A user’s perception survey of quality and reliability of urban public transport services in Asian cities

Asia has urbanized and growing urban population demands for better urban mobility services. There are concerted efforts by authorities to improve public transport in Asian cities. However, the mode share of public transport is still low in many cities and use of personal vehicles is dominant. This is leading to an increase in congestion, consumption of fossil fuels, road accidents, emissions, and air pollution. The quality and reliability of public transport services play an important role in attracting more commuters. Stakeholders’ participation is an important aspect of urban transport planning according to their needs. The paper presents the findings of a survey of public transport users in five Asian cities. The user satisfaction surveys along key public transport routes indicate mixed results. While the users are satisfied with services in Bandung, Thimphu and Tehran, majority of survey respondents in Dhaka and Ho Chi Minh city are not satisfied with the public transport services. The results provide useful insights for transport planners and public transport regulators and operators to improve accessibility, safety, quality and reliability of public transport systems. The improvement of services would help to attract more commuters to the system and increase the mode share of public transport thereby enhancing the overall sustainability of public transport systems.