Transactions on Transport Sciences 2023, 14(2):54-67 | DOI: 10.5507/tots.2023.005

Returning to Public Transportation in Transitioning Out of COVID-19: Effects of Passenger Satisfaction on Frequency of Use of Rail Transport

Isrrah Malabanana, Dussadee Satirasetthaveeb, Songyot Kitthamkasornc, Jiranan Panpaksorna
a. InfraTrans Consultants Co. Ltd., Ladprao, Bangkok 10230, Thailand
b. Faculty of Engineering, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok 65000, Thailand
c. Department of Civil Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

As travel restrictions ease amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a revival of traffic congestion is observed caused by the increased use of private vehicles. To help alleviate this, return to public transport use is encouraged. Given the positive relationship between passenger satisfaction and their recurrent use of public transit, it is then recommended to improve the service quality offered by these systems. This paper illustrates the use of a combination of principal component analysis and ordinal logistic regression in determining how satisfaction with rail transport service quality affects passengers' usage frequency with Bangkok's mass rapid transit system as a case study. The results show that satisfaction with ticket sales, station facilities, station staff, public relations, and rolling stock significantly affect passengers' recurrent use of the rail transport system. It is also determined that among these indicators, the station facilities, rolling stock, and station staff are found to contribute greatly to the marginal effects on the probability of observing more frequent use compared to less frequent use. It is then recommended that these factors be prioritized and further improved to produce higher levels of passenger satisfaction, and consequently, increased ridership of the rail transport system. The findings of this study can also be beneficial for public agencies and rail transport operators with regard to policy and decision making amid and in the transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Passenger Satisfaction; Frequency of Use; COVID-19; Rail Transport; Ordinal Logistic Regression

Received: August 19, 2022; Revised: February 1, 2023; Accepted: March 1, 2023; Prepublished online: April 19, 2023; Published: September 5, 2023  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Malabanan, I., Satirasetthavee, D., Kitthamkasorn, S., & Panpaksorn, J. (2023). Returning to Public Transportation in Transitioning Out of COVID-19: Effects of Passenger Satisfaction on Frequency of Use of Rail Transport. Transactions on Transport Sciences, 14(2), 54-67. doi: 10.5507/tots.2023.005
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Agarwal, R. (2008). Public transportation and customer satisfaction: The case of Indian railways. Global Business Review, 9(2), 257-272. doi:10.1177/097215090800900206 Go to original source...
    2. Ali, N., Nor, R., Fatimah, S., Hamzah, M., Rashid, R., Mat Salleh, S., & Noor, H. (2021). ID78 Service quality and customer satisfaction of rail transport: A conceptual framework. Terengganu International Business and Economics Conference.
    3. Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM). (2022). Average ridership per day (thousand trips). Retrieved from https://investor.bemplc.co.th/en/ridership-report/ridership
    4. Beck, M. J., Hensher, D. A., & Nelson, J. D. (2021). Public transport trends in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: An investigation of the influence of bio-security concerns on trip behaviour. Journal of Transport Geography, 96, 103167. doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103167 Go to original source...
    5. Bezerra, G. C., & Gomes, C. F. (2015). The effects of service quality dimensions and passenger characteristics on passenger's overall satisfaction with an airport. Journal of Air Transport Management, 44-45, 77-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jairtraman.2015.03.001 Go to original source...
    6. Brown, J. D. (2009a). Choosing the right number of components or factors in PCA and EFA. Shiken: JALT Testing & Evaluation SIG Newsletter, 13, 2, 19-23.
    7. Brown, J. D. (2009b). Choosing the right type of rotation in PCA and EFA. Shiken: JALT Testing & Evaluation SIG Newsletter, 13, 3, 20-25.
    8. BTS Group Holdings PCL (BTS). (2022). Annual Report 2021/22. Retrieved from https://www.btsgroup.co.th/en/document/viewer/flipbook/50338/annual-report-2021-22-last-updated-july-4-2022.html
    9. Cavana, R. Y., Corbett, L. M., & Lo, Y. L. (2007). Developing zones of tolerance for managing passenger rail service quality. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 24, 1, 7-31. Go to original source...
