MODERATING EFFECT OF SERVICE QUALITY ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR AND ANTECEDENTS

Abstract

Public transport infrastructure has been massively developed to encourage public transport usage in Kuala Lumpur. However, a low percentage of public transport ridership dampens the objectives to reduce traffic congestion and air population. This paper attempts to investigate the effect of travel intention and the moderating effect of general service quality of public transport on travel behaviour among commuters in Kuala Lumpur. A survey was carried out at LRT stations, and a total of 904 were usable. Most of the respondents are young adults between 20-29 years old, and the majority earned less than RM3,000 a month. Most of them possess a vehicle and driving license. Findings showed that travel intention has a significant effect on travel behaviour. Interestingly, service quality, in general, weakly moderates the relationship between travel intention and travel behaviour in a reverse direction. The findings would help relevant authorities to set strategies to encourage more private riders further to switch to public transport.