Assessing Public Transport Quality Using AHP and SUTI Indicator 4: A Case Study of the Sustainable Mobility Plan in Wrocław, Poland

Wrocław is the most congestion-challenged city in Poland. Improving the appeal of public transport over private car use could be an effective remedy for the city’s notorious congestion problems. This article evaluates public transport service quality in Wrocław from the passengers’ perspective. The quality assessment focused on two key areas: the quality of service that passengers expect (preference evaluation) and the quality they perceive are delivered by the transport organiser and operator (satisfaction evaluation). Both passenger preferences and satisfaction were assessed based on 14 selected transport service attributes, referred to as quality attributes. To carry out this analysis, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and the SUTI Indicator 4 (Public Transport Quality and Reliability), which is part of the Sustainable Urban Transport Index (SUTI), were employed. Data were collected via a survey questionnaire with a sample of 500 bus and tram users in the city. Statistical analysis of the data were performed using functions and commands available in Microsoft Excel. The resulting SUTI Indicator 4 values (42.6% for bus services and 45.9% for tram services) suggest that Wrocław residents are moderately satisfied with the current public transport system. The study reveals that the transport organiser and operator should prioritise attributes related to travel time, as their fulfilment levels are shown to be either low or moderate. Therefore, in order to encourage more car users to switch to public transport in Wrocław, emphasis should be placed on solutions that ensure punctual departures and provide passengers with greater confidence in reaching their destinations on time.