    10. CEN/TC 320 (2002). Transportation - Logistics and services. European Standard EN 13816: Public passenger transport - Service quality definition, targeting and measurement. European Committee for Standardization, Brussels.
    11. Chaisomboon, M., Jomnonkwao, S., & Ratanavaraha, V. (2020). Elderly Users' satisfaction with public transport in Thailand using different importance performance analysis approaches. Sustainability, 12, 9066. doi: 10.3390/su12219066 Go to original source...
    12. Chang, H., Lee, B., Yang, F., & Liou, Y. (2021). Does COVID-19 affect metro use in Taipei? Journal of Transport Geography. 91, 102954. doi: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.102954 Go to original source...
    13. Chongsanguan, P., Trimetsoontorn, J., & Fongsuwan, W. (2016). Hierarchical model of service quality and its effect on consumers' perceived image, satisfaction and behavioural intentions: A study of Bangkok's mass rapid transit systems, Thailand. Journal for Global Business Advancement, 9, 331. doi: 10.1504/JGBA.2016.079881 Go to original source...
    14. Chowdhury, M., Alam, Z., & Ahmed, S. (2015). Measuring commuters' satisfaction: the case of railway passengers of Bangladesh. AU Journal of Management, 13.
    15. Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S.G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/ Correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers.
    16. de Oña, J., de Oña, R., Eboli, L., & Mazzulla, G. (2015). Heterogeneity in perceptions of service quality among groups of railway passengers. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 9, 8, 612-626. doi: 10.1080/15568318.2013.849318 Go to original source...
    17. Dong, H., Ma, S., Jia, N., & Tian, J. (2021). Understanding public transport satisfaction in post COVID-19 pandemic. Transport Policy, 101, 81-88. doi: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.12.004 Go to original source...
    18. Eboli, L., Fu, Y., & Mazzulla, G. (2016). Multilevel comprehensive evaluation of the railway service quality. Procedia Engineering. 137, 21-30. doi: 10.1016/j.proeng.2016.01.230 Go to original source...
    19. Eisenmann, C., Nobis, C., Kolarova, V., Lenz, B., & Winkler, C. (2021). Transport mode use during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Germany: The car became more important, public transport lost ground. Transport Policy, 103, 60-67. doi: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.01.012 Go to original source...
    20. Githui, J., Okamura, T., & Nakamura, F. (2010) The Structure of users' satisfaction on urban public transport service in developing country: The case of Nairobi. Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies. doi: 10.11175/easts.8.1288. Go to original source...
    21. Grujičić, D., Ivanović, I., Jović, J. & Đorić, V. (2014) Customer perception of service quality in public transport. Transport, 29, 3, 285-295. doi: 10.3846/16484142.2014.951685 Go to original source...
    22. Hasana, U., Whytea, A., & Al Jassmi, H. (2021). Public bus transport service satisfaction: Understanding its value to urban passengers towards improved uptake. Transactions on Transport Sciences, 12, 1, 25-37. doi: 10.5507/tots.2021.002 Go to original source...
    23. Inmor, T., Kanitpong, K., & Jiwattanakulpaisarn, P. (2021). Passenger behavioral response to off-peak fare reduction in Airport Rail Link, Bangkok, Thailand. Urban Rail Transit, 61-97. doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-5979-2_4 Go to original source...
    24. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). (2019). Data collection survey on the development of blueprint for the second mass rapid transit master plan (M-Map2) in the Kingdom of Thailand (Final Report). Retrieved from https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12344750_01.pdf
    25. Jenelius, E. & Cebecauer, M. (2020). Impacts of COVID-19 on public transport ridership in Sweden: Analysis of ticket validations, sales and passenger counts. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 8, 100242. doi: 10.1016/j.trip.2020.100242 Go to original source...
