PASSENGERS' PERCEPTION OF THE QUALITY OF INTER-STATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES IN KATSINA, NIGERIA

Ensuring high-quality service is crucial in the highly competitive transportation industry, where service excellence plays a key role in customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and overall industry sustainability. Accordingly, this study examines passengers' perceptions of the quality of service in inter-state public transport services in Katsina. A random sampling technique was employed to distribute 384 questionnaires to passengers using public transportation services in the study area. Data were analysed using principal component analysis and multiple regression analysis. The findings reveal that the comfort of seats and leg space are the most crucial factors, with a mean value of 3.9844, followed by travel time after boarding the bus, vehicle cleanliness, and delay at checkpoints, in that order, with mean values of 3.8333, 3.7083, and 3.6953, respectively. The study also revealed that the travel time after boarding the bus (89.8%) is the most significant factor determining passenger satisfaction. Furthermore, the results of the multiple regression analysis reveal a strong positive relationship (R² = 0.662) between the quality of service and passenger satisfaction, indicating that an improvement in the services provided by public transport leads to increased passenger satisfaction in Katsina State, and vice versa. It is recommended that implementation of measures to reduce travel time after passengers’ board the bus and enhance the overall quality of service such as optimising bus schedules to minimise wait times, implementing real-time tracking systems to inform passengers about bus arrival and departure times, improving vehicle maintenance, ensuring punctuality, and providing driver training programs focused on customer service, may significantly boost passenger satisfaction.