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Importance of user perception in evaluating level of service for bus transit for a developing country like India: a review

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  • Shreya Das
  • Debapratim Pandit

Abstract

Assessment of service quality in bus transit planning has received due attention in recent years from the viewpoint of optimal service allocation. The concept of level of service (LOS) has emerged as an effective tool to measure quality of services. Service-quality assessment provides operators with knowledge on users' satisfaction with existing services and their expected LOSs. The importance of user perception towards assessment of LOS has been acknowledged by researchers. While LOS standards for public transportation have been established by the Transportation Research Board in the USA, researchers have questioned the applicability of these standards in the context of different geographic regions. Since the service delivery environment differs between developed and developing nations, the user perception of service quality varies between these economic regions. Substantial research has been carried out in the context of both developed and developing nations, to identify the bus transit service parameters that affect users' perceived service quality; however, little research exists that establishes LOS thresholds for bus transit, based on user perception. This paper reviews the concept of LOS, describes the importance of user perception in assessment of service quality and identifies the need to establish LOS thresholds for bus transit from user perception for developing countries.

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  • Shreya Das & Debapratim Pandit, 2013. "Importance of user perception in evaluating level of service for bus transit for a developing country like India: a review," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 402-420, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:transr:v:33:y:2013:i:4:p:402-420
    DOI: 10.1080/01441647.2013.789571
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    6. Luo, Shuli & He, Sylvia Y. & Grant-Muller, Susan & Song, Linqi, 2023. "Influential factors in customer satisfaction of transit services: Using crowdsourced data to capture the heterogeneity across individuals, space and time," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 173-183.
    7. Márquez, Luis & Alfonso A, Julieth V. & Poveda, Juan C., 2019. "In-vehicle crowding: Integrating tangible attributes, attitudes, and perceptions in a choice context between BRT and metro," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 452-465.
    8. Mohammad Rashid & Debapratim Pandit, 2017. "Determination of appropriate service quality attributes for household toilets in rural settlements of India based on user perception," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1381-1406, August.
    9. Cheranchery, Munavar Fairooz & Maitra, Bhargab, 2018. "Investigating perception of captive and choice riders for formulating service standards of ordinary and premium buses in Indian cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 89-96.
    10. Luo, Shuli & He, Sylvia Y., 2021. "Understanding gender difference in perceptions toward transit services across space and time: A social media mining approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 63-73.
    11. Pandit, Debapratim & Sharma, Deepa, 2022. "Expected service dimensions and service levels for paratransit considering future mobility needs in emerging countries," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1-13.
    12. Sara Ramos & Paula Vicente & Ana M. Passos & Patrícia Costa & Elizabeth Reis, 2019. "Perceptions of the Public Transport Service as a Barrier to the Adoption of Public Transport: A Qualitative Study," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-16, May.
    13. de Oña, Juan & de Oña, Rocío & Eboli, Laura & Mazzulla, Gabriella, 2016. "Index numbers for monitoring transit service quality," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 18-30.

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