    26. Jomnonkwao, S., Champahom, T., & Ratanavaraha, V. (2020). Methodologies for determining the service quality of the intercity rail service based on users' perceptions and expectations in Thailand. Sustainability, 12, 10, 4259. doi: 10.3390/su12104259 Go to original source...
    27. Katharangsiporn, K. (2022, June 10). BTS ridership to exceed pre-Covid level. Bangkok Post. Retrieved from https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2323402/bts-ridership-to-exceed-pre-covid-level.
    28. Kriswardhana, W., Hayati, N., & Septiana, D. (2018). Passenger satisfaction with railway station service quality: An ordinal logistic regression approach. MATEC Web of Conferences, 181, 07001. Go to original source...
    29. Liangrokapart, J. (2021). Metro performance indicators for service operations in Thailand. In Weerawat, W., Kirawanich, P., Fraszczyk, A., Marinov, M. (Eds), Urban Rail Transit. Lecture Notes in Mobility (pp. 99-113). Singapore: Springer. Go to original source...
    30. Muhammad Das, A., Ladin, M., Ismail, A., & Rahmat, R. (2013) Consumers satisfaction of public transport monorail user in Kuala Lumpur. Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 8, 272-283.
    31. Ngoc, A. M., Hung, K. V., & Tuan, V. A. (2017). Towards the development of quality standards for public transport service in developing countries: Analysis of public transport users' behavior. Transportation Research Record, 25, 4560-4579. Go to original source...
    32. Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). (2022). National strategy 2018-2037. Retrieved from http://nscr.nesdb.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/National-Strategy-Eng-Final-25-OCT-2019.pdf
    33. Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP). (2015). Thailand's transport infrastructure development strategy 2015-2022 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.thaitransport.org/news/2558.07.01%20proceeding/presentation%20TSTS%2015%20.......02%2004%202015/panel%2001.pdf
    34. Orme, J. G., & Combs-Orme, T. (2009). Multiple regression with discrete dependent variables. New York: Oxford University Press. Go to original source...
    35. Parasuraman, A. P., Zeithaml, V., & Berry, L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple- item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64, 12-40.
    36. Perez, L. V. (2017). Principal component analysis to address multicollinearity [PDF]. Retrieved from https://www.whitman.edu/Documents/Academics/Mathematics/2017/Perez.pdf
    37. Pozo, R. F., Wilby, M. R., Díaz, J. J. V., & González, A. B. R. (2022). Data-driven analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on Madrid's public transport during each phase of the pandemic. Cities, 127, 103723. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2022.103723 Go to original source...
    38. Prasad, M. D., & Shekhar, B. R. (2010). Measuring service quality of Indian rail passenger services using RAILQUAL model (A study of South Central Railways). IEEE International Conference on Management of Innovation & Technology, 292-296. doi: 10.1109/ICMIT.2010.5492704. Go to original source...
    39. Qi, Y., Liu, J., Tao, T., & Zhao, Q. (2023). Impacts of COVID-19 on public transit ridership. International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology. doi: 10.1016/j.ijtst.2021.11.003 Go to original source...
    40. Samithtiphechawong, S., & Srising, P. (2020). The quality of services affecting the satisfaction towards the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority Public Transportation in Bangkok, Thailand. Journal of the Association of Researchers of Thailand, 25, 3, 226-242.
    41. Samuels, P. (2016). Advice on exploratory factor analysis (Technical Report). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319165677_Advice_on_Exploratory_Factor_Analysis
    42. Saw, Y. Q., Dissanayake, D., Ali, F., & Bentotage, T. (2020). Passenger satisfaction towards metro infrastructures, facilities and services. Transportation Research Record, 48, 3980-3995. doi: 10.1016/j.trpro.2020.08.290 Go to original source...
