Rocío de Oña

A classification tree approach to identify key factors of transit service quality

A key aspect to take into consideration when developing indices to evaluate transit service quality is to determine how much weight passengers give to each attribute when making a global assessment of service quality (SQ). The simplest method of a direct question in customer satisfaction survey (CSS) poses a number of problems, and therefore statistical regression methods have been developed to infer attribute importance on the basis of CSS or stated preference surveys. However, most regression models have their own model assumptions and pre-defined underlying relationships between dependant and independent variables. If these assumptions are violated, the model could lead to erroneous estimations. This paper proposes using a classification and regression tree (CART) that does not require any pre-defined underlying relationship between dependent and independents variables, to identify the key factors affecting bus transit quality of service. The paper uses the data gathered in a CSS conducted on the Granada metropolitan transit system in 2007, which was a non-research oriented survey. Two CART models were developed to compare the key attributes identified before and after making passengers reflect on the main aspects of the system. The outcomes show that, in a preliminary evaluation, passenger perception of SQ is basically influenced by frequency. After being asked to evaluate all the attributes, however, other attributes (e.g. proximity, speed and safety) become more important than frequency.

Quality of Service in Public Transport Based on Customer Satisfaction Surveys: A Review and Assessment of Methodological Approaches

The growth of literature in the field of quality of service in the public transport PT sector shows increasing concern for a better understanding of the factors affecting service quality SQ in PT organizations and companies. A large variety of approaches to SQ have been developed in recent years owing to the complexity of the concept; the broad range of attributes required to evaluate SQ; and the imprecision, subjectivity, and heterogeneous nature of the data used to analyze it. Most of these approaches are based on customer satisfaction surveys. This paper seeks to summarize the evolution of research and current thinking as it relates to the different methodological approaches for SQ evaluation in the PT sector over the years and to provide a discussion of future directions.

Heterogeneity in Perceptions of Service Quality among Groups of Railway Passengers

The aim of this work is to analyze the different perceptions among groups of users regarding transit service quality. We propose a methodology based on a classification and regression tree (CART) approach, allowing the characteristics that most influence overall service quality to be identified. The methodology is applied by using data regarding rail service in northern Italy, particularly suburban lines connecting different towns of the hinterland of the city of Milan. Passengers expressed their opinions about service characteristics such as safety, cleanliness, comfort, information, and personnel. We found that perceptions about service quality are differentiated among the various groups of users.

Key factors affecting rail service quality in the Northern Italy: a decision tree approach

AbstractThis work concerns with the analysis of transit service quality on the basis of the perceptions directly expressed by the passengers of the services. The transit services supporting the research are offered by rail operators of the Northern Italy, and particularly by regional and suburban lines connecting different towns of the hinterland of the city of Milan, and express lines connecting Milan with the Malpensa airport. The experimental data were collected in a survey conducted in May 2012, and addressed to a sample of more than 16,000 passengers. Passengers expressed their opinions about service characteristics such as safety, cleanliness, comfort, information, personnel. The tool chosen for evaluating service quality is a Classification and Regression Tree Approach (CART), useful for identifying the characteristics mostly influencing the overall service quality. We found that service characteristics like ‘Windows and Doors Working’, ‘Courtesy and Competence on Board’, ‘Information at Stations’,...

Neural networks for analyzing service quality in public transportation

It is essential to take into account the service quality assessment made by the passengers of a public transportation system, as well as the weight or relative importance assigned to each one of the attributes considered, in order to know its strengths and weaknesses. This paper proposes using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to analyze the service quality perceived by the passengers of a public transportation system. This technique is characterized by its high capability for prediction and for capturing highly non-lineal intrinsic relations between the study variables without requiring a pre-defined model. First, an ANN model was developed using the data gathered in a Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted on the Granada bus metropolitan transit system in 2007. Next, three different methods were used to determine the relative contribution of the attributes. Finally, a statistical analysis was applied to the outcomes of each method to identify groups of attributes with significant differences in their relative importance. The results show that statistical significant differences exist among several categories of attributes that have a greater or lesser impact on service quality and satisfaction. All the methods agree that Frequency is the most influential attribute in the service quality, and that other attributes such as Speed, Information and Proximity are also important.

