Service Quality of Bus Performance in Asia: A Systematic Literature Review and Conceptual Framework

Abstract

Bus services have played a significant role in public transportation, especially in urban areas throughout the years. Since bus services compete greatly with other types of public transportation, such as e-hailing services and private vehicles, they have recently attracted scholars to conduct many relevant studies. However, research in assessing public transport networks in urban areas by researchers by using systematic literature review is lacking. There are definitive gaps between quality standards set by the transportation regulatory authority and what bus operators can provide based on their obligations. Therefore, the present study had concentrated on the service quality of bus services in Asia by using the systematic literature review of articles. This study was based on previous studies, specifically on service quality of performance. Several previous studies were selected by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRIMSA) approach. SCOPUS and Science Direct were chosen as the main journal database. Through this approach, 41 articles were selected for further analysis. This study was focused on three primary themes: study approach, stakeholders, and service quality attributes. An advanced analysis on these primary themes was used to formulate another 18 sub-themes. All themes and sub-themes which reflected the significant impacts of service quality towards bus services were discussed in detail. This study addressed several qualities of bus services and bus performance in regard to the improvement of urban transportation polices. Several recommendations that can provide necessary knowledge and information for future research were also presented.