    43. Siridhara, S. (2021). Sustainable urban transport index for Bangkok and impacts of COVID-19 on mobility. Retrieved from UNESCAP Database: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12870/3565
    44. State Railway of Thailand (SRT). (2021). Passenger Report 2021 [Data file]. Available from SRT Electrified Train Company Ltd.
    45. TomTom. (2022). Bangkok Traffic. Retrieved from https://www.tomtom.com/traffic-index/bangkok-traffic/
    46. Trepáčová, M., Kurečková, V., Zámečník, P., & Řezáč, P. (2020). Advantages and disadvantages of rail transportation as perceived by passengers: A qualitative and quantitative study in the Czech Republic. Transactions on Transport Sciences, 11, 3, 52-62. doi: 10.5507/tots.2020.014 Go to original source...
    47. Trompet, M., Parasram, R., & Anderson, R. J. (2013). Benchmarking disaggregate customer satisfaction scores of bus operators in different cities and countries. Transportation Research Record, 2351, 1, 14-22. doi: 10.3141/2351-02 Go to original source...
    48. Tyrinopoulos, Y. & Antoniou, C. (2008). Public transit user satisfaction: Variability and policy implications. Transport Policy, 15, 4, 260-272. Go to original source...
    49. Ueasangkomsate, P. (2019). Service quality of public road transport in Thailand. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 40, 1, 74-81.
    50. Ursachi, G., Horodnic, I. A., Zait, A. (2015). How reliable are measurement scales? External factors with indirect influence on reliability estimators. 7th International Conference on Globalization and Higher Education in Economics and Business Administration, GEBA 2013. Iasi, Romania: Elsevier Procedia. Go to original source...
    51. van Lierop, D., Badami, M.G., & El-Geneidy, A. (2018). Transport Reviews What influences satisfaction and loyalty in public transport? A review of the literature What influences satisfaction and loyalty in public transport? A review of the literature. Transport Reviews, 38, 1, 52-72. doi: 10.1080/01441647.2017.1298683 Go to original source...
    52. Vicente, P., Sampaio, A., & Reis, E. (2020). Factors influencing passenger loyalty towards public transport services: Does public transport providers' commitment to environmental sustainability matter? Case Studies on Transport Policy, 8, 2, 627-638. doi: 10.1016/j.cstp.2020.02.004 Go to original source...
    53. Vichiensan, V., Wasuntarasook, V., Hayashi, Y., Kii, M., & Prakayaphun, T. (2022). Urban rail transit in Bangkok: Chronological development review and impact on residential property value. Sustainability. 14, 1, 284. doi: 10.3390/su14010284 Go to original source...
    54. Wang, Y., Zhang, Z., Zhu, M., & Wang, H. (2020). The impact of service quality and customer satisfaction on reuse intention in urban rail transit in Tianjin, China. SAGE Open, 10, 1. doi: 10.1177/2158244019898803 Go to original source...
    55. Wonglakorn, N., Ratanavaraha, V., Karoonsoontawong, A., & Jomnonkwao, S. (2021). Exploring passenger loyalty and related factors for urban railways in Thailand. Sustainability, 13, 5517. doi: 10.3390/su13105517 Go to original source...
    56. World Health Organization (WHO). (2022). Thailand COVID-19 Situation. Retrieved from https://covid19.who.int/region/searo/country/th
    57. Xin, M., Shalaby, A., Feng, S., & Zhao, H. (2021). Impacts of COVID-19 on urban rail transit ridership using the Synthetic Control Method. Transport Policy, 111, 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.07.006 Go to original source...
    58. Yilmaz, V. Ari, E., & Oğuz, Y. E. (2021). Measuring service quality of the light rail public transportation: A case study on Eskisehir in Turkey. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 9, 974-982. doi: 10.1016/j.cstp.2021.05.005 Go to original source...
    59. Zubair, H., Karoonsoontawong, A., & Kanitpong, K. (2022). Effects of COVID-19 on travel behavior and mode choice: A case study for the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. Sustainability, 14, 9326. 10.3390/su14159326 Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content