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SERVICE QUALITY FOR COMMUTERS

Strategies for Improvement of Service Quality forCommuters in Public Transit Service - A Case Study of Bhopal

Abstract -- Service quality has been viewed as a determinant ofCustomer Satisfaction in today’s competitive market place. Forbuilding and maintaining long term relationship with thecustomer, an organization needs to understand and meet theexpectations of its customers. From ancient times, Public Transitprovides a basic mobility service to the persons without access topersonal vehicle. Now-a-days Public Transit is an integrated partof human life. From traditional means of palanquins to modernmeans of Public Transit, the face of Indian Public Transit systemhas progressed at a rapid pace since the inception of economicliberalization of the 1990s. India's public transit system which isrising by almost 10% a year is among the most heavily used inthe world but the access to these modes of transit has not beenuniform and are still riddled with problems due to poor or outdatedinfrastructure and lack of investment. Just like India, growth ofPublic Transit System in Bhopal city is also very rapid. Bhopal’spublic transit system is a combination of low floor buses, mini-buses, autos and the odd structured tempos that are playing asmajor contributor of pollution for this growing city. Under thescheme of JNNURM, low floor buses are operated by BhopalCity Link Limited with the help of Municipal Cooperation, whichare under GPS navigation. In addition, around 600 mini busesare run by private operators. Metro or Radio Taxis and autorickshaws are another major means of transit. In some parts inthe old as well as new city, the new Tata Magic Vans are runningsuccessfully and replaced the older and bigger diesel rickshawsknown as "Bhat". Bhopal is also having a "Bus Rapid TransitSystem". This paper will throw the light on existing condition ofPublic Transit Systems in Bhopal, issues of these systems andmeasures to improve the system.

Keywords: Public Transit, Bus Rapid Transit System, GPS Navigation

I. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDYTHE present study focuses on following research objectives: -1) To study services provided by the Public Transit Provider

of Bhopal City2) To study the commuters opinion towards the city bus

service in Bhopal.3) To study the various issued faced by commuters during

their day to day journey

II. METHODOLOGY INVOLVEDTo achieve the above mentioned objectives, primary data has

Ajay Pratap Singh1, Dr. Varun Singh2, Dr. A.K. Sharma3 and Dr. Anupama Sharma4

1,3Department of Civil Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal 462003 Madhya Pradesh India2Department of Civil Engineering, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad 211004 Uttar Pradesh India

4Department of Architecture Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal 462003 Madhya Pradesh [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected], [email protected]

been collected with the help of questionnaire prepared by theresearcher. Collection of secondary data from the variousdepartments is also important in this work. The independentvariable used in this study is overall satisfaction with PublicTransit service. Dependent variables is specific service qualityattributes which consist of public bus transit departurefrequency, travel time, punctuality, price, information,cleanliness, staff behavior, bus comfort, seat availability, busstop security, safe from accident, on board security, bus stopcondition etc.

III. DESIGN OF RESEARCH WORK• Research approach : Survey method• Research instrument : Questionnaire• Data collection method : Primary Sources & Secondary

Sources• Sampling method : Convenience sampling• Sampling unit : Passengers / commuters• Sample size : 1000• Sample area : Bhopal city

IV. INTRODUCTIONAbout Bhopal: Bhopal is having a fascinating amalgamationof scenic beauty, old historic flavor and modern urban planning.“City of Lakes” is another name of this beautiful city. TodayBhopal has blossomed into a city, which in spite of beingmodern, upholds the patrician mark of its bygone rulers. Withtime, the city has emerged as a multifunctional regional hub ofsocio-political and economic activities. Bhopal city can bedivided into two parts - the old city and newly developed areawith administrative, institutional, industrial, commercial andresidential activities.

Bhopal district has a population of 2,368,145 persons over2,772 sq. km, as per provisional population totals of Census ofIndia, 2011. The average density of the population is 854persons per sq. km. The district has a literacy rate of 82.3%.

Bus services are playing the dominant role in providing publictransit facilities in the city. If only considered the mechanized

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AKGEC INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 5, No. 2

transits of the city, the busses run the highest passenger-kmper day. Although the bus provides highest passenger-kmtravel, the modal share of bus in terms of person-trips iscomparatively low; hence there is a considerable scope ofimprovement of modal share of bus by improving bus servicein Bhopal city. However, the number of passengers in publictransit has been increasing continuously during the last 20years.

