ArticlePDF Available

Abstract and Figures

While rail-based public transport is clearly a more advanced and preferable alternative to driving and a way of overcoming traffic congestion and pollution problems, the rate of uptake for rail travel has remained stagnant as a result of various well-known issues such as that commuters either use a more reliable and comfortable alternative to get from A to B and/or that they are not satisfied with the quality of service provided. This study examined the factor of user satisfaction regarding rail-based public transport with the aim of discovering precisely what factors have a significant effect on the user satisfaction and uptake of rail travel. This was approached using both the Delphi approach and a thorough review of the current literature, focusing on a total of nine possible factors affecting passenger satisfaction with rail travel availability of service, accessibility of service, ticket or pass, punctuality , clarity of information, quality of customer service, comfort, safety, and image. Also discussed were 29 extra possible attributes and several measures that were implemented in various countries to increase the service quality. It was concluded that this review will provide valuable information for policymakers, researchers and service providers in terms of specifying the service factors most worth investigating if the quality of this crucial means of transport is to be raised.
Content may be subject to copyright.
Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447 435
ABSTRACT
While rail-based public transport is clearly a more
advanced and preferable alternative to driving and a way
of overcoming trafc congestion and pollution problems,
the rate of uptake for rail travel has remained stagnant
as a result of various well-known issues such as that com-
muters either use a more reliable and comfortable alter-
native to get from A to B and/or that they are not satised
with the quality of service provided. This study examined
the factor of user satisfaction regarding rail-based public
transport with the aim of discovering precisely what fac-
tors have a signicant effect on the user satisfaction and
uptake of rail travel. This was approached using both the
Delphi approach and a thorough review of the current
literature, focusing on a total of nine possible factors af-
fecting passenger satisfaction with rail travel availability
of service, accessibility of service, ticket or pass, punctu-
ality, clarity of information, quality of customer service,
comfort, safety, and image. Also discussed were 29 extra
possible attributes and several measures that were imple-
mented in various countries to increase the service quali-
ty. It was concluded that this review will provide valuable
information for policymakers, researchers and service
providers in terms of specifying the service factors most
worth investigating if the quality of this crucial means of
transport is to be raised.
KEY WORDS
public transport; railway; service quality; user
satisfaction; literature review;
1. INTRODUCTION
In today’s society, public transport plays a vi-
tal role both in urban and rural settings and most
people are either directly or indirectly affected by
the quality, availability and accessibility of public
transport services. Many countries have prioritised
developing good public rail services in order to cut
down on car dependency. Indeed, it is now univer-
sally recognised that dependence on cars is a very
negative development which has only led to trafc
jams, environmental problems, noise, accidents and
air contamination in most of the cities worldwide.
[1]. One of the central steps in ensuring sustainabil-
ity is, therefore, to provide good public transport
systems which offer a high quality and affordable
alternative for citizens and which will lead to a re-
duction in the use of private vehicles. Mouwen [2]
argued that emissions by urban passenger transport
could be reduced by up to 40% by 2050 if commut-
ers switched to alternative means of transport, such
as cycling, walking, or rail travel in cities. Also,
Soehodho [3] conrmed that the number of trafc
accidents would be reduced by providing cheap
public transport which fullled the capacity needs
of travellers.
Unfortunately, the investment and speedy de-
velopment of public transport services by govern-
ments is not always accompanied by the eagerness
AHMAD NAZRUL HAKIMI IBRAHIM, M.Sc.1
E-mail: nazrulhakimi@siswa.ukm.edu.my
MUHAMAD NAZRI BORHAN, Ph.D.1
(Corresponding author)
E-mail: mnazri_borhan@ukm.edu.my
NUR IZZI MD. YUSOFF, Ph.D.1
E-mail: izzi@ukm.edu.my
AMIRUDDIN ISMAIL, Ph.D.1
E-mail: aismail@ukm.edu.my
1 Department of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
Human-Transport Interaction
Review
Submitted: 23 May 2019
Accepted: 19 Feb. 2020
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
RAIL-BASED PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICE
QUALITY AND USER SATISFACTION – A LITERATURE
REVIEW
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
436 Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447
increasing the ridership? This paper benets re-
searchers and rail-based public transport service
providers by identifying the service factors to be
investigated when addressing the quality of any
rail-based public transport service. Furthermore,
this study identies and discusses the key recom-
mended strategies which need to be adopted if any
real improvement in passenger satisfaction with rail
services is going to take place.
The present review next presents its considered
denition of service factors, followed by a discus-
sion of the factors that affect passenger satisfaction
with public rail transportation. The last section con-
cludes by summarising the primary ndings of the
present review and provides recommendations for
policies which would help improve the passenger
satisfaction.
2. DEFINING SERVICE FACTORS
Even a brief review of the current literature on this
topic reveals how different variables are employed to
discuss the inuences on passenger satisfaction with
rail transport. This means that there were, in fact,
two steps to selecting which denitive service fac-
tors would be employed in the current study: namely,
the literature review and the Delphi approach. Based,
therefore, on a thorough review of the literature, an
initial index of themes and sub-themes was drawn
up, with a total of nine themes selected. These were:
availability of service, accessibility of service, ticket
or pass, comfort, time, information, customer ser-
vice, safety, and image. In addition, 34 sub-themes
were selected from a thorough review of the litera-
ture, using the Delphi method for identifying the cor-
responding sub-themes for each theme, which would
enable the evaluation of the level of importance for
each theme and sub-theme. The Delphi method was
adopted for this study because it would offer a deeper
insight by requiring not just one but several rounds
of questionnaires in an iterative process with experts.
Also, the anonymity of the respondents through this
method would ensure less bias and remove the possi-
ble effects of group pressure [19].
At the beginning of the Delphi process a survey
was designed which would attempt to assess the
opinions of specialists such as researchers and engi-
neers on the nine themes and 34 sub-themes which
were identied from the literature review. This ques-
tionnaire was comprised of two sections, the rst of
which matched the sub-themes with their relevant
themes, while the second used a ve-point Likert
to adopt such facilities. Van Lierop et al. [4] pointed
out that in many parts of the world the use of pub-
lic transport remains at a lower rate than the use of
private vehicles. Masirin et al. [5] conrmed that
this is the case in Kuala Lumpur, where the uptake
of rail-based public transport is still low, in spite of
huge investments over the past few decades. For
Zulkii et al. [6] the rate of rail-based ridership is
also one of the most serious concerns in Asian lit-
erature, due to the factors such as travel costs [7-9],
quality of service [10, 11], paucity of connections,
long distances to and from the stations and home or
workplace [12]. The habits are also recognised as
signicantly affecting the public choice to use pub-
lic transport [13]. Habits, of course, are built when
a particular action is routinely repeated with a cer-
tain amount of stability, resulting in benecial out-
comes. It is a regrettable and widely-recognised fact
that populations are generally reluctant to change
their habit of using private vehicles since they are
faster and able to support a busy lifestyle by offer-
ing more privacy, exibility, comfort, convenience,
reliability, independence, [14, 15].
Given this situation, it is necessary, therefore, to
develop new strategies to make rail transport more
attractive in terms of its sustainability and to nd
ways to attract new users of public transport while
retaining the existing ones [16, 17]. The challenge
is to offer a high-quality public service which fulls
passenger expectations, ensures their satisfaction
and offers value for money. Passengers who are
pleased with the provided rail system will not only
be encouraged to continue using the service in the
future but will be inclined to recommend the ser-
vice to others [4]. It is, therefore, very important to
investigate the user satisfaction with the quality of
the rail-based public transport service in their area.
Generally, it could be said that it is crucial for
policymakers and practitioners to identify and ful-
ly understand precisely which factors inuence the
passenger satisfaction with rail-based public trans-
port prior to formulating comprehensive strategies
for increasing the ridership [18]. In recognition of
the swift development of rail-based public transport
worldwide, it was essential for this study to thor-
oughly review the previous studies in order to gain
a greater understanding of these satisfaction factors.
