IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v142y2020icp129-150.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Importance – Performance Analysis (IPA) of bus service attributes: A case study in a developing country

Author

Listed:
  • Esmailpour, Javad
  • Aghabayk, Kayvan
  • Abrari Vajari, Mohammad
  • De Gruyter, Chris

Abstract

Ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction with public transport is a key objective for transit agencies wishing to maintain and/or increase service uptake. Importance – Performance Analysis (IPA) can be used to identify gaps in the performance of public transport service attributes relative to their importance. However, this approach is often used without adequate consideration of its validity or reliability. Using a case study of bus services in Tehran, Iran, this paper contributes to the literature by improving the validity and reliability of IPA through: incorporating Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to identify key components of bus service attributes, proposing a method for prioritising attributes, introducing confidence intervals around each attribute to aid in the interpretation of results, and dividing the sample using Cluster Analysis (CA) to mitigate the effects of heterogeneity on the results. The performance and importance of 15 different bus service attributes was assessed through a survey of 390 bus passengers conducted at six high-traffic bus terminals in Tehran. EFA results showed that the bus attributes could be represented by four key components: convenience, comfort, reliability and security. CA results classified the sample into three clusters based on socio-demographic and bus travel characteristics. IPA results indicated that transit agencies and policy-makers need to give greater attention to improving comfort related attributes of bus services in Tehran such as ventilation, cleanliness of buses, and providing facilities for elderly/disabled people. The enhanced approach to IPA developed in this paper can be applied to other jursidictions where agencies are seeking to identify areas to improve public transport customer satisfaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Esmailpour, Javad & Aghabayk, Kayvan & Abrari Vajari, Mohammad & De Gruyter, Chris, 2020. "Importance – Performance Analysis (IPA) of bus service attributes: A case study in a developing country," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 129-150.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:142:y:2020:i:c:p:129-150
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2020.10.020
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856420307655
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2020.10.020?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Abalo, Javier & Varela, Jesus & Manzano, Vicente, 2007. "Importance values for Importance-Performance Analysis: A formula for spreading out values derived from preference rankings," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 115-121, February.
    2. dell'Olio, Luigi & Ibeas, Angel & Cecín, Patricia, 2010. "Modelling user perception of bus transit quality," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 388-397, November.
    3. Azzopardi, Ernest & Nash, Robert, 2013. "A critical evaluation of importance–performance analysis," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 222-233.
    4. Kurt Matzler & Elmar Sauerwein & Kenneth Heischmidt, 2003. "Importance-performance analysis revisited: the role of the factor structure of customer satisfaction," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 112-129, March.
    5. Phadermrod, Boonyarat & Crowder, Richard M. & Wills, Gary B., 2019. "Importance-Performance Analysis based SWOT analysis," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 194-203.
    6. Chris De Gruyter & Graham Currie & Long T. Truong & Farhana Naznin, 2019. "A meta-analysis and synthesis of public transport customer amenity valuation research," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 261-283, March.
    7. Allen, Jaime & Muñoz, Juan Carlos & Rosell, Jordi, 2019. "Effect of a major network reform on bus transit satisfaction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 310-333.
    8. de Oña, Juan & de Oña, Rocío & Eboli, Laura & Mazzulla, Gabriella, 2013. "Perceived service quality in bus transit service: A structural equation approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 219-226.
    9. Abbie Griffin & John R. Hauser, 1993. "The Voice of the Customer," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27.
    10. Mathew Joseph & David Allbright & George Stone & Yasmin Sekhon & Julie Tinson, 2005. "Importance-performance analysis of UK and US bank customer perceptions of service delivery technologies," International Journal of Financial Services Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(1), pages 66-88.
    11. Lai, Ivan Ka Wai & Hitchcock, Michael, 2016. "A comparison of service quality attributes for stand-alone and resort-based luxury hotels in Macau: 3-Dimensional importance-performance analysis," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 139-159.
    12. Lai, Ivan Ka Wai & Hitchcock, Michael, 2015. "Importance–performance analysis in tourism: A framework for researchers," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 242-267.
    13. Pan, Frank C., 2015. "Practical application of importance-performance analysis in determining critical job satisfaction factors of a tourist hotel," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 84-91.
    14. Li, Linbo & Bai, Yufang & Song, Ziqi & Chen, Anthony & Wu, Bing, 2018. "Public transportation competitiveness analysis based on current passenger loyalty," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 213-226.
    15. Allen, Jaime & Eboli, Laura & Forciniti, Carmen & Mazzulla, Gabriella & Ortúzar, Juan de Dios, 2019. "The role of critical incidents and involvement in transit satisfaction and loyalty," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 57-69.