Major Activity Centres: The major locations of work centers inBhopal include Maharana Pratap Nagar, State Capital Complexon Arera Hills, Commissioner and District Administration centreand main business centers in the Old City Area, the publicsector units i.e., BHEL and Railways. The trade and commerceestablishments are located in New market, Bittan Market, M.P.Nagar Zone 1 and 2, Old City and Bairagarh.

Linkages & Connectivity:Bhopal is having an important location on the national railwaynetwork, Airways linking with various cities of the country aswell as regional and district centres in the state.

The city is connected by regular flights to major cities of thecountry such as Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmadabad, Raipur. Therail connectivity is also good, being strategically located onthe track between Delhi and Nagpur, as well as Bangalore,Lucknow, Jhansi, Raipur and Trivandrum etc. NationalHighway (NH) 12 connects Bhopal with Jabalpur in the eastand Jaipur in the west while NH 86 links Bhopal to Sagar in theeast and Dewas in the west. NH-12 and NH-86 (Raisen Road)bypass the urban core of Bhopal, but passes through theplanning area. Other important roads connecting the city tothe surrounding towns are shown below in Figure. SH-17(Sehore Bypass Road) connects Indore, SH-23 (Berasia Road)

links Berasia while Vidisha Road connects Sanchi and Vidishato Bhopal. Hoshangabad Road leads to Mandideep IndustrialArea. Some important bus terminals in Bhopal are Nadra BusStand, Jawahar Chowk Bus Stand, Interstate Bus Terminal(ISBT) near Habibganj, Halalpura and Putlighar, etc.

Figure 3. Showing linkage and Connectivity of Bhopal.

Vehicular Growth in Bhopal City:The Bhopal District hasexperienced tremendous growth in vehicular traffic over thelast decade, as shown in Figure below. The average rate ofgrowth since 2002 is about 10% per annum. The total vehicularpopulation registered in 2011 was about 7.9 lakhs, of which

Figure 1. Showing Bhopal and its surrounding districtSource-CDP.

Figure 2. Showing Major Activity centre and CBD Area in BhopalSource: City Development Plan of Bhopal.

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80% were two wheelers, as shown in Figure. The majority ofthe vehicles registered with RTO, Bhopal District is located inthe urban core. This is a major area of concern.

Figure 4. Showing Vehicular Growth Source: CDP.

The majority of the vehicles registered with RTO, BhopalDistrict is located in the urban core. This is a major area ofconcern. Tremendous growth of motorized vehicles has beenwitnessed in Bhopal, especially two wheelers. Recent datacollected from Regional Transport Office (RTO) shows that57,552 vehicles were registered in 2011, of which 42,087 weretwo wheelers.

V. FACTORS AFFECTING TRANSIT RIDERSHIPThere are lots of factors which affect the ridership in the publictransit system. Some of the major factors that are affecting theridership in public transit are given in the table 1

TABLE I: THE FACTORS AFFECTINGTRANSIT RIDERSHIP

Convenience Increase transit service coverage and frequency.Information Provide information on where, when and how to

use transit.Price Keep fares low and offer targeted discounts, such

as commuter passesSpeed Provide express commuter services and transit

priority measuresAccessibility Develop more accessible land use patterns and

more diverse transit systemsIntegration Provide park & ride facilities, transit service to

major transitation terminalsComfort Provide adequate service so transit vehicles are

not crowdedSecurity Insure that transit vehicles, facilities and service

areas are considered securePrestige- Treat transit riders with respect, and promote

transit as a desirable travel option.

Source-(Kittleson & Associates)

The distribution of sample for subject study can be seen inbelow Table 2 depicting demographic variables as well aspercentage distribution of the respondents.

TABLE II: THE FACTORS DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE

Demographic Variable Percentage DistributionGenderAbsolute No Male% Female%

900 900Age Below 20 60% 40%Age Between 20-30 55% 45%Age Between 30-35 50% 50%Age Between 35-45 65% 35%Age Between 45-55 50% 50%Age Above 55 65% 35%

VI. EXISTING BUS SERVICE IN BHOPAL CITYLow Floor Bus services are available on 11 (eleven) routesonly, operated through a total of 189 The routes are classifiedas Trunk (TR) and Secondary (SR) routes.

