Angel Ibeas

Chapter 6 – Most Basic Methods

This chapter will introduce a series of methodologies which can be applied to determine the most influential factors in the study of quality in public transport. These methodologies provide important information highlighting the points that need addressing to make improvements in quality. The methods used to determine the importance of the main factors affecting quality in public transport are described and supported by the development of two methods: factorial analysis and importance-performance analysis. This is followed by the presentation of a series of indexes and procedures which have been used to study public transport service quality: SERVQUAL, SERVPERF, and Quattro. These indexes also reveal the attributes considered to be most representative of service quality, forming the starting point for the studies that are developed later.

Beyond Perceived Quality: Desired Quality

The quality perceived by users of a public transport system is a fundamental tool in getting to know their opinions about the service they receive. We need to ask ourselves if knowing what the current users think is enough or whether we also need to understand the opinions of the potential users. If our goal is to attract more passengers then clearly the opinions of potential users is vital. With this aim in mind dellOlio etxa0al. introduced the concept of desired quality or what the potential users expect to receive from a public transport service. A methodology based on stated preferences surveys is proposed to determine this desired quality and this is followed by estimating Logit type discrete choice models to simulate and analyze the results.

Quality in Public Transport Contracts

Congestion is an ever increasing problem for infrastructures in interurban as well as urban areas. All solutions aim to encourage greater use of public transport and/or penalize the use of the private car. However, the economic structures surrounding the concessions for running public transport services are in many cases very delicate, which means that operating companies are reluctant to invest in making improvements in quality as they do not consider them to be profitable.