Service Quality Perception & Preference for Public Bus Users in Dhaka City Through the Lens of Gender

Abstract

Industrialization and technological advancement has opened the window of opportunities for females in the job market. Dhaka, being the financial and technological epicenter of Bangladesh, generates the more trips than any other regions. Due to huge population growth and limited land opportunities, most of the people here depend on public transport. In conservative countries like Bangladesh, females do not feel safe using public transport and they face additional difficulties due to existing social norms, religious fanaticism, patriarchal society. From an engineering perspective, passenger perception, service quality, design, etc. impact such problems. The current service quality of the bus is questionable. Moreover, recent unwanted incidents have researchers wondering why females are having issues. Thus, this research has addressed to explore the service quality perception and preference with redesigning the interiors of public buses in Dhaka city based on gender. The research initially adopted text mining based on 20 relevant research papers to identify keywords. From the keywords and based on two service quality models (SQM), “SERVQUAL” and “RESCA”, later Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was performed on 50 samples (M = 25, F = 25). Based on the FGD, a customized SQM was developed considering seventeen different subcriteria under five criteria. In addition, three alternatives were proposed: a) separate buses for male and female bus users, b) same buses for both genders, and c) redesigning existing buses for more accessible to female passengers. Finally, two separate ANP models (one for males and another for females) were developed. Based on the ANP models, pairwise comparisons were performed via a questionnaire survey. Moreover, using the SERVQUAL and RESCA models, three distinct FGD were performed (Group 1: 15 females, Group 2: 15 males, and Group 3: a combination of the same 30) considering interior design aspects, their problems, and alternative solutions for redesigning of the public buses. From the FGD, a customized SQM was generated with three criteria and 18 subcriteria. Two separate AHP models were developed and analyzed for male and female to compare preferences and weighted priorities of attributes. The AHP model generated 60 pairwise comparison questions, which were answered by 10 male and 10 female. Later, a third survey questionnaire with multiple-choice options based on FGD was developed, with 150 bus users, equally distributed between males and females, responding to evaluate the most preferred redesign alternative under each attributes. By analyzing the data from the survey questionnaire, it was discovered that for various attributes and alternative design options, each gender had a different weighted preference. Lastly, sketches of the most popular redesign alternatives are presented according to female priority options. The findings revealed that female passengers expect separation from male when they travel. Moreover, females prioritize redesigning the interior of buses more than males. Females are more sensitive about safety, security, comfort, and how people behave with them and less sensitive about the reliability and affordability of the public bus service as compared to men. Besides, females ranked safety and security first, followed by responsiveness and empathy, and comfort. Conversely, men prioritized safety and security over the other criteria, though they preferred comfort over responsiveness and empathy. Results of the survey based on the AHP suggested that female passengers consider redesigning the existing interior bus designs. The findings not only evaluate the problems according to the current context but also identified the proposed alternatives from the users. Policymakers and transportation planners can assess the feasibility of introducing separate buses based on preferences. Also, policymakers and governments can improve the service quality criteria of public buses identified by gender. Finally, several redesign recommendations suggested can be trialed on a pilot basis to check the feasibility.