Abstract
Service quality in public transport is proposed as a key determinant of perceived accessibility, the ease to live the life one wants with the help of the transport system, as low service quality may be a barrier for use, decreasing the ease to participate in daily activities. The first aim was to validate the direct relationship between public transport quality and perceived accessibility. Secondly, we analyzed the mediating role of safety perceptions to better explain the link between service quality and perceived accessibility. Public transport travelers (n = 4944) from five northern European cities were surveyed. Results from PLS-SEM modeling show that service quality has a significant and direct relationship with perceived accessibility, especially regarding functionality. An indirect relationship through travel safety perceptions was also observed, highlighting information and comfort as main drivers. High car use, low public transport use, increasing age, and being a woman were also associated with greater perceived accessibility. City comparisons yielded a number of significant differences. Our results contribute to the research literature by highlighting the importance of service quality in public transport for perceptions of accessibility in daily travel. In particular, we argue that functionality is the core attribute to focus on, and that attributes related to travel safety perceptions should be carefully considered when planning for sustainable transport.
Highlights
The current focus on sustainable travel in Europe includes policies aiming at increasing the accessibility of public transport in order to make it an eligible substitute for the car in daily travel, especially in dense city areas
Differences in means between cities for perceived accessibility and each of the four quality constructs, and perceived travel safety were tested by analyses of variance (Anova), followed by Bonferroni corrected pairwise post hoc t-tests
Accessibility is important in its role as a prerequisite for actual travel, knowledge of the relationship between different service quality attributes and travel safety perceptions and their influence on perceived accessibility is crucial when focus lies on improving the service and safety of public transport systems aiming for increased accessibility
Summary
The current focus on sustainable travel in Europe includes policies aiming at increasing the accessibility of public transport in order to make it an eligible substitute for the car in daily travel, especially in dense city areas. The purpose of the present study was to model the contribution of service quality and travel safety perceptions on the perceived accessibility of public transport travelers. Travel safety perceptions refer to the personal experiences and expectations of safety and security while traveling This includes the calculated risk of being exposed to hazards as well as affective feelings associated with potential hazards, such as threats from other people (e.g., terrorism, violence, theft, harassments or infections), impacts of accidents (e.g., vehicle accidents, safe waiting areas), discomfort (e.g., a smooth ride quality), and/or fear (e.g., not knowing how to travel, accident, threat). To our knowledge, only one previous study [1] has explored the links between different service quality dimensions (e.g., functionality, information, comfort) and travel safety perceptions in the context of public transport, and in relation to perceived accessibility.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
