Performance Level of the Public Transportation in the West Bank

Abstract

Developed countries pay great attention to Public transport (PT), their development and evaluation as it is one of the bases of success for that nation. In the West Bank (WB), the PT is generally neglected and worn out. There is no periodic study about the quality of the services provided and the passengers’ satisfaction and their needs. Despite of the relatively large number of daily passengers, only 19% of them use buses because of their lack of confidence in the service. This study aims to investigate passengers’ satisfaction in the PT to identify strengths and weaknesses and evaluating their Level of Service (LOS), which consists of reliability and performance. Required data were collected through field surveys in the WB governorates, from the relevant official authorities or previous studies, interviews with service providers, and a questionnaire to measure the satisfaction of passengers for all intercity bus lines (22 lines). Generally, the PT system in Palestine is inefficient and non-productive. There is an imbalance between demand and supply, imbalance between number of buses and shared taxis, poor infrastructure, low LOS, non-efficient management, and number of ridership is low; therefore, the productivity is low. Passenger trust in buses should be revamped by modernizing the fleet, adopting a regular schedule, providing a smart service system, and providing services at all times where demand is available. It is also essential to carry out periodic studies for this sector and collect statistical information.