A Study on The Operational Performance and Satisfaction with the

Service Quality of Trans Mebidang Buses in Corridor 1 and Corridor

2 based on Passengers’ Perception

Cok Nando Panondang

, Roesyanto

and Medis Sejahtera Surbakti

Postgraduate Student Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

Lecturer at Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

Jl. Perpustakaan No.1 Kampus USU Medan

Keywords: Transportation; Operational Performance; Service Quality.

Abstract: As one of the metropolitan cities in Indonesia, Medan has an increasingly acute level of traffic congestion.

To create a better, orderly, efficient, effective transportation condition, it is recommended that people

should use public transportation. In 2014, the Provincial Administration of North Sumatera issued a public

transportation policy on the operation of the Trans Mebidang Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to minimize the

problems of traffic congestion in Medan and surrounding areas. The purpose of this study was to know the

operational performance of Trans Mebidang buses and the level of satisfaction of the public as users of the

Trans Mebidang bus service. Measurement of operational performance was carried out through a dynamic

survey, and measurement of Trans Mebidang bus service quality was carried out using the Importance-

Performance Analysis (IPA) method. The results of the overall weighting in this study show that the

operational performance of the Trans Mebidang buses in corridor 1 and corridor 2 in this study had yet to

fulfil the expectations of the passengers, with an average value of suitability between performance and

expectations based on the 22 question items in the questionnaires distributed of -1.41. The performance and

quality of the service provided by the operator management need to be maintained to keep the passengers

use the public transportation.

1 INTRODUCTION

Transportation is the movement of people and goods

from one place to another. Movements of people and

goods have always been fundamental components of

human societies. As one of the metropolitan cities in

Indonesia, Medan has an increasingly acute level of

traffic jams. The number of motor vehicles is

continuously increasing to the extent that the road

facilities in Medan are no longer capable of

accommodating the number of motor vehicles,

which are predominantly privately owned. The use

of a great number of private motor vehicles in

Medan causes the road capacity to be decreasing.

One of the efforts made by the Medan

Government to deal with this problem is broadening

the road surface. In consequence, land area dwindles

because it is used for road widening and parking

lots. People are also reluctant to use public

transportation since the services in network, facility,

infrastructure, etc. are poor. The bad quality of

public transportation services in terms of security,

comfort, feasibility, simplicity, and efficiency,

which gives inconveniences and insecurity to urban

public transportation passengers, has encouraged the

passengers to use private motor vehicles.

To create a transportation condition which is

better, more orderly, more efficient, and more

effective, it is recommended that people should use

public transportation. This is one of the ways to

reduce the problems of traffic congestion in Medan

and its surrounding. The Provincial Administration

of North Sumatera issued a policy on Bus Rapid

Transit (BRT)-based public transportation in 2014 to

cope with transportation problems in North

Sumatera Province, particularly in Medan, Binjai,

and Deli Serdang (Mebidang).

Trans Mebidang BRT is a bus transportation

system which is expected to be fast, comfortable,

safe, and punctual in terms of infrastructure,

vehicles, and schedule. Operationally, the Bus Rapid

148

Panondang, C., Roesyanto, R. and Surbakti, M.

A Study on the Operational Performance and Satisfaction with the Service Quality of Trans Mebidang Buses in Corridor 1 and Corridor 2 based on Passengers’ Perception.

DOI: 10.5220/0008904500002481

In Proceedings of the Built Environment, Science and Technology International Conference (BEST ICON 2018), pages 148-153

ISBN: 978-989-758-414-5

Transit (BRT) in North Sumatera is managed by

Perum Damri.

For a city, good performance and services of

public transport will make its traffic better and

support its economic activities efficiently and

effectively. The operation of Trans Mebidang buses

under a mass transportation system is expected to

directly or indirectly shift the use of private vehicles

to public transportation vehicles to reduce the

congestion that began to be felt in Medan-Binjai and

Medan-Lubuk Pakam stretches.