    16. van Lierop, Dea & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2016. "Enjoying loyalty: The relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in public transit," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 50-59.
    17. Allen, Jaime & Muñoz, Juan Carlos & Ortúzar, Juan de Dios, 2018. "Modelling service-specific and global transit satisfaction under travel and user heterogeneity," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 509-528.
    18. Zhang, Chunqin & Liu, Yong & Lu, Weite & Xiao, Guangnian, 2019. "Evaluating passenger satisfaction index based on PLS-SEM model: Evidence from Chinese public transport service," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 149-164.
    19. Ziegler, Jackie & Dearden, Philip & Rollins, Rick, 2012. "But are tourists satisfied? Importance-performance analysis of the whale shark tourism industry on Isla Holbox, Mexico," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 692-701.
    20. Scott E. Sampson & MICHAEL J. SHOWALTER, 1999. "The Performance-Importance Response Function: Observations and Implications," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 1-25, July.
    21. Sever, Ivan, 2015. "Importance-performance analysis: A valid management tool?," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 43-53.
    22. Boley, B. Bynum & McGehee, Nancy Gard & Tom Hammett, A.L., 2017. "Importance-performance analysis (IPA) of sustainable tourism initiatives: The resident perspective," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 66-77.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Aghabayk, Kayvan & Esmailpour, Javad & Shiwakoti, Nirajan, 2021. "Effects of COVID-19 on rail passengers’ crowding perceptions," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 186-202.
    2. Hongpeng Fu & Lingbo Fu & Lóránt Dénes Dávid & Qikang Zhong & Kai Zhu, 2024. "Bridging Gaps towards the 2030 Agenda: A Data-Driven Comparative Analysis of Government and Public Engagement in China towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-25, June.
    3. Anisa Zahwa Akbara & Bee-Lia Chua & Heesup Han & António Raposo, 2021. "Investigating International Students’ Perception of Foodservice Attributes in Malaysian Research Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-20, July.
    4. Wang, Yucheng & Gao, Yanan, 2022. "Travel satisfaction and travel well-being: Which is more related to travel choice behaviour in the post COVID-19 pandemic? Evidence from public transport travellers in Xi’an, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 218-233.
    5. Yulu Zhao & Xinye Xu & Gangwei Cai & Zhetao Hu & Yan Hong, 2022. "Promoting Strategies for Healthy Environments in University Halls of Residence under Regular Epidemic Prevention and Control: An Importance—Performance Analysis from Zhejiang, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-19, November.
    6. Wang, Zhifang & Fu, Hongpeng & Jian, Yuqing & Qureshi, Salman & Jie, Hua & Wang, Lu, 2022. "On the comparative use of social media data and survey data in prioritizing ecosystem services for cost-effective governance," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    7. Zhang Xiaoliang & Jia Limin, 2021. "Analysis of Bus Line Operation Reliability Based on Copula Function," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Esmailpour, Javad & Aghabayk, Kayvan & Aghajanzadeh, Mohammad & De Gruyter, Chris, 2022. "Has COVID-19 changed our loyalty towards public transport? Understanding the moderating role of the pandemic in the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 80-103.
    9. Luis André Wernecke Fumagalli & Denis Alcides Rezende & Thiago André Guimarães, 2022. "Data Intelligence in Public Transportation: Sustainable and Equitable Solutions to Urban Modals in Strategic Digital City Subproject," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-16, April.
    10. Tae-Seung Park & Jae-Yoon Kwon, 2022. "Analysis of Crisis Management for Sustainable Development of Fitness Center during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-12, February.
    11. Luo, Qingyu & Bing, Xue & Jia, Hongfei & Song, Jinge, 2022. "An incentive subsidy mechanism for bus lines based on service level," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 1-13.
    12. Jie Zhao & Zhenghong Peng & Lingbo Liu & Yang Yu & Yan Yu, 2021. "Evaluation on the Internal Public Space Quality in Affordable Housing Based on Multi-Source Data and IPA Analysis," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, September.
    13. Arghadeep Bose & Debanjan Basak & Subham Roy & Indrajit Roy Chowdhury & Hazem Ghassan Abdo & Mohammed Aldagheiri & Hussein Almohamad, 2023. "Evaluation of Urban Sustainability through Perceived Importance, Performance, Satisfaction and Loyalty: An Integrated IPA–SEM-Based Modelling Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-22, June.
    14. Muhammad Fadhlullah Abu Bakar & Shuhairy Norhisham & Herda Yati Katman & Chow Ming Fai & Nor Najwa Irina Mohd Azlan & Nur Sarah Shaziah Samsudin, 2022. "Service Quality of Bus Performance in Asia: A Systematic Literature Review and Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-21, June.
