Evaluating the effect of on-board activities on the travel satisfaction of public transport users

This paper investigates the relationship between Public Transport (PT) passengers’ perceptions about service quality characteristics and their travel satisfaction, focusing on the possibility to perform on-board activities. The main aim is testing whether satisfaction with PT service influences passengers’ experience of making on-board activities and consequently their overall travel satisfaction. The novelty of this study and its main contribution to the existing literature is based on the evidences regarding the relationship between PT service quality, on-board activities, and travel satisfaction. To investigate this relationship, a method based on the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach is proposed. The work is supported by the Regional Court of Auditors, which conducted an audit of Sytral Mobilités (Lyon, France) in June 2024, administering a satisfaction survey to subscribers and provided the data. The analysis shows that comfort aspects influence on-board activities, which in turn influence overall travel satisfaction. The study’s findings demonstrate the potential strength of public transport compared to the private car. They can also potentially be useful for service providers to improve the service based on passengers’ perceptions and, consequently, offer services that may also be attractive for other potential users. • Investigating PT passengers’ perceptions is useful for improving services • To be engaged in on-board activities represents an advantage of PT service as regards private car • Satisfaction with comfort influences the performance of on-board activities • Young and active commuters value comfort primarily as a functional enabler for productivity