This study was guided by the following two research
questions: (1) What are the factors inuencing the
user satisfaction? (2) What are the recommended
strategies for improving the user satisfaction and
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447 437
Table 1 – Description of attributes
Factor Attribute Description
Availability of service
Frequency Number of trips per day;
Network coverage Extension of the rail line for users to access other destination;
Operating hours Operating hours of service;
Parking facility Availability of parking facilities at railway stations;
Accessibility of service
Accessibility Availability of railway to accommodate as many users as possible and
ease of boarding and alighting the train;
Ease of transfer/ Distance Simplest connection for users to another rail line/vehicle;
Ticket/Pass
Ticket price Monetary cost of travel;
Type of tickets/ Pass Various types of tickets/passes such as student, infant and senior citizen
passes or daily, weekly or monthly passes;
Information
On-board information
Up-to-date, precise and reliable information on board (such as route,
stop announcement, advertisement, operating hour, service interrup-
tion);
Information at stations
Up-to-date, precise and reliable information is provided at stations
(such as price, route, stop announcement, advertisement, operating hour,
service interruption);
Travel time
Punctuality Punctuality of train departure and arrival;
Access time Time taken by user to access the railway station from origin;
Travel speed Time spent in train to travel between specic points;
Waiting time Length of waiting time before boarding the train;
Transfer time Time taken by user to transfer to another rail line/vehicle;
Customer service
Driver and
personnel behaviour Attitude and courteousness of the drivers and personnel;
Customer service Effectiveness and swiftness when dealing with user’s daily problems
such as ticket purchasing, auto-gate and ticket validation problem;
Comfort
Cleanliness Level of cleanliness in trains and at the station;
Comfort Level of comfort during the journey in terms of driver handling, access
to seat, leg room on board, comfortable seating;
Seating capacity Number of seats on a train;
Quality of vehicles Physical and mechanical condition of trains, including frequency of
breakdown;
Noise Noise level in trains or at stations;
Temperature Temperature in the train, including air conditioning, heating and venti-
lation;
Waiting condition Quality of waiting environment at stations;
Safety
On board safety Level of safety from crime and accidents in the train;
Safety at station Level of safety from crime and accidents at the station. Safety at station
includes protected walkway, speed limit sign, warning sign, signage;
Image
Image Users’ perception of rail-based public transport or their involvement
with the service;
Eco-friendly Rail-based public transport is greener than for private vehicles.
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
438 Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447
availability of service comprises several factors, in-
cluding service provision, frequency, network cov-
erage, and parking facilities.
The frequency of service is, of course, a key fac-
tor for passengers in the availability of public rail
transportation and has an impact on passenger sat-
isfaction [29, 30]. In fact, Mouwen [2], Tyrinopou-
los & Antoniou [23] and Shen et al. [28] argued
that public transport users perceive frequency as
the largest determinant of whether they would be
willing to depend less on motor vehicles and adopt
public transport [36]. This nding is supported by
Khalid et al. [25] who concluded that the switch to
using commuter trains (KTM commuter) is always
reliant on the service frequency provided by the
service provider (KTMB). As would be expected,
higher frequency positively affects public trans-
port efciency, makes a trip more predictable and
shortens the perceived time, whereas a low-fre-
quency service results in problems like congestion
in rush hours, extended waiting periods, overload-
ing of trains and overcrowding at stations. Natu-
rally, such factors cause users to feel dissatised
with the service on offer and, consequently, less
inclined to adopt the service. A low-frequency
public rail transportation service, unsurprisingly,
results in low ridership [37, 38]. The uptake of
public rail transportation in many developed coun-
tries, such as the United Kingdom, South Korea,
Japan and the United States is high because of bet-
ter frequency compared to that in many develop-
ing countries. For instance, the frequency of the
underground service in South Korea is between 3
to 5 minutes, compared to 15 minutes during peak
hours and 30 minutes during off-peak hours for
commuter trains in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [25].
It is widely agreed that this is the primary reason
for the low rate of ridership of commuter trains in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a situation which has re-
sulted in a very high number of user complaints.
In contrast, the subway in Seoul, South Korea re-
corded a total of 2.619 billion riderships in 2013
[39]. Mouwen [2] and Githui et al. [40] argued that
passengers who have no complaint about frequen-
cy of service are more likely to be satised with
the overall service.
An equally important factor inuencing the
overall satisfaction is the operating hours [31].
Also, the network coverage has an impact on over-
all passenger satisfaction [31, 41]. A literature
review carried out for this study shows that any
scale to rank the level of importance of each of the
themes and sub-themes, ranging from “not import-
ant” through to “very important”.
The Delphi process nally offered 14 (out of 14)
themes and 29 (out of 34) sub-themes which would
serve as the dening service factors for this study
which inuence passenger satisfaction with pub-
lic rail transportation. Interestingly, ve of the sub-
themes, being ticket-selling network, staff commit-
ment, ergonomics, physical assistance and customer
interface were removed from the list due to their mean
score being below three out of ve and, therefore, not
relevant in the judgement of the Delphi experts [20].
The themes (factors), Sub-themes (attributes) and de-
scription of all attributes are presented in Table 1.
3. SERVICE FACTORS THAT
INFLUENCE RAIL-BASED USER
SATISFACTION
The service factors identied in previous liter-
ature and reviewed in this paper are represented
in Table 2. The check (√) symbol denotes a signi-
cantly important factor inuencing the public rail
transportation user satisfaction, while the absence
of ‘√’ means that it is not statistically signicant or
was not used in this study. The ‘√’ symbol is found
throughout Table 2 as different studies investigating
the different service factors which various research-
ers deemed important were based on a variety of
factors linked to the case studies, such as geographic
or demographic factors. For example, Das et al. [21]
concluded that 13 factors were statistically signi-
cant for the satisfaction of monorail users in Kuala
Lumpur, while Yanık et al. [32] argued for only 11
major factors in their study of the metro passengers
of Istanbul.
The following section discusses, in turn, each
of the nine selected factors with their attributes for
this study: availability of service, accessibility of
service, ticket or pass, information, travel time, cus-
tomer service, comfort, safety, and image. It should
be noted that this discussion is not conned only to
the selected papers appearing in Table 2 but refers
also to the literature for support and discussion.
3.1 Availability of service
Availability of service refers to the service
provided by the public rail authorities. The anal-
ysis of the ndings of previous studies shows that
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447 439
Table 2 – Factors affecting satisfaction for each study
Categories Attributes
Studies
Mouwen [2]
Das et al. [21]
Weinstein [22]
Tyrinopoulos &
Antoniou [23]
de Oña et al. [24]
Khalid et al. [25]
de Oña et al. [26]
de Oña et al. [27]
Shen et al. [28]
Eboli et al. [29]
Fu et al. [30]
Machado et al.
[31]
Yanık et al. [32]
Yilmaz, & Ari
[33]
Šipuš &
Abramović. [34]
Ibrahim et al.
[35]
Availability of
service
Frequency √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Network coverage
Service provision hours
Station parking
Accessibility of
service
Accessibility √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Ease of transfer/ distance
Ticket / Pass Ticket price
Type of tickets/ passes
Information On board information
Information at station
Travel time
Punctuality √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Access time
Travel speed
Waiting time
Transfer time
Customer service
Driver and personnel’s
behaviour √ √√√ √√√√√ √
Customer service
Comfort
Cleanliness √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Comfort √√√ √ √√√√√√√√
Seating capacity
Quality of vehicles
Noise √
Temperature √ √ √
Waiting condition
Safety On board safety
Safety at station
Image Corporate Image
Environmentally friendly
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
440 Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447
To summarise this section, the ease of access to
stations and the ease of transfer are also important
factors for the satisfaction of passengers using rail-
based public transport.
3.3 Ticket or pass
Another factor which can have a considerable
impact on the satisfaction of rail-based public trans-
port users is ticketing. Public sector rail transpor-
tation authorities have to focus on two essential
aspects of ticketing in an attempt to persuade the
public to use their service: ticket prices and types of
tickets. Travel price is, of course, one of the primary
determinants of satisfaction with any public trans-
port service [26, 30]. Generally, a lower ticket price
contributes to enhancing passenger satisfaction and
increasing rail travel uptake. De Witte et al. [36] also
pointed out, however, that the users are willing to
pay more according to the purpose of their trip and
comfort during their trip. In view of this, Tyrino-
poulos & Antoniou [23] recommended that public
rail transportation operators offer several types of
tickets and passes with different price structures to
cater to the diverse needs of the users. Githui et al.
[40] and Redman et al. [15] also supported a range
of tickets and passes such as seasonal passes (dai-
ly, weekly, monthly), discounted ticket prices for
certain categories of users (e.g. students, children,
persons with disabilities, or senior citizens), trans-
ferrable passes and automated ticketing. Matas [48]
demonstrated that the availability of different prices
and types of tickets improved passenger satisfaction
with the public transport service in Madrid and re-
sulted in a 50% increase in ridership over a period
of ve years.
In summary, it is clear that ticket pricing and the
availability of a wide range of ticket types and pass-
es are also vital for improving passenger satisfac-
tion with the rail services.
3.4 Information
Up-to-date, reliable, and accurate information is
also essential for ensuring the overall passenger sat-
isfaction with public rail transportation. Many stud-
ies have shown that the information provided on
trains and at the stations is statistically signicant
in inuencing the public rail transportation user
satisfaction. Machado-Leóna et al. [31] included
in this information stops on a line, operating hours,
prices, and service interruptions. Clear and updated
well-performing public rail transportation system
will have a wide network coverage which allows
passengers to travel from A to B at their favoured
time with little transfer time [22], access time [27],
and waiting time [23, 25], as well as ease of trans-
fer [29, 31]. Another convenience consideration
for public rail transportation users is whether or
not they will nd parking facilities at the rail sta-
tions (or park and ride facilities). Certainly, this is
also an important motivator for adopting the rail
travel [26].
