Study on Factors of Urban Transportation Service Quality Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process: A Case Study of Gangtok City

Abstract

Promoting the use of public transportation requires an in - depth knowledge of the variables that affect the choice of public transportation mode, including the process of implementing policy, as it has become a crucial component of government strategies to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector globally. A variety of factors impacting the usage of public transportation have been identified in previous studies, but few have been included in a single study. In order to boost the use of public transportation, it is essential to make it more attractive to travellers by conducting frequent Service Quality (SQ) assessments and adjustments. Understanding the passengers’ expectations towards public transportation are important, and assessing the SQ is an important tool for evaluating the total performance of the Gangtok’s public transportation system. The purpose of the existing study was to study the expectations and perceptions of city’s passengers regarding SQ in public transportation. In order to comprehend how the present commuters’ prefer a particular service quality attribute a series of interviews with passengers were undertaken. MCDM technique was adopted for this. The paper focuses on service quality factors for urban transportation system by adopting AHP technique. In this study perception of passengers using public transport in Gangtok is taken from the field. The case study is taken for Gangtok city in the state of Sikkim. The study involves study of passengers from various bus stop locations of the city. The results of the research showed substantial discrepancies among expectations and perceptions of city’s commuters, along with widespread dissatisfaction with the delivery of public transit services in hilly areas as a whole. The reliability and adaptiveness of these service have been critical in describing the overall quality of transportation services in hilly areas, and best practices were used to develop a set of recommendations for transportation operators and local officials.