The gaps in satisfaction with transit services among BRT, metro, and bus riders: Evidence from Guangzhou

This paper explores transit riders’ satisfaction with bus rapid transit (BRT) and compares BRT with conventional bus and metro services using revealed preference data from Guangzhou, China. A trivariate ordered probit model is developed to examine the effects of various service attributes on riders’ overall satisfactions with the three types of transit. We find that the top-three influential attributes for satisfaction with BRT are ease of use, safety while riding, and comfort while waiting. Moreover, transit riders are most satisfied with metro, followed by BRT and conventional bus. The top-five attributes that contribute to the difference in the overall satisfaction between BRT and metro are ease of use, comfort while riding, convenience of service, travel time, and comfort while waiting. Based on the findings, we propose specific strategies that can be used to enhance BRT quality of service.

[1]  Michael R. Baltes,et al.  The Importance Customers Place on Specific Service Elements of Bus Rapid Transit , 2003 .

[2]  Anne C. Lusk.  Bus and Bus Stop Designs Related to Perceptions of Crime , 2001 .

[3]  Gholamreza Jandaghi,et al.  Analysis and establishment of bus rapid transit (BRT) on customer satisfaction in Tehran , 2010 .

[4]  Todd Alexander Litman,et al.  Safer Than You Think! Revising the transit safety narrative , 2013 .

[5]  G Berthelsen,et al.  BUS RAPID TRANSIT , 2002 .

[6]  T. Litman.  Valuing Transit Service Quality Improvements , 2008 .

[7]  Katrin Dziekan,et al.  Ease-of-Use in Public Transportation : A User Perspective on Information and Orientation Aspects , 2008 .

[8]  D. Roodman,et al.  Estimating Fully Observed Recursive Mixed-Process Models with Cmp , 2009 .

[9]  John D. Nelson,et al.  The perception of Bus Rapid Transit: a passenger survey from Beijing Southern Axis BRT Line 1 , 2012 .

[10]  Herbert S Levinson,et al.  Bus Rapid Transit: Synthesis of Case Studies , 2003 .

[11]  Constantinos Antoniou,et al.  Public transit user satisfaction: Variability and policy implications , 2008 .

[12]  Graham Currie,et al.  The demand performance of bus rapid transit , 2005 .

[13]  Ching-Fu Chen,et al.  Behavioral intentions of public transit passengers--The roles of service quality, perceived value, satisfaction and involvement , 2011 .

[14]  Somuyiwa Adebambo.  IMPACT OF BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM (BRT) ON PASSENGERS' SATISFACTION IN LAGOS METROPOLIS, NIGERIA , 2009 .

[15]  Geoff Spring,et al.  PUBLIC TRANSPORT SAFETY: A COMMUNITY RIGHT AND A COMMUNAL RESPONSIBILITY , 2006 .

[16]  Moshe Ben-Akiva,et al.  Comparing ridership attraction of rail and bus , 2002 .

[17]  Taylor Reyes,et al.  Quantifying the Importance of Image and Perception to Bus Rapid Transit , 2009 .

[18]  Lloyd Wright,et al.  Bus rapid transit , 2002 .

[19]  Matthew Curtis Lesh.  Innovative Concepts in First-Last Mile Connections to Public Transportation , 2013 .

[20]  Peter G. Moffatt,et al.  Analyzing Ordered Responses: A Review of the Ordered Probit Model , 2002 .

[21]  Mina M.S. Kaldas,et al.  Improvement of Bus Ride Comfort via Active Suspension and Connected Dampers , 2013 .

[22]  B. Taylor,et al.  RECONSIDERING SOCIAL EQUITY IN PUBLIC TRANSIT , 1999 .

[23]  Wirthlin Worldwide,et al.  Enhancing the Visibility and Image of Transit in the United States and Canada , 2000 .