Passengers' satisfaction is defined as a judgment

that a product or service is provided at a pleasurable

level of consumption-related fulfilment. The growth

of the passenger road transport and the adequacy of

the transport sector focus more on the supply and

demand situations. The demand can be seen from the

passengers’ side and the supply is from the side of

operators. On the other hand, it shows the ease of

use of the supply and demand of transport and other

related issues in the sector. Passengers’ satisfaction

is one of the important issues, and it may be

challenged by different factors. Identifying these

factors from both sides and forwarding intervention

mechanisms for the problems are necessary to

provide quality transportation service.

The purposes of our research were (1) to review the

operational performance of Trans Mebidang buses and

(2) to include the IPA model to measure the levels of

passengers' satisfaction with the service quality.

2 METHODS

As it has been clearly stated in the introduction

section, the main purpose of this study was to assess

the operational performance, and the level of

passengers’ satisfaction with, the service delivery of

Trans Mebidang buses in the public transport sector.

To attain this objective, the researchers used a

dynamic survey to specify the operational

performance of the buses and a descriptive survey in

the research design to specify the service quality

from the passengers' perception. In carrying out this

research, the researchers contacted some bus

passengers. Respondents were randomly chosen and

given forms at bus stops or on buses. The survey

was targeted mostly at people who used public

transport. The total sample size was 100. The

identified variables were the demographics of the

respondents and the respondents’ perception of the

experience (satisfaction) taking the Trans Mebidang

buses.The level of satisfaction with the public

transport service was measured with a five-point

Likert scale. The respondents were asked to rate 22

items relating to effectiveness based on their

experiences using the Trans Mebidang bus service.

The twenty-two satisfaction items were gleaned

from a literature review and a pilot study that

reflected the respondents’ experiences and problems

faced when commuting by Trans Mebidang buses.

The descriptive statistics from a total of 22 questions

outlining the various statements of the level of

service quality from passengers' perception can be

analysed.

Public bus transport enables mobility for people

within urban areas throughout the world. In

analyzing transportation performance, there are

some parameters that can be used. The indicators for

the analysis of transportation performance and the

data input needed are as follows.

In this study, the following is the levels of

transportation performance established:

G = Good

R = Regular

A = Average

B = Bad

VB = Very Bad

Table 1: The Indicator for Analysing the Transportation Performance (World Bank, 1987).

Parameters Units Standard

Criteria

G R A B VB

Journey Time hour 1–3 ≤ 3 1–1.30 2–2.30 2.30–3 > 3

Load Factor % ≤ 100 100–90 90–80 80–70 70–50 < 50

Trip Length bus/day ≥ 8 7 6 5 < 5

Distance Traveled by Buses km 230– 260 ≥ 260 260–230 230–200 200–170 < 170

Cycle Time hour ≤ 2:09 2:10–2:38 2:39–3:07 3:08–3:36 > 3:36

Number of Passengers/Buses/Day 250–300 ≥ 250 249–187 186–124 123–61 < 62

Availability Factor % 80–90 ≥ 90 90–60 60–40 40–20 < 20

Circulation Time hour ≤ 2:22 2:01–2:50 2:51–3:25 3:26–3:40 > 3:00

5 4 3 2 1

A Study on the Operational Performance and Satisfaction with the Service Quality of Trans Mebidang Buses in Corridor 1 and Corridor 2

based on Passengers’ Perception

149

The discussion on the operational performance of

Trans Mebidang bus transportation includes journey

time, load factor, trip length,

distance travelled by

buses, cycle time, number of passenger/bus/day,

availability factor, and circulation time, which were

used to know the standard of public transport

service. This can be used as the basis for the

identification of the needs for Trans Mebidang bus

transportation to serve the demand well.

2.1 Bus Service Quality Management

The term service quality in transport literature has

long been investigated and defined in many forms. It

has been defined as the quality criteria and the

accurate measures for which the providers are

responsible to provide, the measurements process of

how the service quality level delivered matches the

customer satisfaction, the measurements that reflect

users` perceptions towards the service, the pre-defined

standard of service attributes relative to the actual

service quality, and the measuring of customer

expectation on a constant service standard base.

