaction is a key indicator of public service quality, especially for those services considered basic necessities. The conceptualization and measurement of transport service quality—a fundamental determinant of demand—poses challenges for conducting economic analyses and designing mobility policies. Several operating companies are involved in the transport sector. In this paper, the bus network of the metropolitan area of Granada, Spain, is taken as a case study. The aim is to design a model of overall satisfaction based on level of satisfaction using a specific set of factors that take into account the individual characteristics of users and the differential effect of using different bus lines. A combined method using nonlinear principal component analysis (NLPCA) and a logit multilevel model (LMLM) in two steps is applied to a satisfaction survey conducted by the Metropolitan Transport Consortium of Granada (Consorcio de Transporte Metropolitano del área de Granada) in 2013. The survey shows that even though customers within the metropolitan area of Granada are satisfied with the service received (67.26%), the level of satisfaction is not equal for all bus lines, with the perceived quality of some lines being above or below the average. This differential effect is due to different reasons, including the technical and functional performance of the operating companies, commercial speed and length and type of route, among others. Both the operators and the public administration need to focus their attention on these lines in order to design economic policy measures to improve bus lines with below standard compliance.

Introduction

and literature review In order to create a new model of mobility and travel in more sustainable ways, city dwellers must modify their usual behaviour, especially within metropolitan areas (Miralles Guasch, 2002; Lizárraga, 2006). As regards public transport, significant changes are needed which cannot be achieved only by improving the efficiency of vehicle design and traffic management. Changes must also be made in the way transport is considered and how solutions are identified and evaluated (Litman, 2003). The aim of this study is to provide a design model to determine the perceived quality of the public transport service of the metropolitan area of Granada, Spain. To this end, a satisfaction survey of the bus network conducted in 2013 by the Metropolitan Transport Consortium of Granada was used as a case study. It is important to note that the interurban transport service of Granada is heterogeneous because it is managed by several operators with different lines or routes which provide service to fifty-two towns. The measurement and conceptualization of public transport quality is one of the greatest challenges of economic analyses and mobility policies given the importance of such data for both the companies that provide these services and the public administration (Román et al., 2014). Quality of service, as well as transport fares, price of petrol, personal disposable income, unemployment rates and vehicle ownership, have been considered essential factors that determine public transport demand (Paulley et al., 2006; Holmgren, 2007; Cordera et al., 2015). Public policies aimed at promoting the use of public transport as a means to reduce traffic jams and pollution must create a more appealing image focused on markets in order to make the this type of transport more competitive than private vehicles (Beirão and Cabral, 2007: 478; dell’Olio et al., 2010: 388). The study of public transport quality forms part of the field of service quality; an ambiguous concept at the crossroads of a wide range of attributes (Grönroos, 1984; Parasuraman et al., 1985; Hensher et al., 2003; Paulley et al., 2006; Beirão and Cabral, 2007; de Oña et al., 2016). For this reason, it opens up and interesting field of research with practical implications for transport suppliers and authorities.