Public transport service quality and sustainable development: a community stakeholder perspective

This article presents the findings in the field of public transport planning, routes network optimization and service demand affecting indicators as well as analysis of public transport indicators in Klaipėda City. It investigates a wide range of approaches to the evaluation process of service quality of public transport proposed by scientists and these field practitioners and defines the most significant indicators. The article encourages discussions for further research of defined indicators of public transport service and proposes its ranking from the most significant one. Findings are suggested being used for policymakers, planners or other researchers as the base for the evaluation of public transport service network in cities, also to evaluate the quality and compare the results among transport districts within the city limits. By knowing the core of the problem of the network of public transport service, it is possible to plan the changes and improve the service quality, therefore, ridership of the system. Santrauka Šiame straipsnyje pristatyti viešojo transporto planavimui, maršrutų tinklo optimizavimui bei šios paslaugos poreikiui įtakos turintys veiksniai (rodikliai) ir taip pat viešojo transporto veiksnių (rodiklių) analizė Klaipėdos mieste. Jame nagrinėtas įvairių mokslininkų ir šios srities specialistų požiūris į viešojo transporto paslaugų kokybės vertinimą ir išskirti svarbiausi rodikliai. Straipsnyje skatinama diskusija dėl tolesnio viešojo transporto rodiklių tyrimo ir siūloma juos įvertinti pagal svarbumą. Siūloma, kad politikos formuotojai, planuotojai ar kiti tyrėjai rodiklius taikytų kaip pagrindą viešojo transporto paslaugų tinklui vertinti miestuose, taip pat įvertintų tinklo kokybę ir palygintų rezultatus tarp miesto transportinių rajonų. Nustačius viešojo transporto tinklo problemas, galima planuoti pokyčius ir pagerinti paslaugų kokybę, kartu padidinant sistemos naudojimą.

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Expanding the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Reveal Urban Residents’ Pro-Environment Travel Behaviour

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10080467 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 467 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Weiya Chen ◽

Chao Cao ◽

Xiaoping Fang ◽

Zixuan Kang

Keyword(s):

Service Quality ◽

Public Transport ◽

Theory Of Planned Behaviour ◽

Travel Behaviour ◽

Urban Residents ◽

Transport Service ◽

Planned Behaviour ◽

Perceived Service Quality ◽

Public Transport Service

Exploring the mechanism that influences the choice of urban public travel mode is an important policy research topic that can promote urban residents’ pro-environment travel (PET) behaviour and relieve the pressure on urban traffic and environmental problems. By expanding the theory of planned behaviour by considering the effects of the quality of public transport service and individual behaviour, this paper establishes a mixed PET behaviour model. Grounded theory is used to analyse data obtained from in-depth interviews, with the aim of determining the relationships among different attributes of the quality of public transport service and PET. An empirical examination in the form of a questionnaire was conducted in Changsha, China, to obtain the intensity and mechanism of various factors influencing pro-environment behaviour decision-making. The results reveal three new pieces of information. First, the influence of many psychological variables (except subjective norms) is consistent with the prediction results of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and the predictions of the model are accurate. More specifically, intention (0.535) and habit (0.354) are key factors in PET behaviour, while attitude (0.527) has the most significant effect on intention towards PET behaviour. Second, the perceived service quality of public transport has a direct and significant impact on intention towards PET behaviour. Satisfaction with public transport service quality exerts a mediating effect on perceived service quality and PET behaviour. More specifically, operation and management (0.808) and vehicle environment (0.809) have the most important influence on intention towards PET behaviour. Last but not least, the extent of the influence of PET behaviour varies based on travellers’ demographic characteristics. The driving age, income and ownership of private cars show the greatest impact. The perceived service quality of public transport and travellers’ social and economic characteristics all play roles in the psychology of travel decisions, and are associated with PET behaviour on several distinct levels. From the perspectives of passenger psychology, public transport service quality and personal attributes of passengers, this paper provides a scientific basis for decision-making in transportation systems and the formulation of traffic intervention strategies to promote voluntary public reductions in carbon-intensive travel behaviour.

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