2.2 Importance-Performance Analysis

(IPA)

Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) was

formulated by Martilla and James (1977). This simple

technique has been a popular tool for understanding

customer satisfaction and prioritizing service quality

improvements. It is a powerful evaluation tool for

practitioners and academics to find out attributes that

are doing well and attributes that need to be

improved, which require actions immediately. In

short, this IPA evaluation tool is used to prescribe the

prioritization of attributes for improvement, and it can

also provide guidance for strategic development. In

principle, IPA combines dimensional measurements

to the expectations and importance two grids, then

both dimensions were plotted into it. Importance

value is plotted as the vertical axis, while the expected

value is plotted as the diagonal axis by using the mean

value contained in importance and expectation

dimensions as the centre line cutting. The diagram

consists of four quadrants that show the level of

importance to service attributes. In this research,

Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) was used to

assess the levels of importance and satisfaction of bus

service quality from the passengers' perception. The

instruments used in this research were 22-question-

item questionnaires that measured service quality

attributes. An example of an IPA grid is shown in

Figure 1.

Figure 1: This caption has one line so it is centered.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

With regard to gender of the respondents, 48% were

men, and 52% were women. As for the age of the

respondents, 31% were 15–24 years old, 28% were

25–34 years old, 25% were 35–44 years old, and

16% were 45–54 years old. With regard to the

number of bus usages a week, 38% used less than 3

times a week, 29% used 4 times a week, 19% used 5

times a week, and 14% used more than 5 times a

week. In terms of occupation, 34% were students,

23% were private employees, 17% were civil

servants, 14% were enterprisers, and 12% were out-

of-works.

3.1 Operational Performance

The operating performance of Trans Mebidang

buses was evaluated using the World Bank’s

performance measuring parameters, namely journey

time, load factor, trip length, distance travelled by

buses, cycle time, number of passenger/bus/day,

availability factor, and circulation time. This section

tries to address the extent to which the available

fleets were utilized by the public through a survey of

buses. Utilization normally varied between different

times of the day (i.e. between peak and off-peak

periods), different days of the week, and different

times of the year.

Table 2 shows the weighting results of the Trans

Mebidang buses of the Pusat Pasar-Binjai route and

the Pusat Pasar-Lubuk Pakam route.

Overall weighting results, operational

performance of Trans Mebidang buses on corridor 1

and corridor 2 according to World Bank standard

with the result of dynamic survey, operational

performance of Trans Mebidang buses in category 3,

Average category.

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Table 2: The Weighting Results of Trans Mebidang Buses.

Parameters Units Standard

Pusat Pasar-Binjai Route Pusat Pasar-Lubuk Pakam Route

Monday-

Thursday

Saturday Sunday

Monday-

Thursday

Saturday Sunday

Journey Time hour 1–3 1 1 1 1 2 2

Load Factor % ≤ 100 4 5 5 2 2 4

Trip Length

buses/

day

4 4 4 3 3 3

Distance Traveled by

Buses

230–260 2 2 3 3 3 4

Cycle Time hour 1 1 1 2 3 3

Number of

Passengers/Buses/Day

250–300 5 5 5 5 5 5

Availability Factor % 80–90 3 4 4 3 3 3

Circulation Time hour 1 1 1 3 4 4

Average hour 3 3 3 3 3 4

Score A A A A B B

Table 3: Expectations and Perceptions of Passengers of Service Quality Dimensions.

