Gap Analysis between Women Passengers’ Perception and Expectations about Bus Service: A Case Study on Bangladesh

Abstract

Since public bus service is frequently available and reasonably priced in major cities of Bangladesh including Dhaka, the capital city, a significant number of economically active women regularly commute to work utilizing public buses. Since female commuters experience unique challenges compared to their male counterparts, a gap analysis on the perception of men and women, as well as the difference between the female commuters’ perceptions and expectations, could help to pinpoint the issues. The aim of this paper is to determine the gap between female commuters’ perceptions and expectations of bus service quality in Bangladesh, as well as the current perception of both male and female passengers. In this paper, the data obtained is studied to determine the service quality needs which should be improved by analyzing the perception and expectation gaps for female passengers. SERVQUAL models were used to examine the disparities between perceptions and aspirations in Bangladesh’s major cities. Tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy are the five dimensions of SERVQUAL. The data for this study was collected from 1500 commuters in Bangladesh’s largest cities, including Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj. Primary data was gathered using a purpose-built questionnaire survey. The Gap values are negative in all dimensions, according to the findings of the study. In the data analysis, a negative gap value indicates that the expectation exceeds the perception. According to the gap analysis, the quality of bus service for passengers is insufficient. Bus service quality is seen and expected to be quite varied. It is vital to improve bus service to meet the needs of women. The findings could be valuable in planning future transportation policies that take female commuters’ needs into account.