Twitter in improving the quality of a BRT

Purpose This study aims to analyze active participation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system users in Mexico City through Twitter and determine whether it relates to its service quality. Design/methodology/approach A statistical and content analysis was conducted on tweets posted by BRT users to identify service-related topics of interest. Tweets mentioning the official BRT account from 2019 to 2022 were collected, followed by sentiment analysis to determine their positive or negative tone. These tasks were performed using R and ATLAS.ti software as well as the academictwitteR and Syuzhet packages. Findings Active participation of BRT users via Twitter enhances the quality of this public transportation service by leveraging one of its key attributes: information dissemination. Specifically, it enables greater dissemination of service status, causes and effects of disruptions, and the performance of drivers and security personnel. Originality/value This article provides evidence to the literature suggesting that user participation helps improve public services quality. While previous research conducted interviews to identify critical service attributes based on a pre-existing typology, this study adopts an inductive approach to reveal users’ interests through their posted messages. These results highlight issues service providers need to address to enhance quality.