Rose Luke & Gert Heyns

1. MEASURING COMMUTERS PERCEPTIONS OF SERVICE QUALITY OF SELECTED PUBLIC BUS SERVICES IN THE CITY OF JOHANNESBURG Rose Luke & Gert Heyns July 2017

2. Introduction • Transport - critical role in socio-economic development • Esp. developing countries - mobility and accessibility frequently constrained by inadequate levels of transport services • White Paper on National Transport Policy recognised importance of public transport services • Aim to achieve 80:20 split between public and private transport use • But by 2015 • “Our passenger transport system is broadly inefficient and not sufficiently customer focused with poor levels of reliability, predictability, comfort and safety” (NATMAP) • Current split is approximately 70:30 (NHTS) / Read with caution • To achieve envisaged modal shift and achieve intention of the NDP to provide an integrated passenger transport system and access to opportunities for all • Critical to understand the current public transport service levels and the failure to meet the mobility needs of the commuting public

3. Aim • Investigate gaps between consumers’ expectations and perceived levels of service quality • To enable service providers and policy makers to adequately address needs within the public transport environment

4. Quality of Public Transport • Public transport in SA - generally regarded - low standard • TOPSA survey indicates - over 4-year period • Public highly dissatisfied with quality and levels of public transport • Therefore - societal needs such as mobility and accessibility remain largely unaddressed • Evidence of poor quality of public transport • Continued high levels of usage of private motor vehicles • Low levels of uptake on government subsidised public transport • Quality of public transport services is sufficiently low that most public transport users aim at converting to private car ownership and travel, as soon as they are able to afford it • Implication: • Service quality in public transport requires considerable improvement if policies designed to achieve modal shifts from cars to public transport are to be effective.

5. Service Quality • Definitions: • Difference between customer expectations and customer perceptions of the service. • A comparison between perceived quality of the current service and previous encounters where excellent quality was experienced • Consumer’s overall impression of the relative inferiority or superiority of the organisation and its services • Relativity - customer perception of the quality of service is based on previous experience of a similar type of service

6. Measurement of Service Quality • Variety of approaches • Various national and international indexes • Service Quality Indexes (SQI) - based on random utility theory and discrete choice models, use choice data rather than customer judgments ratings • Customer Satisfaction Indexes (CSI) measure service quality based on user judgements conveyed through a numeric scale • SERVQUAL methodology • used extensively by researchers • most widely used approach across various industries to compare customers’ perceived service quality expectations with their perceptions of actual service experience • applied to numerous industries, including banking, retailing, hospitality and tourism, hospitals, restaurants, education, local government and transport

7. SERVQUAL Dimensions (RATER)

8. Measuring Service Quality • Five gaps that may cause customers to experience poor service quality

9. SERVQUAL in Public Transport • Public transport services - difficult to determine service quality, esp. because of diversity of 'customers‘ • Reinforces need for public sector to ensure that they provide quality services that match customer expectations as closely as possible • If not met - customers likely to resort to the alternative of using own cars • Policy is to create a transport system that is public transport rather than car centric • Crucial that consumer needs and expectations are understood • Therefore becomes possible to provide public transport services that consumers perceive to be viable alternatives to the private car

10. Adaptation of SERVQUAL Instrument • TOPSA results indicate that commuter transport is not yet safe, reliable, effective or affordable • Preferable to adapt the SERVQUAL instrument to include more suitable dimensions that address specific service quality concerns of the users. • RECSA considered fitting for measuring service quality in public transport in South Africa as, in a developing world context, affordability is considered a key component of the service levels offered to customers. • Reliability, extent of service, comfort, safety and affordability (RECSA)

11. Research methodology • Objective: measure and understand gap between commuters’ expectations and the perceived service quality offered by selected public bus services in the Greater Johannesburg area • Modified SERVQUAL approach, using the RECSA dimensions • 25 items, evenly distributed between the five dimensions • Structured interviewer-administered questionnaires • Demographics • Perceptions • Expectations • Five point Likert-type scale • Waiting commuters • Convenience sampling(generalisability undermined) • 300 and 100 responses from Metrobus and PUTCO commuters respectively.

12. Results: Reliability • SPSS for Windows version 23 • Reliability of the measurement scale was gauged to ascertain the internal consistency • Metrobus data: overall Cronbach’s  values were 0.905 and 0.961 for the perception and expectation • PUTCO data: overall Cronbach’s  values were 0.894 and 0.991 for the perception and expectation respectively

13. Respondent Profile

14. SERVQUAL Gap Scores at Dimension Level • Metrobus • PUTCO

15. Perceived Service Levels • Differences between companies • Exceptions: • bus service availability on weekends / public holidays are adequate • there are adequate safety measures against crime on buses • there are adequate safety measures against crime at waiting areas • fare increases are reasonable • Users do not perceive significant differences between these attributes on the two services.

16. Expected Service Levels • Differences attributed to user demographic (low income vs general commuting public)

17. Findings: Metrobus • Key service shortcomings • lack of adequate safety measures against crime • insufficient notification of the availability of services • insufficient protection provided at waiting areas • inadequate operational times after hours and during weekends and holidays • punctuality and adherence to bus schedules • Best areas of service quality • availability of weekly/season tickets • feeling safe and comfortable in the vehicle • availability of bus schedule information

18. Findings: PUTCO • Key service limitations • lack of protection at the waiting areas • punctuality and adherence to bus schedules • overall condition and neatness of buses and related infrastructure • breakdowns of buses • insufficient notification of the availability of services • Best areas of service quality • affordability of the service, specifically the cost and price increases • availability of weekly/season tickets • feeling safe in the vehicle, in terms of there being low probabilities of accidents • driver training being adequate.

19. Conclusion (1/3) • Perception scores for both operators were less than the expectation scores - indicates less than satisfactory service quality • Metrobusfell short on reliability and safety dimensions • unsatisfactory safety measures against crime • inadequate notification of the availability of services • PUTCO lacked in reliability and comfort dimensions • dependability, punctuality and consistency of bus services • overall condition and tidiness of buses

20. Conclusion (2/3) • PUTCO commuters have much lower expectations of service quality than Metrobus users • Possibly attributable to perception that PUTCO is aimed at low income earners • Aside from affordability - gaps for all other dimensions - considerably higher for PUTCO than for Metrobus • Although more is expected from Metrobus services, the company is closer to meeting service level expectations than PUTCO • Although expectations are moderate for PUTCO - not close to being met • High gaps between perceptions and expectations of bus services, particularly for largely captive users, provides a good indication of the growing car ownership intentions and resultant congestion levels in the city

21. Conclusion (3/3) • Believed to be only research that provides empirical evidence of service quality perceptions and expectations of public transport in City of Johannesburg • Assist service providers • Understanding gaps in their service provision • Policy makers: • Understanding dissatisfaction with current levels of public transport service • Indication of areas in which future interventions can be directed. • Limitations: • Sample size • Inherent weaknesses in SERVQUAL methodology • Limited geographic area investigated • Future research • Extend the current study to wider geographical coverage, enabling generalisation to the population.

22. Thank you Questions?