In short, the public perception of a high-quality
public rail service largely depends on the frequen-
cy of the service, in addition to generous operating
hours, wide network coverage and available park-
ing facilities. These are crucial considerations for
passenger satisfaction, retaining current passen-
gers and attracting new users.
3.2 Accessibility of service
Accessibility is also a key inuencer on public
satisfaction among both ‘captive’ and ‘choice’ pub-
lic rail transportation users [27, 33]. Brons et al. [42]
examined the importance of the trip to the station
to the overall passenger satisfaction and concluded
that, based on the regression analysis, passenger
satisfaction with access to their nearest station is an
important factor in overall satisfaction with the ser-
vice. According to Hine & Scott [43] and Krygsman
et al. [44], accessibility to a rail station inuences
passenger satisfaction and motivates the users to
choose rail-based transport as a travel alternative.
Several studies have investigated the users’ access
journeys to the railway station and conrmed the
importance of this factor, such as Rietveld [45],
Polom et al. [16] and Givoni & Rietveld [46]. An-
other factor which inuences the overall satisfac-
tion within this theme is ease of transfer which,
according to passenger’s transfer experience means
a smooth transfer between vehicles. For Weinstein
[22], the ease of transfer includes the length of the
queue at the exit gate and the presence of serviced
and reliable escalators and lifts. Also, Tyrinopou-
los & Antoniou [23] conrmed that the distance of
transfer inuences the overall satisfaction of rail-
based public transport users. In fact, various studies
have supported the view that the ease of transfer is
correlated with the overall satisfaction [47].
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447 441
Githui et al. [40], Mouwen [2], and Weinstein [22].
Consequently, the authors of this paper recommend
that the service operators take steps to ensure the
punctuality of drivers and that trains are in good op-
erating condition, considering the major effect that
these factors have on the on-time performance of
the public rail transportation. Importantly, service
operators should also publicise the preventive ac-
tions they have taken to prevent delays in the arrival
and departure of their trains.
The speed of the train service has also been
shown to correlate with the satisfaction levels as
mentioned by Mouwen [2], de Oña et al. [27], Eboli
et al. [29], and Shen et al. [28]. Naturally, commut-
ers are motivated to use public rail transportation
during peak hours instead of road-based public
transport in order to arrive at their target destina-
tion on time. The speed of trains could be increased
to improve passenger satisfaction, thereby ensuring
their future patronage whilst at the same time at-
tracting potential users. According to the US Fed-
eral Transit Administration, as cited in Redman et
al. [15], an improvement in the rail service which
reduced the commuting time by 15 minutes from
New York station to the outlying areas resulted in
a 24.5% increase in ridership within a one-year pe-
riod. In addition, in the case of buses, Pucher et al.
[52] pointed out that the implementation of priority
bus lanes, which increased the average bus speed
from 11 km/h to 22 km/h, was able to attract as
many as 700,000 new users per day.
Of course, speed is indirectly proportional to the
waiting time. With respect to public rail transpor-
tation, higher speed of vehicles allows for a higher
frequency service to be provided, thereby reducing
the user waiting time at the stations. The analysis
of previous studies indicates that the waiting time
is one of the major determinants of passenger satis-
faction [27, 31, 32]. A long waiting time due to an
unreliable service has a very detrimental effect on
the passenger satisfaction and can cause passengers
to decide not to use the service in the future. For
example, Khalid et al. [25] highlighted the fact that
the users of commuter trains in Malaysia were not
satised with their commuter train service due to
the long waiting times. That study reported that the
longest waiting time for a user before being able to
board a train was 2 hours and 30 minutes. This was
often compounded by not being able to board the
rst train during peak hours due to overcrowding
and low service speed, even though they had arrived
information on train schedules and routes is, nat-
urally, important for improving the passenger sat-
isfaction and attracting new users of rail-based
transport [4]. For the literature, there is widespread
agreement that this area needs to improve radically,
and that rail-based public transport operators and
other relevant authorities should seriously consider
making information on train schedules more readi-
ly accessible, displaying ticket prices clearly at the
station and making announcements in a clear man-
ner using major world languages. Burkhardt [49]
and Krizek & El-Geneidy [50] argued that the two
proven effective ways of delivering information on
the train and at the station are via displays and an-
nouncements. In line with this, the particular infor-
mation discussed in this paper is limited to on-board
information and those provided at the stations by
public rail transportation operators.
It is clear then that providing information to pas-
sengers in these two ways is a contribution to their
overall satisfaction with the service. A recommen-
dation for future studies in line with the advances
in technology is for transport researchers to investi-
gate the advantages of using more advanced meth-
ods of disseminating information afforded by that
technology, such as mobile applications.
3.5 Travel time
Travel time is also, naturally, correlated with
passenger satisfaction levels, since people are gen-
erally more motivated to choose the mode of trans-
port that is able to take them from their point of
origin to their destination in the shortest duration.
It goes without saying that rail-based public trans-
port is a more attractive option during peak hours
compared to other modes of public transport (e.g.
bus) since commuters will not get stuck in trafc.
With this given advantage, it is essential for rail-
based public transport providers to consider im-
proving their time efciency with the aim of en-
hancing passenger satisfaction and attracting more
potential users [51]. Based on a review of previous
studies, punctuality or on-time performance is the
most important factor in ensuring overall passenger
satisfaction with public rail transportation [30, 31].
Unsurprisingly, many studies have conrmed that
the punctuality of a public rail transportation service
is able to enhance passenger satisfaction levels and
that passengers who are satised with the punctu-
ality will probably be satised with the overall ser-
vice. This has been demonstrated by Das et al. [21],
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
442 Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447
Customer service is another essential factor
which determines the level of satisfaction of rail-
based public transport users and dissatisfaction nat-
urally occurs if poor customer service is perceived.
Tyrinopoulos & Antoniou [23] discovered that the
personnel attitude and behaviour (not including
drivers) is one of the most important satisfaction at-
tributes based on the ordered logit model. Addition-
ally, Mouwen [2] pointed out that personnel/ driver
behaviour is the most important element which us-
ers view as the determinant of their overall satisfac-
tion in addition to other factors such as punctuality,
travel speed, service performance, and cleanliness
of the vehicles. This nding has been supported by
several studies [27-30], including a study by Mach-
ado-Leóna et al. [31] which investigated the ser-
vice quality of Algiers’ railway transit system and
found, as expected, that effective customer service
enhances the overall passenger satisfaction. Vari-
ous strategies for improving customer service were
recommended in these studies for ensuring the user
satisfaction with the public rail transportation, such
as improving customer service counters and depart-
ments, enhancing the effectiveness and speed of
dealing with problems and complaints, and provid-
ing the most up-to-date, precise, and reliable infor-
mation at stations. While such recommendations are
nothing new, Geetika [53] made the important point
that personnel behaviour (railway staff, porters, and
parking attendants) is the second most important
determinant inuencing passenger satisfaction.
It is clear that the perceived quality of custom-
er service has an important impact on the overall
passenger satisfaction, demanding more in-depth
study. Improving the quality of their customer ser-
vices is an effective and economic way of improv-
ing the overall public perception of rail-based pub-
lic transport operators. Van Lierop et al. [4], among
many others, argued that fast, effective, and respon-
sive customer service when dealing with problems
would certainly improve the passenger satisfaction
levels.
3.7 Comfort
Many transport studies have addressed comfort
features such as the standard of vehicles and sta-
tions. For this study, the comfort theme comprises
cleanliness, user comfort, seating capacity, quality
of vehicles, noise, temperature, and waiting con-
ditions. Studies show that the two most important
determinants inuencing passenger satisfaction
at the station early to wait for the arrival of the rst
train. This nding was supported by the evidence at
the Los Angeles Metro Orange Line BRT system,
where, according to Pucher et al. [52], the orange
line that was designed to minimise the waiting times
resulted in an over two-fold improvement in rider-
ship compared to other metro lines.
It should be made clear that for this study, the
waiting time refers only to the unexpected waiting
time due to improper service. The expected wait-
ing time (where the user has been notied of service
delay through, e.g. smartphone applications before
arriving at the station) could change the user’s wait-
ing experience but have no adverse effect on the
satisfaction with public rail transportation. More in-
depth studies need to be carried out to investigate
the relationship between the expected waiting ex-
perience and the passenger’s satisfaction level with
the public rail transportation.
Other factors, such as access time, have also been
shown to inuence the rail-based passenger satis-
faction [27, 28]. This is consistent with the ndings
of other studies, such as Eboli et al. [29], Fu et al.
[30], Machado-Leona et al. [31] and Yilmaz and Ari
[33]. The analysis of these studies revealed that the
access time is considered as important as the travel
speed.