TR-1: Aakriti Eco City- Chirayu HospitalTR-2: HEG Mandideep- Bus StationTR-3: Ayodhya Nagar- Nariyel KhedaTR-4: HEG Mandideep- Bairagarh ChichliSR-1: Nehru Nagar- LalghatiSR-2: Nehru Nagar- Katara HillsSR-3: Alpana Tiraha- Gandhi NagarSR-4: Karond Chouraha- Baira GarhSR-5: Chirayu Hospital – Handicapped CollegeSR-6: Rajiv Gandhi College- Oriental CollegeSR-8: Coach Factory- Bairagh Chichli

TABLE III: THE EXISTING ROUTESOF LOW FLOOR BUSES

Route Route length No. of buses FrequencyTR-1 25.27 23 10 MinutesTR-2 23.32 20 8 MinutesTR-3 23.7 13 16 MinutesTR-4 25.1 12 12 MinutesSR -1 17.3 13 12 MinutesSR-2 20.5 13 16 MinutesSR-3 24.9 14 12 MinutesSR-4 25.6 24 8 MinutesSR-5 29 21 12 MinutesSR-6 24 15 15 MinutesSR-8 22 21 10 MinutesTOTAL 189

Source: Bhopal City Link Limited

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VII. OVERALL PUBLIC TRANSIT COVERAGE OFBHOPAL CITY

Bhopal’s Public Transit Network is basically covered by LowFloor Buses, Mini-Buses, Autos and Magic. Figure 5 is showingthe whole public transit coverage of Bhopal city by different-different transit system.

Figure 5. Showing the existing Public Transit Network of BhopalSource: CMP.

VIII. REASON FOR NOT USING PUBLIC TRANSITThere are various issue and reasons for not using the publictransit. Following are the important reasons for not using PublicTransit System in Bhopal City

• Encroachment at Bus stops

• Bunching of Buses at Bus Stops

• Irrational location of Bus Stop• Bus Stops without any display facility• Bus Stops without any Passenger information System

facility• Poor physical condition of Buses

• Internal Aesthetic and sitting arrangement in Minibus• No Proper light arrangement at bus-stops during night

Some other reasons also represented in figure 6 for not usingpublic transit system in Bhopal city.

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Figure 6. Showing reasons for not using public transit system.

The following table show the factors which affect thepassenger’s choice of a particular public transit (or intermediatepublic) mode. It can be noted that 81% of commuters choosebuses because of the cheap fare structure. 87% commutersfind the buses safe while 82% find them comfortable. 80% ofthe passengers are quite satisfied with the bus servicesavailable.

88% of the commuters by autos have complained about theirlow availability although it is a safe and comfortable modewith good coverage.

TABLE IV: FACTORS THAT AFFECTS THEPASSENGER’S CHOICE

Auto Tata Mini LowMagic Bus Floor

BusCheap fare 6% 84% 86% 76%

Costly 35% 15% 13% 25%

Non Availability 88% 16% 19% 15%

Safe 67% 65% 83% 90%

Good Area Coverage 57% 56% 73% 83%

Good Crew Behaviour 52% 72% 54% 86%

Bad Crew Behaviour 66% 45% 51% 38%

Unsafe 29% 27% 17% 9%

Easy Availability 45% 63% 79% 77%

Not Comfortable 23% 27% 33% 5%

Comfortable 58% 84% 76% 88%

Poor Area Coverage 2% 15% 17% 11%

No effective Control 0% 0% 0% 0%

Others 63% 79% 71% 66%

IX. ADVANTAGES OF USING PUBLIC TRANSITSYSTEM IN BHOPAL CITY

• Ensures Safety- Public transit can be one of the safestmodes of travel in the Bhopal. In fact, riding a transit busis 91 times safer than car travel. Transit vehicle operatorsare highly trained to anticipate and avoid problems. Mosttransit vehicles are larger, newer and more substantialthan autos or vans.

• Saves Money- Studies have shown that public transitcan save up to 2 to 3 times the money spent over privatevehicles.

• Eases Traffic Congestion- Nearly half of all residents ofthe city believe traffic is a serious problem where theylive, specially the people living in the space constrainedOld City area. Most (about 57 percent) do not feel theircommute will improve over the next three years, andnearly a quarter expect to spend more time commuting.Public transportation can help much to alleviate city’scrowded network of roads by providing transportationchoices.

• Improves Air Quality- Public transit system helps topromote cleaner air by reducing automobile use, whichcan exacerbate smog and public health problems. Foreach kilometer travelled, fewer pollutants are emitted bytransit vehicles than by a single-passenger automobile.(Buses emit 80 percent less carbon monoxide than a car.)Each year, public transportation use avoids the emissionof more than 126 million pounds of hydrocarbons, aprimary cause of smog, and 156 million pounds ofnitrogen oxides, which can cause respiratory disease.

• Reduces Energy Consumption- Public transit system cansignificantly reduce dependency on petrol, reducing autofuel consumption by 1.5 billion gallons annually.