Variables Dimensions Perception Expectation Gap

Security on the Bus

Reliability

3.12 4.22 -1.1

Rapidness 2.56 4.17 -1.61

Consistency and the Suitability with the Predetermined

Schedule

2.80 4.29 -1.49

Congestion Solution 2.79 4.17 -1.38

Cheap Rates

Responsive

ness

3.70 4.48 -0.78

Availability of Travel Time Information 3.61 4.34 -0.73

Officers’ Readiness to Lift Passengers’ Excess Baggage

onto the Bus

3.04 4.29 -1.25

The Bus Driver’s Dropping Off and Picking Up Passengers

on the Passengers’ Request

3.04 4.40 -1.36

Good Driver Skills

Assurance

3.21 4.59 -1.38

Convenience in the Bus 2.93 4.57 -1.64

Whether or not the Concierge Had Good Engineering Skills

in the Event of Bus Breakdown

3.00 4.37 -1.37

Availability of Insurance 1.69 3.40 -1.71

Whether or Not the Officer Will Aid Passengers

Empathy

2.52 4.02 -1.50

Complaint Contact 2.47 4.16 -1.69

Maintenance of Good Relationship with Passengers 2.54 3.96 -1.42

Operational Hours Suiting Passengers’ Needs 2.65 4.05 -1.40

Decent Condition of the Bus

Tangibles

2.85 4.48 -1.63

Support Facilities 3.14 4.47 -1.33

Condition of Station/Bus Stop 2.70 4.49 -1.79

Cleanliness Station/Bus Stop 2.73 4.62 -1.89

Well-Functioning Aircon Facilities on the Bus 3.40 4.47 -1.07

Bus Seating Conditions 3.32 4.81 -1.49

-1.41

3.2 Bus Services Quality Management

The data from this study were analysed using the

Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software.

Firstly, an exploratory data analysis in which the data

were examined and cleaned was conducted. A

descriptive analysis was conducted for each variable.

This section presents the results of the analysis of the

specific expectations versus perceptions for each of the

five dimensions of service quality.

A Study on the Operational Performance and Satisfaction with the Service Quality of Trans Mebidang Buses in Corridor 1 and Corridor 2

based on Passengers’ Perception

151

Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) for

Service Quality

The IPA method has helped divide the public

transportation service quality according to the

passengers’ perceptions into four identiﬁable

quadrants, so that the bus operators as decision

makers will be better able to understand how

passengers perceive their services. This is a useful,

effective way for decision makers to identify what

problems exist. A Cartesian diagram in this research

is shown in Figure 2.

Quadrant I:

Quadrant I shows that the handling of the

attributed variables which influenced the satisfaction

of the users of Trans Mebidang buses with the

service provided by the operators of the Trans

Mebidang buses should have been prioritized

because the existence of these attributed variables

was very important, while the performance was still

not satisfactory. This condition indicates that the

variables performance/service provided by the

operators of the Trans Mebidang buses was worse

than what had been expected by the passengers, so it

should be improved optimally.

Quadrant II:

Quadrant II shows that the handling of the

variables which influenced the satisfaction of the

passengers of Trans Mebidang buses with the

service provided by the operators of the Trans

Mebidang buses should have been maintained

because the level of performance was generally in

accordance with the expectation/interest of the

passengers of the Trans Mebidang buses.

Quadrant III:

In Quadrant III, the attributed variables which

influenced the satisfaction of the passengers of Trans

Mebidang buses with the service provided by the

operators of the Trans Mebidang buses were

regarded unimportant by the passengers as users of

the service, while the quality of its implementation

was considered common.

Quadrant IV:

Quadrant IV shows that the attributed variables

influenced the satisfaction of the passengers of Trans

Mebidang buses with the service provided by the

bus operators. The passengers considered that the

performance in this quadrant was very good, but it

should be improved so that it would meet what had

been expected by the passengers as users of the

service.

Figure 2: Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) of the

Service Quality.

4 CONCLUSIONS

Based on the results of the research and the

discussion, and referring to the problems and the

objectives of the research, it could be concluded that

The overall weighting results show that the

operational performance of the Trans Mebidang

buses in corridor 1 and corridor 2, according to the

World Bank’s standard and the results of the

dynamic survey, fell into category 3 (Average). As

of the quality of the Trans Mebidang bus service in

this study has not fulfilled the expectations of

passengers, with an average value of the suitability

level between performance and expectations based

on the 22 questions items in the questionnaires

distributed of -1.41. The negative mark indicates that

the service quality had yet to meet the expectations

of the passengers.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my

supervisor Prof. Roesyanto and co-supervisor Medis

Sejahtera Surbakti, PhD. for their constant support,

guidance, and motivation. It would never have been

possible for me to take this work to completion

without their incredible support and encouragement.

This research was a part of the author’s study at

Universitas Sumatera Utara.

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A Study on the Operational Performance and Satisfaction with the Service Quality of Trans Mebidang Buses in Corridor 1 and Corridor 2

based on Passengers’ Perception

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