It is clear, then, based on the studies discussed
here, that time is considered by passengers to be
of major importance in affecting their satisfaction
with their rail service. Rail-based public transport
service providers are, therefore, recommended to
prioritise punctuality, travel speed, waiting times,
transfer times and access times in their efforts to im-
prove the passenger satisfaction. Shorter and more
punctual travel times will, undoubtedly, inuence
both passenger satisfaction and loyalty to public rail
transportation facilities.
3.6 Customer service
The quality of any interactions between public
rail transportation users and the operators or man-
agement team of the rail system is likely to affect
the overall level of satisfaction [22, 40]. One vital
aspect of such interactions is the professionalism
and courteousness of drivers and personnel and the
manner in which the service providers handle any
complaints lodged by users as well as routine prob-
lems faced by users. The present study denes this
interaction as customer service.
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447 443
3.8 Safety
There are two aspects to safety: visible and
non-visible. Visible safety refers to, for exam-
ple, safety from trafc accidents and crime, while
non-visible safety refers to safety due to psycholog-
ical factors. Based on a review of the literature, two
safety indices were further discussed in this study,
namely safety while on-board rail carriages and
safety at stations.
Safety is a crucial determiner of overall satisfac-
tion levels [29], whether related to on-board safe-
ty [21, 26] or safety at stations [2, 23]. Moreover,
safety with regard to feeling safe from trafc acci-
dents [27] and crime [30] also, naturally, inuences
the satisfaction level of rail-based public transport
users. While Eboli et al. [29] showed that safety
during a journey affects overall satisfaction, Mou-
wen [2] contended that safety at stops is a key de-
terminant of satisfaction. This is in agreement with
the ndings of other studies reviewed for the current
paper, such as Shen et al. [28], Eboli et al. [29] and
Fu et al. [30]. Eboli & Mazzulla [55] in which safety
and security were identied by the users as being
important for their satisfaction with the public rail
transportation sector, in general. Safety-related is-
sues at stations and on trains have certainly attracted
the attention of many researchers worldwide, both in
the developed and in the developing countries.
It could be said, then, that the safety issue, wheth-
er on trains or at stations, is another aspect which
concerns public rail transportation users. To deal
with such valid concerns, the rail service operators
are wise to adopt preventive measures which make
both rail carriages and train stations safer places for
passengers, such as installing a sufcient number of
CCTVs and posting police ofcers on trains in an ef-
fort to prevent pickpocketing, sexual harassment, etc.
3.9 Corporate image
The corporate image of rail-based public trans-
port services and authorities is constructed primar-
ily on the service quality. Put simply, the better the
corporate image, the higher the tendency of the
public to use the service provided by the public rail
transportation operators [57-59]. Corporate image
can have a direct and positive effect on passenger
satisfaction [33], a nding supported by Hsu et al.
[57], Kuo & Tang [59] and Chou & Kim [58]. Pres-
ently, the public transport authorities persuade po-
tential users to use their services via advertisements
are cleanliness and comfort [21, 24]. According to
Weinstein [22], for example, the attributes with the
strongest correlation to cleanliness and comfort are
train cleanliness, comfortable seats and noise level
in trains. These factors, naturally, inuence the sat-
isfaction level of public rail transportation users and
numerous studies conrm that cleanliness and com-
fort have a statistically signicant relationship with
the satisfaction level [31-33]. Greece, Athens, Begg
& Langley [54], basing their study on ordered logit
model analysis, found that vehicle cleanliness was
the most important factor inuencing satisfaction.
This is supported by the ndings of a study on pas-
senger perception of railway services in Northern
Italy carried out by Eboli & Mazzulla [55], which
concluded that cleanliness and comfort, together
with regularity, punctuality and frequency of runs
have the strongest positive effect on service quality,
information and satisfaction level. Regarding clean-
liness, it is clear that service providers everywhere
need to bear the cost of providing more waste bins
and recycle bins to promote recycling campaigns.
Additionally, some policies have to be better en-
forced, such as no-smoking policies, no eating and
drinking policies and, as mentioned, waste recy-
cling policies to improve cleanliness in trains and
at stations.
Lee et al. [56] noted that the level of comfort in
carriages means, for passengers, comfortable seats
on trains. Additionally, Weinstein [22], Das et al.
[21], Mouwen [2], and de Oña et al. [27] found that
seating capacity also plays an important role in de-
termining the satisfaction levels. Other factors that
are closely related to comfort and user satisfaction
are the quality of the carriages [30, 31], noise levels
[33] and on-board temperature [28].
In addition, the waiting conditions, of course,
contribute to passenger satisfaction with public rail
transportation. It should be noted, however, that al-
though many studies have included waiting condi-
tions as a factor in passenger satisfaction with the
public transport, only three studies have shown that
the waiting conditions have a strong inuence on
the levels of satisfaction [21-23]. User perception
of waiting conditions seems to be more import-
ant in the studies carried out in the non-European
countries, for example, the United States [22] and
Malaysia [21]. It goes without saying, then, that the
user comfort is also one of the important elements
that need to be the focus of public rail transportation
service providers everywhere.
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
444 Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447
It has been seen in this review that action is
certainly needed in order to address the passenger
satisfaction with public rail services and that this
comes in the form of a variety of measures. It is
strongly recommended that providers develop ser-
vices which are efcient, physically accessible and
whose capacity meets the needs of passengers. The
services should also be clean, comfortable, afford-
able, trusted, and safe to those who wish to use them,
while information on trains and at stations should
be accurate and regularly updated. This study also
emphasised the need for polite and courteous driv-
ers and personnel who would exhibit good customer
service, which could be achieved through proper re-
peated training courses.
In practical terms, the ndings of this study
might also aid researchers or service providers in
better identication of the factors that inuence the
user satisfaction with rail-based public transport
services. This study can also play an important role
in forming a foundation for future studies of service
quality and user satisfaction related to rail-based
public transport.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This research was funded by the Universiti Ke-
bangsaan Malaysia (Grant Number: GUP-2019-015)
and the Ministry of Higher Learning Malaysia (Grant
Number: FRGS/1/2017/TK08/UKM/01/1).
AHMAD NAZRUL HAKIMI IBRAHIM, M.Sc.1
E-mel: nazrulhakimi@siswa.ukm.edu.my
MUHAMAD NAZRI BORHAN, Ph.D.1
E-mel: mnazri_borhan@ukm.edu.my
NUR IZZI MD. YUSOFF, Ph.D.1
E-mel: izzi@ukm.edu.my
AMIRUDDIN ISMAIL, Ph.D.1
E-mel: aismail@ukm.edu.my
1 Jabatan Kejuruteraan Awam,
Fakulti Kejuruteraan dan Alam Bina,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,
43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
KUALITI PERKHIDMATAN
PENGANGKUTAN AWAM BERASASKAN REL
DAN KEPUASAN PENGGUNA: KAJIAN
KEPUSTAKAAN
ABSTRAK
Walaupun pengangkutan awam berasaskan rel ada-
lah lebih maju dan menjadi alternatif yang lebih baik
kepada pemanduan kenderaan persendirian, serta mer-
upakan satu kaedah untuk mengurangkan kesesakan
lalu lintas dan masalah pencemaran, kadar pengguna
or mass media campaigns on either television, so-
cial media or in newspapers. According to Borhan
et al. [60], mass media campaigns are able to sig-
nicantly inuence the behaviour and enhance trust
between the customer and the producer, thereby
motivating the customers to try the product. Mass
media campaigns certainly have the potential to
attract the users to adopt public rail transportation
services, which indirectly increases the ridership
and generates income for the service. Even though
there is plenty of evidence that corporate image in-
uences the passenger satisfaction, this factor is sel-
dom included in the papers reviewed by the authors,
with the exception of Yilmaz & Ari [33]. Perhaps
this factor might be included in any future investi-
gations of passenger satisfaction, especially in the
context of public rail transportation. Furthermore,
environmental factors are also associated with the
satisfaction level of public rail transportation users.
This fact has been supported by the studies of Das
et al. [21], de Oña et al. [27] and Ibrahim et al. [35].
For example, rail-based public transport users who
are condent that trafc congestion and pollution
can be reduced by taking public transport because
of a positive corporate image campaign, might be
more satised with the overall service. Having a
modern, environmentally friendly and reputable
image will enhance passenger satisfaction with the
rail service and user willingness to adopt rail-based
public transport services.
4. CONCLUSION
Focusing on public rail transportation passenger
satisfaction and goals for improving this satisfac-
tion, this study is a comprehensive review of the
related literature. The research questions were: (1)
What are the factors inuencing user satisfaction?
and (2) What are the recommended strategies for im-
proving user satisfaction and increasing ridership?
The factors which inuence the user satisfaction
with rail-based public transport and several mea-
sures which might improve passenger satisfaction
were investigated. After a thorough review of the
literature, nine factors were selected: availability of
service, accessibility of service, ticket or pass, in-
formation, time, customer service, comfort, safety,
and image. These were proven, in previous studies,
to have a denite correlation with rail-based public
transport passenger satisfaction.