    15. Saleem, Muhammad Abid & Afzal, Hanan & Ahmad, Farooq & Ismail, Hina & Nguyen, Ninh, 2023. "An exploration and importance-performance analysis of bus rapid transit systems’ service quality attributes: Evidence from an emerging economy," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 1-13.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jih-Kuang Chen, 2021. "A New Approach for Diagonal Line Model of Importance-Performance Analysis: A Case Study of Tourist Satisfaction in China," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440219, January.
    2. Esmailpour, Javad & Aghabayk, Kayvan & Aghajanzadeh, Mohammad & De Gruyter, Chris, 2022. "Has COVID-19 changed our loyalty towards public transport? Understanding the moderating role of the pandemic in the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 80-103.
    3. Michele Preziosi & Alessia Acampora & Maria Claudia Lucchetti & Roberto Merli, 2022. "Delighting Hotel Guests with Sustainability: Revamping Importance-Performance Analysis in the Light of the Three-Factor Theory of Customer Satisfaction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Jinyang Deng & Chad D. Pierskalla, 2018. "Linking Importance–Performance Analysis, Satisfaction, and Loyalty: A Study of Savannah, GA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
    5. Echaniz, Eneko & Ho, Chinh Q. & Rodriguez, Andres & dell'Olio, Luigi, 2019. "Comparing best-worst and ordered logit approaches for user satisfaction in transit services," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 752-769.
    6. Lai, Ivan Ka Wai & Hitchcock, Michael, 2016. "A comparison of service quality attributes for stand-alone and resort-based luxury hotels in Macau: 3-Dimensional importance-performance analysis," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 139-159.
    7. Cai, Gangwei & Xu, Binyan & Lu, Feidong & Lu, Ye, 2023. "The promotion strategies and dynamic evaluation model of exhibition-driven sustainable tourism based on previous/prospective tourist satisfaction after COVID-19," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    8. Azzopardi, Ernest & Nash, Robert, 2013. "A critical evaluation of importance–performance analysis," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 222-233.
    9. Rong, Rui & Liu, Lishan & Jia, Ning & Ma, Shoufeng, 2022. "Impact analysis of actual traveling performance on bus passenger’s perception and satisfaction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 80-100.
    10. Guizzardi, Andrea & Stacchini, Annalisa, 2017. "Destinations strategic groups via Multivariate Competition-based IPA," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 40-50.
    11. Tuan, Vu Anh & Van Truong, Nguyen & Tetsuo, Shimizu & An, Nguyen Ngoc, 2022. "Public transport service quality: Policy prioritization strategy in the importance-performance analysis and the three-factor theory frameworks," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 118-134.
    12. Sun, Shichao & Zhang, Hui & Zhou, Linlin & Wang, Ke, 2023. "Is the relationship between the perceived service quality and passenger loyalty linear or non-linear? A novel model-independent interpretation method is applied," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 65-79.
    13. Sun, Shichao & Xu, Lingyu & Yao, Yukun & Duan, Zhengyu, 2021. "Investigating the determinants to retain spurious-loyalty passengers: A data-fusion based approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 70-83.
    14. Chengcai Tang & Qianqian Zheng & Pin Ng, 2019. "A Study on the Coordinative Green Development of Tourist Experience and Commercialization of Tourism at Cultural Heritage Sites," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-19, August.
    15. Yan Hong & Gangwei Cai & Zhoujin Mo & Weijun Gao & Lei Xu & Yuanxing Jiang & Jinming Jiang, 2020. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Tourist Satisfaction with B&B in Zhejiang, China: An Importance–Performance Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-19, May.
    16. Seungju Nam & Hyun Cheol Lee, 2019. "A Text Analytics-Based Importance Performance Analysis and Its Application to Airline Service," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-24, November.
    17. Pumpe, Andreas & Vallée, Franz, 2015. "The Total Landed Cost Concept. Begging for Answers," Chapters from the Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conference of Logistics (HICL), in: Blecker, Thorsten & Kersten, Wolfgang & Ringle, Christian M. (ed.), Operational Excellence in Logistics and Supply Chains: Optimization Methods, Data-driven Approaches and Security Insights. Proceedings of the Hamburg , volume 22, pages 31-54, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute of Business Logistics and General Management.
    18. de Oña, Juan, 2020. "The role of involvement with public transport in the relationship between service quality, satisfaction and behavioral intentions," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 296-318.
    19. Lai, Ivan Ka Wai & Hitchcock, Michael, 2015. "Importance–performance analysis in tourism: A framework for researchers," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 242-267.
    20. Ida Rašovská & Marketa Kubickova & Kateřina Ryglová, 2021. "Importance–performance analysis approach to destination management," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(4), pages 777-794, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:142:y:2020:i:c:p:129-150. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.