The Swedish Public Transport Barometer - a successful tool for improving quality

摘要

By implementing new information technology, the Swedish Public Transport Barometer has dramatically changed the way public transport authorities work with market- and customer information. The core of this new approach in measuring perceived service quality is the use of a web based analysis tool where the PTAs log on and make their own analyses. The tracking feature of the barometer has given the PTAs instant market- and customer feedback, and has opened up the possibility to analyse effects of market interventions, such as a change in fares, and also to study effects of external factors, such as accidents and system failures. The open structure of the barometer, where all PTAs can compare themselves to each other, has also triggered benchmarking. With the implementation of the web based analysis tool, the use of the information from the Swedish Public Transport Barometer has for a first time extended into the boardrooms and beyond.