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447 445
from: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/
S2352146518300577
[7] Cools M, Fabbro Y, Bellemans T. Free public transport:
A socio-cognitive analysis. Transp Res Part A Policy
Pract. 2016;86: 96-107. Available from: doi:10.1016/
j.tra.2016.02.010
[8] Borndörfer R, Karbstein M, Pfetsch ME. Models for
fare planning in public transport. Discret Appl Math.
2012;160(18): 2591-605.
[9] Torok A. Statistical Analysis of Transport Performance:
Case Study for Hungary. Procedia Eng. 2017;187: 722-5.
Available from: doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2017.04.446
[10] Abenoza RF, Cats O, Susilo YO. Travel satisfaction with
public transport: Determinants, user classes, regional
disparities and their evolution. Transp Res Part A Poli-
cy Pract. 2017;95: 64-84. Available from: doi:10.1016/
j.tra.2016.11.011
[11] Farooq MS, Salam M, Fayolle A, Jaafar N, Ayupp K. Im-
pact of service quality on customer satisfaction in Malay-
sia airlines: A PLS-SEM approach. J Air Transp Manag.
Elsevier Ltd; 2018;67 (January): 169-80. Available from:
doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2017.12.008
[12] Chowdhury S. Users’ willingness to ride an integrated
public-transport service: A literature review. Transp Pol-
icy. 2016;48: 183-95.
[13] Thøgersen J. Promoting public transport as a subscription
service: Effects of a free month travel card. Transp Pol-
icy. 2009;16(6): 335-43. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.
tranpol.2009.10.008
[14] STEG L. Can Public Transport Compete With the
Private Car? IATSS Res. 2003;27(2): 27-35. Avail-
able from: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/
S0386111214601412
[15] Redman L, Friman M, Tommy G, Hartig T. Quality attri-
butes of public transport that attract car users - A research
review. Transp Policy. 2013;25: 119-27.
[16] Polom M, Tarkowski M, Puzdrakiewicz K. Urban Trans-
formation in the Context of Rail Transport Development:
The Case of a Newly Built Railway Line in Gdansk (Po-
land). J Adv Transp. 2018;2018: 15 p.
[17] Borhan MN, Ibrahim ANH, Miskeen MAA. Extending
the theory of planned behaviour to predict the intention
to take the new high-speed rail for intercity travel in Lib-
ya: Assessment of the inuence of novelty seeking, trust
and external inuence. Transp Res Part A Policy Pract.
2019;130: 373-84.
[18] Fellesson M, Friman M. Service Supply and Customer
Satisfaction in Public Transportation: The Quality Par-
adox. J Public Transp. 2009;12(4):13. Available from:
http://www.nctr.usf.edu/jpt/pdf/JPT12-4Friman.pdf
[19] Kamaruzzaman SN, Lou ECW, Wood R, Che-ani AI. De-
veloping weighting system for refurbishment building as-
sessment scheme in Malaysia through analytic hierarchy
process (AHP) approach. Energy Policy. 2018;112: 280-
90. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2017.10.023
[20] Alyami SH, Rezgui Y, Kwan A. Developing sustain-
able building assessment scheme for Saudi Arabia: Del-
phi consultation approach. Renew Sustain Energy Rev.
2013;27: 43-54.
[21] Das AM, Ladin MA, Ismail A, Rahmat ROK. Consumers
satisfaction of public transport monorail user in Kuala
kereta api masih rendah disebabkan oleh pelbagai isu
seperti pengguna menggunakan pengangkutan alternatif
lain yang lebih di percayai dan selesa untuk perjalanan
daripada A kepada B dan/atau mereka tidak berpuas
hati dengan kualiti perkhidmatan yang disediakan. Ka-
jian ini menyiasat faktor kepuasan pengguna terhadap
pengangkutan awam berasaskan rel untuk mengetahui
dengan lebih tepat faktor yang mempunyai kesan yang
signikan terhadap kepuasan pengguna dan penggu-
naan mod pengangkutan ini. Kajian yang menggunakan
pendekatan Delphi dan kajian menyeluruh terhadap ke-
susasteraan terkini ini telah memberi tumpuan kepada
sembilan faktor yang mungkin mempengaruhi kepuasan
pengguna terhadap perjalanan kereta api; ketersediaan
perkhidmatan, kebolehcapaian perkhidmatan, tiket atau
pas, ketepatan masa, maklumat yang tepat, kualiti perkh-
idmatan pelanggan, keselesaan, keselamatan dan imej.
Turut dibincangkan adalah 29 atribut yang berkemun-
gkinan dapat meningkatkan kepuasan pengguna dan be-
berapa pendekatan yang telah dilaksanakan di pelbagai
negara untuk meningkatkan tahap kualiti perkhidmatan.
Sebagai kesimpulan, kajian ini akan dapat menyediakan
maklumat yang berguna kepada penggubal dasar,
penyelidik dan pembekal perkhidmatan dari segi me-
nentukan faktor perkhidmatan yang paling penting un-
tuk dikaji jika ingin meningkatkan kualiti perkhidmatan
pengangkutan ini.
KATA KUNCI
pengangkutan awam; kereta api; kualiti perkhidmatan;
kepuasan pengguna; kajian kepustakaan;
REFERENCES
[1] Borhan MN, Ibrahim ANH, Syamsunur D, Rahmat RA.
Why Public Bus is a Less Attractive Mode of Transport:
A Case Study of Putrajaya, Malaysia. Period Polytech
Transp Eng. 2019;47(1): 82-90. Available from: https://
pp.bme.hu/tr/article/view/9228
[2] Mouwen A. Drivers of customer satisfaction with
public transport services. Transp Res Part A Policy
Pract. 2015;78: 1-20. Available from: doi:10.1016/
j.tra.2015.05.005
[3] Soehodho S. Public transportation development and
trafc accident prevention in Indonesia. IATSS Res.
2017;40(2): 76-80. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.iatssr.
2016.05.001
[4] Van Lierop D, Badami MG, El-Geneidy AM. What in-
uences satisfaction and loyalty in public transport? A
review of the literature. Transp Rev. 2018;38(1): 52-72.
[5] Masirin MIM, Salin AM, Zainorabidin A, Martin D,
Samsuddin N. Review on Malaysian Rail Transit Opera-
tion and Management System: Issues and Solution in In-
tegration. IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng. 2017;226(1): 1-7.
[6] Mohamad Zulkii SNA, Kadar Hamsa AA, Noor NM,
Ibrahim M. Evaluation of land use density, diversity and
ridership of Rail Based Public Transportation System.
Transp Res Procedia. 2017;25(2017): 5266-81. Available
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
446 Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447
[38] Szczuraszek T, Chmielewski J. Sustainable transport
development passenger transport demand in Poland. In:
MATEC Web of Conferences; 2018.
[39] Han J, Kwon S bark, Chun C. Indoor environment and
passengers’ comfort in subway stations in Seoul.
Build Environ. 2016;104: 221-31. Available from:
doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.05.008
[40] Githui JN, Okamura T, Nakamura F. The Structure of
Users’ Satisfaction on Urban Public Transport Service in
Developing Country: The Case of Nairobi. J East Asia
Soc Transp Stud. 2010;8: 1288-300.
[41] Saif MA, Zefreh MM, Torok A. Public Transport Acces-
sibility: A Literature Review. Period Polytech Transp
Eng. 2018;46(3): 1-8.
[42] Brons M, Givoni M, Rietveld P. Access to railway sta-
tions and its potential in increasing rail use. Transp Res
Part A Policy Pract. 2009;43(2): 136-49.
[43] Hine J, Scott J. Seamless, accessible travel: Users’ views
of the public transport journey and interchange. Transp
Policy. 2000;7(3): 217-26.
[44] Krygsman S, Dijst M, Arentze T. Multimodal public
transport: An analysis of travel time elements and the in-
terconnectivity ratio. Transp Policy. 2004;11(3): 265-75.
[45] Rietveld P. The accessibility of railway stations: The role
of the bicycle in The Netherlands. Transp Res Part D
Transp Environ. 2000;5(1): 71-5.
[46] Givoni M, Rietveld P. The access journey to the railway
station and its role in passengers’ satisfaction with rail
travel. Transp Policy. 2007;14(5): 357-65.
[47] Susilo YO, Cats O. Exploring key determinants of trav-
el satisfaction for multi-modal trips by different traveler
groups. Transp Res Part A Policy Pract. 2014;67: 366-
80. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.tra.2014.08.002
[48] Matas A. Demand and revenue implications of an in-
tegrated public transport policy: The case of Madrid.
Transp Rev. 2004;24(2): 195-217.
[49] Burkhardt JE. Critical measures of transit service
quality in the eyes of older travelers. Transp Res Rec.
2003;(1835): 84-92. Available from: http://www.scopus.
com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-1542346277&part-
nerID=tZOtx3y1
[50] Krizek K, El-Geneidy A. Segmenting preferences and
habits of transit users and non-users. J Public Transp.
