Service quality of the urban public transport companies and sustainable city logistics

Abstract

The issue of sustainable city logistics has steadily been developed over the last decades. Urban public transport companies can make a significant contribution to the concept of sustainable city logistics. The customers’ perception and satisfaction regarding urban public transport companies can be associated with the increased use of their services. The preference for urban public transport reduces the use of individual car transport, which is linked to the environmental pillar of sustainability. For the customers, the level of the provided service is very important. The article is focused on the evaluation of the outcomes from the primary research concerning the service quality performed by the urban public transport companies in the Hradec-Pardubice residential agglomeration. The goal lies in identifying gaps in service quality. The method used in this article is representative primary research. The primary research was carried out in the form of structured personal interviews with a representative sample of respondents. Selected statistical methods were used to evaluate the data. The results are discussed in the context of published research studies. Research in this article found that respondents are more satisfied with the quality of services performed by the urban public transport companies, but the perception of individual service quality factors varies from one user group to another. The research also confirms a different perceptions regarding customer care and comfort by different age groups of respondents. The article implies that public transport companies should pay attention to setting fare prices for different groups of passengers.