Using Importance-Satisfaction Analysis (ISA) To Identify the Most Critical Criteria to Improve Service Quality of Public Bus Transport in Libya

Abstract

The Libyan bus transport system plays a pivotal role in the movement of commuters across the country, including contributing to the reduction of traffic congestion and accident. The public bus system appears to provide safe, comfortable and cost-effective transportation compared to some of the alternative means. However, the public bus industry has experienced a steady decline since the 1990s.  Therefore, there is potential to better serve the needs of its consumers. To this end, paying attention to service quality could prove useful in making this mode of travel the preferred choice to local as well as international travelers. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate service quality in the public bus transport system and seeks to measure levels of service quality using Importance-Satisfaction Analysis (ISA). This study, has investigated the customer satisfaction with the service delivery of the public bus transportation of passenger. The questionnaire was personally administered to the target population of bus travelers within Libya. A stratified sampling procedure was used for this research. Therefore, the final research sample consisted of 276 participants. Results show that, customer satisfaction is low level. This indicates that public bus service quality does not match the expectations of customers. In conclusion, this study suggests that policy-makers as well as public bus management need to take workable measures to improve upon public bus service quality. It is important for public bus service providers to recognize the importance of customer satisfaction; as such satisfaction may be the pillar for business continuation in Libya. Public bus transport managers must identify and improve upon factors that could limit or prevent customer defection to alternative transport modes.