Transit passengers’ behavioural intentions: the influence of service quality and customer satisfaction

ABSTRACT Knowing passengers’ behavioural intentions to use transit service can be a useful support for transit managers and marketers who can define the most convenient strategies to satisfy existing passengers and attract new ones. We retain that analysing passengers’ intentions to continue to use transit services in the future together with relevant concepts such as service quality and customer satisfaction is fundamental to understand passengers’ behaviour. For this reason, in this paper we propose a structural equation model for investigating on the relationship among some aspects influencing passengers’ behavioural intentions towards the use of transit services. The light rail transit (LRT) of Seville (Spain) offers the transit service supporting our work. We collected through an ad-hoc survey the opinions of the passengers about the used LRT system and transit system in general, and we propose a methodology to explain how passengers’ opinions influence their intentions to use the LRT again. Among the interesting findings from the model, we observe that behavioural intentions are mostly affected by passengers’ judgements about LRT service quality and their satisfaction with the service. Moreover, not only direct but indirect effects on behavioural intentions are derived, determining an accurate conclusion about the relationships of the other concepts with LRT’ users behavioural intentions.

Analysis of transit quality of service through segmentation and classification tree techniques

Perceptions about the quality of service are very different among public transport (PT) users. Users’ perceptions are heterogeneous for many reasons: the qualitative aspects of PT service, users’ socio-economic characteristics, and the diversity of tastes and attitudes towards PT. By analysing different groups of users who share a common characteristic (e.g. socio-economic or travel behaviour), it is possible to homogenise user opinions about the quality of service. This paper studies quality as perceived by users of the metropolitan transit system of Granada (Spain) through a classification tree technique (classification and regression trees (CART)) based on five market segmentations (gender, age, frequency of use, reason for travelling, and type of ticket). CART is a non-parametric method that has a number of advantages compared to other methods that require a predefined underlying relationship between dependent and independent variables. The study is based on data gathered in several customer satisfact...

How to identify the key factors that affect driver perception of accident risk. A comparison between Italian and Spanish driver behavior

Road crashes can be caused by different factors, including infrastructure, vehicles, and human variables. Many research studies have focused solely on identifying the key factors that cause road crashes. From these studies, it emerged that human factors have the most relevant impact on accident severity. More specifically, accident severity depends on several factors related directly to the driver, i.e., driving experience, drivers socio-economic characteristics, and driving behavior and attitudes. In this paper, we investigate driver behaviors and attitudes while driving and specifically focus on different methods for identifying the factors that most affect the drivers perception of accident risk. To this end, we designed and conducted a survey in two different European contexts: the city of Cosenza, which is located in the south of Italy, and the city of Granada, which is located in the south of Spain. Samples of drivers were contacted for their opinions on certain aspects of driving rules and attitudes while driving, and different types of questions were addressed to the drivers to assess their judgments of these aspects. Consequently, different methods of data analysis were applied to determine the aspects that heavily influence driver perception of accident risk. An experiment based on the stated preferences (SP) was carried out with the drivers, and the SP data were analyzed using an ordered probit (OP) model. Interesting findings emerged from different analyses of the data and from the comparisons among the data collected in the two different territorial contexts. We found that both Italian and Spanish drivers consider driving in an altered psychophysical state and violating the overtaking rules to be the most risky behaviors.

A Composite Index for Evaluating Transit Service Quality across Different User Profiles

This paper evaluates the quality of service of the metropolitan Metro of Seville (Spain) across different user profiles, as determined through cluster analysis. Service quality evaluation is performed using a composite index that combines the user point of view with the service operator point of view. The combination of these two types of service quality measurement fulfils the need to provide a reliable measurement tool for transit performance. Six user profiles were identified, and it was ascertained that they have different opinions about the service, with heterogeneous gaps between the points of view among the six user profiles.

How to Expand Subway and Urban Railway Networks: Light Rail Extensions in Madrid, Spain

Residential areas of detached houses were built in north and east Madrid, Spain, during the last decade of the 20th century. Because the population density in those areas is low, implementing an efficient transport system is complicated. In south Madrid in the 1960s, however, huge commuter towns developed. Some of them were linked to a suburban network at some point, whereas others were far away. The Madrid region promoted the construction of several light rail lines to resolve this issue. The lines function as extensions to the existing rail network (subway or suburban trains). The determining factors that enabled these lines to be implemented and operated successfully are analyzed. The recommendations for implementing a light rail transit system, on the basis of that analysis, are: (a) the lines should not be very long; (b) they should have a segregated right-of-way; (c) the quality of service should be good; and (d) they should be coordinated with other modes of transport. Apart from public funding, they could be funded by additional resources collected from property tax and the concessionaire company (private funding). A concessionaire consortium may comprise construction companies, transport operators, financial institutions, rolling stock manufacturers, and consultancies. Finally, the concession should be granted for a 30- to 40-year period so that private stakeholders can recover their investment.