Commuters’ Perception using Public Transport Services and its Impact on Passenger Satisfaction: The Case of Sodo Town, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Public transport should become part of a solution for sustainable transport in the future. However, to keep and attract more passengers, public transport must have high service quality to satisfy and fulfil a wide range of different customer’s needs. The purpose of the study is to examine the influencing factors measuring customers’ satisfaction, especially the impact of the factors on customers’ satisfaction with public transportation in Wolaita Sodo Town of SNNPR. The data was gathered through a structured questionnaire from the public transport commuters. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 385 randomly selected public transportation passengers in Wolaita Sodo Bus Terminal, Wolaita Zone. Descriptive and Inferential statistics to analyze the data using SPSS version 22. Under Inferential statistics, multiple regression analysis was used to identify the relationships between factors influencing customer satisfaction and commuters’ satisfaction. The results showed that the Fare system has the highest impact on customer satisfaction, followed by Transport comfort, Services provided and Scheduled timings. Three other factors, namely accessibility, Availability of facilities and Terminal environment, were insignificant to customer satisfaction. The analysis of the variance of demographic variables on customer satisfaction with public transport showed that gender, Age, and marital status were statistically insignificant in predicting customer satisfaction. In contrast, Religion, income level, and travelling frequency were statistically significant in predicting customer satisfaction. A flexible and affordable fare rate system should be encouraged and implemented for all routes at different distances to make the service more affordable, satisfy customers’ requirements, and be competent and profitable for the enterprise.