Most Basic Methods

This chapter will introduce a series of methodologies which can be applied to determine the most influential factors in the study of quality in public transport. These methodologies provide important information highlighting the points that need addressing to make improvements in quality. The methods used to determine the importance of the main factors affecting quality in public transport are described and supported by the development of two methods: factorial analysis and importance-performance analysis. This is followed by the presentation of a series of indexes and procedures which have been used to study public transport service quality: SERVQUAL, SERVPERF, and Quattro. These indexes also reveal the attributes considered to be most representative of service quality, forming the starting point for the studies that are developed later.

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