Abstract
Background: In a number of countries, buses are a critical element of public transportation, providing the most inclusive and sustainable mode of transportation to all forms of citizenry, including staff and students of universities.Objectives: The study examines the determinants of satisfaction with campus bus transportation. The article is primarily discursive and based on the synthesis of existing service literature supported by data obtained from a survey of 847 respondents.Method: Structural equation modelling is undertaken using AMOS 19, allowing for the examination of compound relationships between service engagement variables.Results: Results show statistically significant differences between perceived service quality and travel routes. The authors argue that managerial attention to service user experiences does not only hold the key to ongoing competitive success in campus transportation services but also that those services can be significantly enriched through greater managerial attention to the interface between risk of financial loss (which increases when the campus bus transportation service provider becomes less able to compete) and service quality.Conclusion: The authors argue that if providers of campus bus transportation services are to rise to their service delivery challenges and also maintain or improve upon their market positions, they must conceptualise their services in a manner that takes into consideration the two-way interrelationship between risk of financial loss and service quality. It must also be noted that, although this study may have relevance for firm–firm scenarios, its focus is primarily on service supplier firm–customer service engagements.Keywords: Modelling; Transportation; Service
Highlights
OverviewScholars have long been concerned with the question of how service may be a key driver for a service supplier firm’s prosperity and survival (Busse & Wallenburg 2011; Daugherty, Chen & Ferrin 2011; Grawe, Autry & Daugherty et al 2014)
The outcome of the Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis is that three different service attributes – Driver, Planning_Reliability and Routes_Service – are seen to significantly impact customer service satisfaction, addressing the first research question (What service attributes significantly influence the satisfaction of customers using bus services?)
In terms of the second research question (Does customer satisfaction vary depending on bus transport route and frequency?), the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there were statistically significant differences between the service quality areas and bus routes and frequency
Summary
OverviewScholars have long been concerned with the question of how service may be a key driver for a service supplier firm’s prosperity and survival (Busse & Wallenburg 2011; Daugherty, Chen & Ferrin 2011; Grawe, Autry & Daugherty et al 2014). Scholars have long been interested in the question of the selection of modes of transport service (Bhattacharya et al 2014; Correia & Antunes 2012; Jain et al 2014), and in customer service quality and supplier–customer relationship satisfaction specific to buses as a mode of transportation (see de Ona et al 2013; Dell’Olio, Ibeas & Cecin 2010; Hensher 2014; Hensher, Stopher & Bullock 2003; Hu & Jen 2006; Wall & McDonald 2007; Yang, Kong & Meng 2001). In a number of countries, buses are a critical element of public transportation, providing the most inclusive and sustainable mode of transportation to all forms of citizenry, including staff and students of universities
Published Version (Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have