• Fosters More Livable Communities- Public transitfacilities and corridors are natural focal points foreconomic and social activities. These activities can helpto create strong neighborhood centers that are moreeconomically stable, safe and productive. Studies haveshown that the ability to travel in an area conveniently,without a car, is an important component of a community’slivability. Public transit system provides opportunity,access, choice and freedom, all of which contribute to animproved quality of life.

.X. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLIC

TRANSIT SERVICES FROM PASSENGERSSuggestions have been collected from passengers to improvethe services in order to meet the travel demand. The need toaugment the fleet and coverage of services across all modeshas been stressed upon. The various suggestions receivedfrom commuters have been compiled in Table VI

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TABLE V: SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTSIN SERVICES

Suggestions Auto Tata Mini LowMagic Bus Floor

BusRationalization in 87% 33% 15% 22%Fare Structure

Improvement in Punctuality 05% 34% 48% 25%

High Coverage Area 25% 31% 47% 73%

Frequency Enhancement 13% 45% 72% 77%

Improvement in Vehicles 69% 86% 84% 89%condition

Improvement in internal 35% 47% 75% 45%Aesthetics

Improvement in convenience 51% 56% 69% 65%

Improvement in 59% 65% 55% 76%Crew Behaviour

Fleet Size Improvement 32% 55% 73% 75%

Others 0% 1% 0% 2%

Source: Primary survey conducted by Researcher

XI. HOW TO IMPROVE THE PUBLIC TRANSIT SHAREHere, some strategies for targeting the desired public transitshare among the total generated trips• Organized Public Transit System: A planned public transit

system in terms of routing, scheduling and ticketingsystem would help in attracting more passengers.

• Optimization and Strengthening of Transit Services: Toprovide quick, convenient and economic service,measures like reserved bus lanes, priorities at intersectionand good terminal facilities to improve turn round timeshould be undertaken.

• Subsidized Public Transit: This is an important factorwhich is affecting in the ridership of the Public Transitsystem. That’s why the fare structures in the public transitshould be targeted to be affordable to a larger percentageof population specially, the lower income group.

• Accessibility to the System: More accessible systemshould be designed by expanding its influence area,reducing the walking time and with the help of properinformation system (PIS).

• Disincentives for Private Mode Users: Higher taxationon personalized mode, high parking charges and othersuch ways should be introduced to discourage the useof private mode of transit.

• Area Specific Public Transit Services: Public Transitservices targeting people from particular origin ordestination can also help in increasing the share of publictransit.

• Special Consideration: Consideration of various sectionsof society such as women, aged people, handicappedetc. while designing the public transit infrastructure canalso immensely help to increase its share.

• Interchange facilities: Provide major interchanges fortransit services in those cities where metro trains likeDelhi, with proper parking space and informativeservices. Apart from these, there are many other possibleways to improve the transit service quality, includingreduced crowding, increased service frequency, nicerwaiting areas and better user information.

Some more measures to improve the comfort ability & theconvenience factor are as follows:

• By improving vehicle design, comfort and cleanliness.• By increasing frequency to reduce wait times and vehicle

crowding.• By improving boarding/alighting ease and speed, with

pre-paid fare collection, wider doors and more convenientloading areas.

• By increasing fare options, discounts and passespurchased through work, school and communities, andfor shoppers (similar to merchant-paid parking).

• By improving user information, customer service, andmarketing programs.

• By modal integration, with transit service coordinatedwith walking and cycling facilities, taxi services, intercitybus, and delivery services (to facilitate shopping bytransit).

• By improving safety and security for transit users andpedestrians.

XII. SUGGESTIONS GIVEN BY COMMUTERS TOIMPROVE THE SERVICE QUALITY

• Frequency of Buses should be increased especially inthe morning time.

• Guards are not active, they need to be trained• Attention should be paid to proper surveillance for the

safety of women.• Dustbins should be arranged on Bus Stops as well as in

Buses.• Apart from display voice announcement arrangement

should be available in buses as well as at bus stops.• No. of Workers should be increased at ticket counter• Smart card has only one customer care & Issuer which

creates inconvenience.• A special cell should be there for tracing the location of

the snatcher/thief. So that one can get his/her Propertyback.

• Extension to other area of city also.• Tokens are costly as compared to smart card system• Provision of wash rooms at some stops.• Lost & found services should be improved.

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• Proper surveillance inside the buses because I have seenmany commuters fighting for petty matters.

