An analysis of gender differences and perception of influential criteria for the quality of urban bus transportation: Evidence from Brazil

Abstract

In Brazil, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of people transported by bus has been reduced possibly due to the rise of individual transport (transport apps, electric scooters, cycling, etc.) and also due the low quality of bus transport services. Whilst several studies have emphasized the importance of measuring the quality of service in public transportation regarding the passengers' satisfaction in order to retain and attract new users, there is no consensus about the most convenient methodology and the best suitable criteria to perform such analysis. Moreover, the need to effectively promote the strengthening of gender equality in transportation and the assessment of gender differences and their perceptions in bus transportation services is increasingly perceived. In this context, a case study was conducted in a medium-sized Brazilian municipality and the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA), combined with the Tarrant & Smith procedure and a service quality classification procedure are used to analyze the influential criteria in the quality of urban bus transportation. As a result, the most influential criteria in the quality of urban bus transportation services regarding both female and male perceptions are related with the waiting time, punctuality, passenger loading, service schedule, and the bus maintenance and cleanliness. However, significant differences between female and male perceptions are perceived regarding the importance of criteria in terms of vehicle crashes, respect from drivers/ticket sellers, punctuality, service frequency, cleaning and maintenance of buses and the relationship between the ticket price and the service provided, and also in terms of the bus service performance concerning the respect for traffic laws and the service schedule.