Heterogeneity in perception of service quality attributes of bus transit across various user categories- A case of Kolkata

摘要

Existence of heterogeneity in the perception of bus service attributes across users of varied socio-economic and travel characteristics is an established fact. Research continues to highlight the need to consider these differences in opinion while planning transit services. Studies highlight that based on a user’s socio-economic characteristics, travel habits and experience of similar service, they prioritize service attributes differently, which eventually reflects on their overall satisfaction with the service. However, most studies on heterogeneity in user perception of public transit services are limited to the developed countries. User perception studies on bus services in developing countries acknowledge the difference in perception, but a detailed analysis of the determinants that influence a user’s overall level of satisfaction is yet to be undertaken. This study uses principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to understand if there exist any differences in perception related to bus service attributes among various user groups. The categorization takes into account the differences in both socio-economic characteristics and travel habits of users.