Satisfaction with Public Transport Related to Service Performance Attributes

Abstract The present study examines the relationship between service performance and public transport users satisfaction. Residents (n=228) of a metropolitan area of Sweden answered a survey questionnaire assessing their satisfaction with the local public transport (busses and streetcars). Information was also collected about the public transport services used by the survey respondents for trips to work and to downtown, respectively. By estimating structural models using the maximum-likelihood method available in LISREL VIII, the hypothesized relation between satisfaction and service performance (travel time, wait time, changes, and frequency of service) was confirmed. Service performance was directly related to overall cumulative satisfaction whereas recalled negative critical incidents did not seem to play any role.