2007;10(3): 71-94. Available from: http://nctr.usf.edu/
jpt/pdf/JPT 10-3 Krizek.pdf
[51] Oszter V. Transport policies in Hungary - historical back-
ground and current practice for national and regional lev-
el. Eur Transp Res Rev. 2017;9(20): 1-14.
[52] Pucher J, Park H, Kim M, Song J. Public transport re-
forms in Seoul: Innovations motivated by funding cri-
sis. J Public Transp. 2005; 41-62. Available from:
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=
10.1.1.170.9559&rep=rep1&type=pdf
[53] Geetika SN. Determinants of Customer Satisfaction on
Service Quality: A Study of Railway Platforms in India.
J Public Transp. 2010;13(1): 97-113.
[54] Begg DJ, Langley JD. Identifying predictors of persistent
non-alcohol or drug-related risky driving behaviours
among a cohort of young adults. Accid Anal Prev.
2004;36(6): 1067-71.
[55] Eboli L, Mazzulla G. Structural Equation Modelling
Lumpur. J Eng Sci Technol. 2013;8(3): 272-83.
[22] Weinstein A. Customer Satisfaction Among Transit Rid-
ers: How Customers Rank the Relative Importance of
Various Service Attributes. Transp Res Rec. 2000;1735(1):
123-32.
[23] Tyrinopoulos Y, Antoniou C. Public transit user satisfac-
tion: Variability and policy implications. Transp Policy.
2008;15(4): 260-72.
[24] De Oña R, Eboli L, Mazzulla G. Key factors affecting
rail service quality in the Northern Italy: A decision tree
approach. Transport. 2014;29(1): 75-83. Available from:
doi:10.3846/16484142.2014.898216
[25] Khalid UA, Bachok S, Osman MM, Ibrahim M. User
Perceptions of Rail Public Transport Services in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia: KTM Komuter. Procedia - Soc Behav
Sci. 2014;153: 566-73. Available from: http://linkinghub.
elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1877042814055311
[26] De Oña J, de Oña R, Eboli L, Mazzulla G. Heterogeneity
in Perceptions of Service Quality among Groups of Rail-
way Passengers. Int J Sustain Transp. 2015;9(8): 612-26.
[27] De Oña J, de Oña R, Eboli L, Forciniti C, Mazzulla G.
Transit passengers’ behavioural intentions: the inuence
of service quality and customer satisfaction. Transp A
Transp Sci. 2016;12(5): 385-412.
[28] Shen W, Xiao W, Wang X. Passenger satisfaction evalu-
ation model for Urban rail transit: A structural equation
modeling based on partial least squares. Transp Policy.
2016;46(1): 20-31.
[29] Eboli L, Fu Y, Mazzulla G. Multilevel Comprehensive
Evaluation of the Railway Service Quality. Procedia
Eng. 2016;137: 21-30.
[30] Fu Y, Eboli L, Mazzulla G, Zhang Y. Railway service
quality in northern Italy: A multilevel synthetic assess-
ment. Adv Mech Eng. 2017;9(3): 1-12.
[31] Machado-Leóna JL, de Oñaa R, Baounib T, de Oñaa J.
Railway transit services in Algiers: Priority improve-
ment actions based on users perceptions. Transp Policy.
2017;53: 175-85.
[32] Yanık S, Aktas E, Topcu YI. Traveler satisfaction in rapid
rail systems: The case of Istanbul metro. Int J Sustain
Transp. 2017;11(9): 642-58.
[33] Yilmaz V, Ari E. The effects of service quality, image,
and customer satisfaction on customer complaints and
loyalty in high-speed rail service in Turkey: A proposal
of the structural equation model. Transp A Transp Sci.
2017;13(1): 67-90.
[34] Šipuš D, Abramović B. The Possibility of Using Pub-
lic Transport In Rural Area. In: Procedia Engineering.
2017;192: 788-93. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.pro-
eng.2017.06.136
[35] Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Zakaria NA, Zainal SK. Ef-
fectiveness o f Commuter Rail Service Toward Passen-
ger’s Satisfaction: A Case Study from Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. Int J Eng Technol. 2019;8(1-2): 50-5.
[36] De Witte A, Hollevoet J, Dobruszkes F, Hubert M, Mach-
aris C. Linking modal choice to motility: A comprehen-
sive review. Transp Res Part A Policy Pract. 2013;49:
329-41.
[37] De Vasconcellos EA. Urban change, mobility and trans-
port in São Paulo: Three decades, three cities. Transp
Policy. 2005;12(2): 91-104.
Ibrahim ANH, Borhan MN, Md. Yusoff NI, Ismail A. Rail-based Public Transport Service Quality and User Satisfaction...
Promet – Trafc & Transportation, Vol. 32, 2020, No. 3, 435-447 447
high speed rail: An empirical study of Taiwan and Korea.
Expert Syst Appl. 2009;36(3): 6945-55.
[59] Kuo C-W, Tang M-L. Relationship among service quali-
ty, corporate image, customer satisfaction and behaviroal
intention for the elderly in high speed rail service. J Adv
Transp. 2013;47: 512-25. Available from: http://onlineli-
brary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/atr.144/full
[60] Borhan MN, Ibrahim ANH, Miskeen MAA, Rahmat
RAOK, Alhodairi AM. Predicting car drivers’ intention
to use low cost airlines for intercity travel in Libya. J
Air Transp Manag. 2017;65: 88-98. Available from:
doi:10.1016/j.jairtraman.2017.09.004
for Analysing Passengers’ Perceptions about Railway
Services. Procedia - Soc Behav Sci. 2012;54: 96-106.
Available from: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/
pii/S1877042812041912
[56] Lee JH, Jin BS, Ji Y. Developmentw of a Structural
Equation Model for ride comfort of the Korean high-
speed railway. Int J Ind Ergon. 2009;39(1): 7-14.
[57] Hsu SH, Chen WH, Hsueh JT. Application of customer
satisfaction study to derive customer knowledge. Total
Qual Manag Bus Excell. 2006;17(4): 439-54.
[58] Chou JS, Kim C. A structural equation analysis of the
QSL relationship with passenger riding experience on
... Many road users, particularly motorcycles, utilize the road body or pedestrian path to bypass congestion and overtake the vehicle in front of them. This results in reduced space for pedestrians, forcing some of them to use the road as a means of walking (Ha et al., 2019;Ibrahim et al., 2020). ...
Article
This study aims to determine the level of satisfaction of the method used in collecting data in this study through questionnaires, documentation, and direct observation in the field. Meanwhile, for data processing using SPSS version 29.0.2.0, the importance performance analysis (IPA), customer satisfaction index (CSI), and level of service (LOS) methods. From the results of data analysis using the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) method, it shows that the factors that influence the level of satisfaction and importance in Quadrant I are cleanliness of pedestrian paths, orderliness on pedestrian paths, safety for pedestrians, waste disposal sites, park arrangement, and lighting of pedestrian paths. Quadrant II is the availability of paths for people with disabilities. While in quadrant IV, the influencing factors are the view around the pedestrian path, width of the pedestrian path, and benches on the pedestrian path. And for the result of the analysis of the level of pedestrian satisfaction, the CSI value is 85.45%, where pedestrians are satisfied with the facilities available on pedestrian. The result of the analysis of the pavement using the LOS method shows that getting category A means that the trotoar segment is in line with pedestrian expectations.
... Railway industries have to ensure smooth operations to maintain factors that lead to customer satisfaction, such as minimizing delays. 1,2 Additionally, operators need to prioritize passenger safety due to the substantial capacity for human transportation. 3 This necessitates regular maintenance of all components, including trains and rail tracks. ...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction: Suboptimal work design of maintenance tasks in railway industries often leads to adverse health effects for workers. This study aimed to determine the ergonomic risk levels and assess the extent of musculoskeletal symptoms associated with train maintenance tasks in the Indonesian railway industry. Methods: The study involved 34 workers responsible for the daily handling of locomotive components within a railway maintenance workshop in Indonesia. A musculoskeletal symptom survey was conducted using the Indonesian version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire to determine the prevalence and severity of such adverse health effects. Ergonomics assessments were conducted using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) to evaluate the risk level and contributing risk factors associated with the investigated maintained tasks. Results: Participants predominantly experienced musculoskeletal symptoms in the lower back (100%), followed by shoulders (91%), and knees (88%), while the highest severity was also observed in these regions. The ergonomics assessments revealed that over 50% of the maintenance tasks were categorized as either high or very high risk, with higher REBA section scores noted in the neck, leg, and trunk compared to those of the lower arm, wrist, and upper arm. Conclusion: Workers performing train maintenance tasks experience a high prevalence and moderate severity of musculoskeletal symptoms. Additionally, most maintenance tasks performed were considered risky. Prompt interventions are necessary to address these findings.
