Understanding transit user satisfaction with an integrated bus system

Understanding the factors and drivers of user satisfaction with public transportation (PT) systems has been a subject of research for decades, as it provides insight into influencing ridership increases. This research addresses user satisfaction using SEM-MIMIC models to analyze three PT bus subsystems in the same city (Bogotá Colombia): A Bus Rapid Transit, a formalized bus subsystem, and a semi-formalized one that operates simultaneously. After developing three independent models, we found the same three latent variables (LVs), namely subsystems “condition”, “service”, and “safety/security”, in each one. However, the strength and significance of the direct and indirect effects among the three LVs vary from one subsystem to another. In general, satisfaction is initially based on a person’s perception of the subsystem’s condition and ends with his/her perception of the service, with safety and service being the mediating variables to explain satisfaction. Unlike previous studies, we were able to identify relationships among these three independent variables for each subsystem, allowing us to assess the direct and indirect effects on overall subsystem satisfaction. This research provides decision-makers with a broader understanding of how infrastructure, vehicles, operational attributes, and regulation processes influence user satisfaction through perceptions and how they can help improve the PT service for its users.