• Improve entry door areas.• Improvement required in the routes as it always delay

and takes too much time to reach the destination.• PCO’s should be at bus stops.• Checking should be fast.• Safety of women

Technology must be given prime importance especially AFCmachines

Photograph1. Researcher taking the suggestionsfrom the commuters in Mini-Bus

XIII. CONCLUSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONSCities play a vital role in promoting economic growth andprosperity. The development of cities largely depends upontheir physical, social, and institutional infrastructure. Transitsystems are among the various factors affecting the quality oflife and safe movement in a city. India is only 30% urbanized atpresent, however, is expected to double its urban populationin the next twenty years. Since urban transit and urbanizationare closely interlinked, therefore planning for urban transitstarts at understanding the urbanization process which affectsthe quality of life and safety in city. On the basis of this studyit is suggested to have the following measures.

• Due to more and more workforce coming to the urbanarea from remote places; it is advisable to haveproportionally higher number of buses to make itconvenient for the natives especially during peak hoursto avoid overcrowding.

• There should be uniformity in the frequency of busesadherence to strict timings is required to maintain servicequality.

• Proper maintenance of buses and bus stands are requiredto retain the existing passengers and attracting the newones. It is very necessary for the survival of public sectortransit in the times to come.

• Bus drivers should stop the bus close to the bus stopand not in the middle of the road causing hindrance topublic.

• All buses can have light radio/ music system or provisionfor video to be played so that the passengers don't feelthe stressed and they may enjoy their trip.

• Bus stop should be covered with roof to adjust the worstclimatic conditions.

• Proper first aid facility should be provided in buses andat bus stops to meet any emergency.

• Conductor should carry more coins to avoid the delay inreturning the balance amount of fare.

• There must be arrival and departure times at each busstop.

• The conductor and driver must wear dresses having theirnames and employee number mentioned on it.

• There is a need to introduce special city bus to providespecial service for female passenger.

Conclusively, we can deduce that majority of the respondentsare not satisfied with the level of service of existing publictransit system. Moreover it is also found that passengers /commuters are not aware of the mandatory services to be givenby the city buses. The researcher has tried to touch upon theminimum expectations of the commuting class. The suggestionsare made on the basis of the interactive discussions withcommuters; which could be incorporated into policy decisionsof management.

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Ajay Pratap Singh obtained BTech andMTech from Maulana Azad National Instituteof Technology (MANIT), Bhopal in 2007 and2010 respectively.Currently pursuing PhD at the same instituteon the topic of Performance evaluation ofUrban Public Transport.His areas of interest include Field and LabTesting of Civil Engineering Design ofBituminous Pavements and Cement ConcretePavements, Construction of Sub- Base and Base

Courses in Highways, Soil Investigations for Road Construction, TrafficEngineering.Recently, attended Summer Training Program on Software Applicationfor Analysis and Design in Civil Engineering at MNNIT, Allahabad inJune 2014.

Dr Varun Singh completed his B.Tech fromAMU Aligarh in 1999. Completed his M.Techin 2002 and PhD in 2007 from IIT Roorkeein the area of Intelligent Transport System.His area of interest is CAD, ITS and GIS. He ishaving over seven years of teaching and fieldexperience.Published over 15 research articles. He ismember of professional bodies including, IEI(India), ASCE and IEEE.Currently, he is working as Assistant Professor

in the Department of Civil Engineering, MNNIT, Allahabad and guidingfive PhD students.

Dr Anil Kumar Sharma completed hisB.Tech from MACT, presently MANIT in theyear 1984. Completed his M.Tech. Degrees inEnvironmental Engineering and Hydro-powerEngineering from MACT Bhopal in the yearof 1987 and 1991 respectively. CompletedPhD in 2002 from University of Roorkee(Now IIT Roorkee). His area of specializationis Environmental Engineering. He is havingmore than 24 years of teaching and fieldexperience. Published over 35 research papers.

He is member of professional bodies like IRC, IEI (India) and ISTE. 26PG Students completed their M.Tech thesis in his guidance. Currently,he is working as Head and Professor in the Department of CivilEngineering, MANIT, Bhopal.

Dr Anupama Sharma completed her B.Archfrom MACT, presently MANIT Bhopal in theyear 1991. She completed her M.Arch in 1994and PhD in 2002 from Barkatullah University,Bhopal in the area of Energy Conservation.Her area of specialization is Energy andEnvironment Planning. She is having morethan 16 years of teaching and field experience.Published over 20 research articles. She ishaving membership of professional bodies likeISES, COA, IEI (India), IIA and SESI. Eleven

PG Students completed their M.Tech thesis in her guidance. Currently,she is working as Professor in the Department of Architecture andPlanning in MANIT, Bhopal.

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