... Numerous research now in existence concentrates on the effects of differences in transportation costs on travel satisfaction (Zhai et al., 2021). According to Ibrahim et al. (2020), authors stated that to convince the public to use the service, service authorities must concentrate on crucial ticket prices. Furthermore, the authors explain one of the key factors affecting how satisfied a customer is with any public transportation service is the cost of the trip. ...
Article
Full-text available
This study investigates the use of Electric Train Services (ETS) railway service by tourists. It seeks to understand factors influencing tourists’ satisfaction with ETS train services. Data were collected from a survey with convenience and purposive sampling by selected tourists in ETS station in Kuala Lumpur Sentral. Theoretical frameworks for research units like the four dimensions of the level of satisfaction (accessibility, service quality, traveling comfort, cost). 213 respondents were gathered through a combination of a direct approach and an online survey using Google Forms. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS 27 and Excel. The findings revealed strong correlations between all the listed aspects and tourist satisfaction. Overall, tourists were highly satisfied with the ETS train services at KL Sentral. Consequently, this study contributes to our understanding of how tourists perceive and experience the ETS service. The conclusion of the study delves into the results obtained and explores potential implications and future possibilities.
Article
Full-text available
This paper focuses on the perspectives of passengers who were railway users and how railways as a service can be uplifted with technological advancements through the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICTs). For this purpose, a questionnaire was designed comprised of six sections related to information on socio-economic-demographics, travel, station facilities, train facilities, customer care, and familiarity with and benefits of ICTs. A total of 800 respondents were recruited on trains and in railway stations to collect data through a random sampling technique. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, factor analysis, bivariate correlation analysis, and ordered logistic regression analysis. The three hypotheses tested showed that (i) there is a correlation between socio-demographic factors, train frequency, and satisfaction levels, (ii) satisfaction with station and train facilities and customer care impacts users’ travel likelihood with the train service, and (iii) users’ familiarity with perceived benefits of ICTs influences passengers’ travel likelihood with the train service. The results indicate that the users’ satisfaction with attributes of station facilities, train facilities, and customer care and perceptions about ICTs significantly influences their travel frequency with the train service. This study is useful for multiple stakeholders, especially for railway management authorities, to provide inclusive services to passengers and to plan for future transportation, which should be well-equipped with ICTs, well-integrated with other transport modes, and well-connected with optimum stops.
Article
Full-text available
Bodoland Transport Service has become an important passenger transport service provider in the BTC region including some parts of Assam. However, these days it seems the number of Buses has been declining on the road instead of increasing and covering more routes. If it continues like this, the day is not far for this transport service to be out from the road. The present study will provide a road map of BTS and the findings will help the policy makers of BTC to make BTS a sustainable organization. It is an attempt for identification of various attributes and hurdles relating to operational setup and employees that have an impact on the performance of the Bodoland Transport Service.
Article
Full-text available
The metro systems have witnessed a significant growth and development over recent decades due to the advancement in innovated technologies in transport industries. Dubai Metro is a result of the tremendous development in the United Arab Emirates. However, metro service operations have become challenging, especially in urban areas that are characterized by the dynamic increase in population so passenger satisfaction could be a difficult objective to obtain. The particular mechanisms by which service innovation influences passenger satisfaction have not been well investigated in the literature, especially in the case of Dubai Metro. Due to that, studying passenger satisfaction allows for the identification of areas that require attention and improvement, leading to more efficient and effective metro transportation systems. Therefore, this paper aims to highlight the role of service innovation on passenger satisfaction in Dubai Metro. A study on Dubai Metro is based on the perspective of disruptive innovation theory to help this company to attain a high level of passenger satisfaction due to service innovation. The analysis of literatures reveals a substantial relationship between service innovation in metro transport sector and passenger satisfaction. the research on passenger satisfaction is critical for the development of public transport in general and metro systems in particular because it provides valuable insights into the needs and preferences of commuters. By understanding what makes passengers satisfied, transport authorities can make informed decisions to improve the quality of services, enhance overall customer experience, and ultimately increase ridership. Abstrak: Sistem metro telah menyaksikan pertumbuhan dan pembangunan yang ketara sejak beberapa dekad kebelakangan ini disebabkan oleh kemajuan dalam teknologi berinovasi dalam industri pengangkutan. Metro Dubai adalah hasil daripada pembangunan yang luar biasa di Emiriah Arab Bersatu. Walau bagaimanapun, operasi perkhidmatan metro telah menjadi mencabar, terutamanya di kawasan bandar yang bercirikan dinamik pertambahan penduduk sehingga kepuasan penumpang boleh menjadi objektif yang sukar diperoleh. Walaupun mekanisme tertentu yang mana inovasi perkhidmatan mempengaruhi kepuasan penumpang belum disiasat dengan baik dalam literatur, terutamanya dalam kes metro Dubai. Untuk itu, mengkaji kepuasan penumpang membolehkan mengenal pasti kawasan yang memerlukan perhatian dan penambahbaikan, yang membawa kepada sistem pengangkutan metro yang lebih cekap dan berkesan. Oleh itu, tujuan kertas kerja ini adalah untuk menonjolkan peranan inovasi perkhidmatan terhadap kepuasan penumpang di metro Dubai. Kajian mengenai metro Dubai adalah berdasarkan perspektif teori inovasi yang mengganggu untuk membantu syarikat ini mencapai tahap kepuasan penumpang yang tinggi dalam inovasi perkhidmatan yang wajar. Analisis literatur mendedahkan hubungan yang ketara antara inovasi perkhidmatan dalam sektor pengangkutan metro dan kepuasan penumpang. penyelidikan dalam kepuasan penumpang adalah penting untuk pembangunan pengangkutan awam amnya dan sistem metro khususnya kerana ia memberikan pandangan berharga tentang keperluan dan keutamaan penumpang. Dengan memahami perkara yang membuatkan penumpang berpuas hati, pihak berkuasa pengangkutan boleh membuat keputusan termaklum untuk meningkatkan kualiti perkhidmatan, meningkatkan keseluruhan pengalaman pelanggan dan akhirnya meningkatkan jumlah penumpang.
Article
Full-text available
Transport quality has long been recognized as an important factor in influencing travelers’ behavior, and transport terminal quality undoubtedly plays no small part. Indeed, transit promotion policies explicitly based on qualitative factors and high-standard architecture are increasingly being adopted in designing new bus terminals and stops. High architectural standards can be found in several bus terminals worldwide. Nevertheless, the literature in transport sector has yet to explore the impact of bus terminal “hedonic quality” on users’ behavior or use their willingness to pay (WTP) in cost–benefit analyses or other transport policy applications. Hedonic value is here intended as the aggregate of all elements related to travelers’ pleasure in spending time in a terminal where architectural beauty and the passenger services offered are arguably the most visible and representative attributes. Within this context, we propose a quantitative analysis of the perceived hedonic value of bus nodes in terms of users’ WTP (pure preference) for a high-quality bus terminal. To this end a discrete choice experiment based on a visual immersive experience was performed, and data were collected from 324 residents of Milan (Italy) traveling for tourism. Different binomial Mixed Logit models with panel data and random coefficients were estimated for the purpose. Monetary valuation of pure preference for using a high-quality bus terminal was estimated with a mean of about 25 % of the average trip cost observed for the case study considered. This pure preference means that the Italian tourist is willing to spend up to €4.35/trip more for a high-quality bus waiting space or travel up to 28.2 min/trip more, instead of using a traditional bus terminal for the same trip. Category-specific analyses show that females > 30 years old have a greater pure preference for a high-quality bus terminal (up to + 220 %) against males and young users. The employed also have a higher (+42 %) pure preference for the beauty of a bus terminal against others. The results of this paper should be compared with those from other case studies as they have a potential impact for transportation planning applications, underling the importance of also incorporating “hedonic quality” as explicit design variables for new/revamped transportation hub. At the same time, new challenges are posed for modeling user behavior and determining quality-related indicators and measures.
Article
Full-text available
This meta-analysis compiles data from 30 studies on the quality of public transport services conducted in different countries. The studies collectively investigate different forms of public transportation, such as buses, paratransit, and rail services, utilizing a range of methodological approaches. The recurring themes in service quality are key dimensions such as reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. The analysis demonstrates that these dimensions have a significant impact on user satisfaction, perceived value, and behavioural intentions. This emphasizes the widespread relevance of service quality measures such as SERVQUAL and SERVPERF. Furthermore, the results emphasize the differences in how service quality is perceived in different regions and the urgent requirement for targeted policy interventions to improve public transportation systems worldwide.
Article
Full-text available
This paper's main objective is to evaluate the quality of commuter rail service at Kuala Lumpur by conduction a commuter user survey. The study sample consisted of 400 commuter rail passengers. The results reveal that there is significant conflict between passenger's expectation and perception of the commuter rail service quality at Kuala Lumpur. Measured value for passenger expectation are found to be consistently higher than their satisfaction, which indicate that is room for Malayan Railways Limited (KTMB) management to improve its service quality. Three out of 12 service items such as the price of ticket, the punctuality time for departure and arrival of train, and ticket counter rated as important and satisfactory, and thus should be maintained. These items are the issues that may have caused concerns for passengers and should urgently addressed by KTMB management to improve passenger's satisfaction as well as to increase the commuter rail ridership.
Article
Full-text available
Development of railway transport systems is perceived as one of the most effective ways of shaping sustainable urban transportation. However, railway transportation systems can only compete with individual means of transportation when having properly developed infrastructure, especially in terms of the train stops accessibility. The main objective of this article is to discuss mutual relations between operation of a newly built railway line and spatial changes taking place in its closest vicinity which determine the accessibility to it. The research methods included the GIS tools, direct measurements of passenger exchange, and public opinion poll among the passengers taking the new line. The research area was the city of Gdańsk, one of the largest cities in Poland, where transportation problems are cumulating as a result of the urban sprawl. The new railway was opened in order to mitigate these problems. The research results have proved this strategy was only partially successful as the course of the line and location of the stops do not provide a large number of potential passengers. That is why it was necessary to connect the line to the already existing urban transportation system, yet this solution has not resolved the problem completely. However, the urban development plan assumes introduction of large housing projects in the areas surrounding the existing train stops what will allow using the new line more efficiently in the future.
Article
Full-text available
Development of sustainable transportation is a process which involves promoting efficient transport systems meeting social expectations, while reducing any sub-optimal or harmful effects on public health, natural environment, economy and urban planning. Therefore, in the case of passenger transport, the most effective measure to achieve sustainable transport development is to maximize the share of public transport. This paper analyses trends in changes of demand for passenger transport in European Union Member States, in Poland and in Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, including in urban and non-urban areas. Based on collected data and extensive transport-related research of the authors, including surveys of residents, the most important conditions have been defined which affect passenger transport demand in Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, and a forecast has been attempted of the demand in three different scenarios of economic development (optimistic, stable and regressive) for various years. The projected public transport demand has been established on the basis of simulations using a proprietary transport model. Results of these calculations revealed surprising conclusions which indicate unfavourable trends in changes of the analysed demand and insignificant differences in projected transport needs, regardless of the selected economic development option for the country and the province.
Article
Full-text available
This study used an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict the travel intention of car drivers in Libya with regard to using the new low-cost carriers (LCC). In order to understand the willingness of travellers to accept the LCC in Libya and its antecedents, this study has added three constructs to the original TPB model, namely novelty seeking, trust, and external influences. The respondents in this study are 338 car drivers in Libya. The results of this study indicate that attitude towards LCC, perceived behav-ioural control, and subjective norm all have positive effects on the behavioural intention of taking LCC. Furthermore , novelty seeking and trust have indirect positive effects on behavioural intention. Trust, on the other hand, has an indirect positive influence on the three antecedents of intention in accepting LCC in Libya. Results also revealed that external influence (i.e. advertising campaigns by the media) has a significant indirect influence on car users' intention to accept the new LCC via subjective norm and perceived behavioural control , and indirect influence on the behaviour intention of car users via novelty seeking with regard to attitude towards LCC and trust to perceived behavioural control.
Article
Full-text available
Accessibility is one of the most important outcomes of the transportation system. Public transport can be more attractive by providing “Door to door mobility” and development of transportation services is an important factor of social quality. Public transport accessibility has gained vital importance in designing and evaluating the transit system in terms of mobility and sustainability. Apart from the transport system itself, public transport accessibility has the considerable impact on life satisfaction in the form of perceived accessibility. Moreover, researchers have revealed several impact and correlation of provision of public transport accessibility to the environment and daily life which would have a noticeable impact on public health and other aspects of public daily life. Furthermore, the correlation between public transport accessibility and job opportunities has attracted the researchers’ attention in the literature. Also, public participation in social activities has been investigated based on public transport accessibility and their close connection has been revealed under the topic of social exclusion. In this paper, the available literature on public transport accessibility has been reviewed. As a conclusion, it should be highlighted that not just the performance of public transportation but its impact on other social aspects should be considered while planning the public transport facilities.
Article
Full-text available
This paper investigates the constraints that limit the use of public bus by people commuting to work in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Putrajaya was built to replace the city of Kuala Lumpur as the new administrative centre for the government of Malaysia. This research adopted qualitative methods which involved a total of 29 respondents who use car and/or bus to commute to their workplaces. The findings of this study show that several factors, such as reliability, safety, and customer service, play considerable roles in promoting the use of public transportation. The respondents agree that reliability (e.g. frequency, punctuality, and transfer) is an important factor in choosing a particular mode of transport. Safety is one of the major concern amongst the respondents, which need to be improved along with customer satisfaction of the public bus service. The results of this study suggest that a more reliable and accessible service is required to promote public bus as an attractive mode of transport.
Article
Full-text available
In any context, operation and management of transportation systems are key issues which may affect both life quality and economic development. In large urban agglomerations, an efficient public transportation system may help abate the negative externalities of private car use such as congestion, air and noise pollution, accident and fuel consumption, without excessively penalizing user travel times or zone accessibility. Thus, this study is conducted to appraise the Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system, which are considered important as there are many issues and solution in integration of the services that need to be tackled more conscientiously. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the most important issues on integration of services and rail transit system in Malaysian and how to solve or reduce these problems and conflicts. In this paper, it consists of the historical development of rail transit construction in Malaysia. This paper also attempts to identify the important issues related to rail transit services and integration in Malaysian rural rail operation and management system. Comparison is also conducted with other countries such as UK, France, and Japan. Finally, a critical analysis is presented in this paper by looking at the possible application for future Malaysian rail transit operation system and management, especially focusing on enhancing the quality of Malaysian rural rail transit. In conclusion, this paper is expected to successfully review and appraise the existing Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system pertaining to issues & solution in integration. It is also hoped that reformation or transformation of present service delivery quality of the rail transit operation and management will enable Malaysia to succeed in transforming Malaysian transportation system to greater heights.
Article
This study aims to investigate the readiness of car drivers to use High-Speed Rail (HSR) for intercity travel in Libya. This study proposes including three new constructs, i.e. novelty seeking, trust and external influence, in the theory planned behaviour (TPB). A total of 338 respondents from five major cities in Libya (Benghazi, Tripoli, Misrath, Tobruk and Surt) participated in this study. The findings show that the attitude, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control constructs directly and positively influence the behaviour intention of Libyan car users to take the new HSR for intercity travel. Furthermore, the novelty seeking construct seems to have an indirect and positive relationship with behaviour intention via attitude. Trust and external influence were found to have a positive influence on the attitude, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control constructs to take HSR. However, in addition to these antecedents, external influence is also reported to have a direct and positive influence on trust and novelty seeking. Finally, this study derives the theoretical and marketing implications on the transportation field. This study provides useful information which the operator of HSR in Libya could benefit from when formulating strategies to persuade car drivers to choose HSR as an alternative mode of transport for intercity travel.
Article
This study is aimed to assess the quality of service provided by Malaysia Airlines and its impact on overall customer satisfaction. This study employed a convenience sampling method for collecting data from 460 respondents using a self-administered questionnaire, designed on five dimensions of AIRQUAL scale. Moreover, variance based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for testing the proposed structural model. Findings of this study revealed that all five dimensions of AIRQUAL scale i.e. airline tangibles; terminal tangi-bles; personnel services; empathy and image have a positive, direct and significant impact on customer satisfaction of Malaysia Airlines. This study investigated the impact of service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction in Malaysia Airlines. Due to limited resources and time constraints this study involves respondents from Malaysia Airlines only; for that reason a comparative analysis of findings with other airlines was not possible; therefore it is considered a limitation of this study. Moreover, importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) was also performed for exploring the importance of various dimensions of service quality. Findings indicate that airlines should focus on all dimensions of service quality, with special focus on personnel services and image for enhancing their customer satisfaction. It is expected that findings of this study will help airlines to understand the role of various dimensions of service quality for enhancing their customer satisfaction.
Article
The building industry has an undeniable impact on the natural environment. Evidence shows that existing buildings make a significant contribution to energy demand and CO2 emissions. Refurbishing existing buildings offers significant opportunities to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The Malaysian government has set a target to retrofit 100 government buildings in order to contribute to the country's commitment to reduce the CO2 emissions intensity of gross domestic product by 45% by 2030. However, there is no specific sustainability assessment scheme targeted at building refurbishment in Malaysia. Thus, this research aims to support the development of a refurbishment sustainability assessment scheme for Malaysia. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was adopted in order to rank assessment themes and identify the priorities of the study's participating stakeholders. The outcome is the Malaysian Refurbishment Assessment Scheme (MRAS), which includes a set of weightings and a classification system for the selected assessment themes and sub-themes. The methods and findings can be adapted for use by other practitioners to develop building assessment schemes in order to pursue the goals of sustainable development through refurbishment.