Satisfaction with Public Transport Trips

Figure 2. Quality service model (own from Parasuraman et al., 1985)
Other authors also provided with definitions of customer satisfaction. Hensher et al. (2003) argued that 
although travelers may perceive specific aspects of service quality as either positive or negative, it can be 
assumed that the overall level of travel satisfaction is best measured by how an individual evaluates the 
total package of services offered. Customer satisfaction was also defined by Tyrinopoulos and Antoniou 
(2008) as the overall level of fulfillment with customers’ expectations and as the outcome of cumulative 
and single-experience encounters.
The European Customer Satisfaction Index - ECSI conceptual model best summarizes a large amount of 
aspects that influence overall travel satisfaction. Figure 3, displays a series of components (drivers of 
satisfaction) that influence and explain customer satisfaction. These components include: 

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1) Image: linked with customers’ perception of the company running the service, but also to the 
perception of the whole PT service or of the one particular mode. Mass-media and hearsay may influence 
this component. 
2) Customer expectations: related to the fore-judgment of the service made by the customer and in part 
based on their prior experiences. 
3) Perceived quality of product: it entails the quality of the product itself (i.e. frequency). 
4) Perceived quality of the service: it involves services that are provided around the product (i.e. customer 
service and travel guarantee). 
5) Price-quality relationship: It is a function of the expectations placed in the product and its quality.
PT service use, reflected through the optic of the customer satisfaction index, will result in either 
satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the overall travel experience. Travel satisfaction may lead to customer 
retention, the recommendation of the service and greater price elasticity. On the other hand, travel 
dissatisfaction may result in losing customers, discouragement of use and less price tolerance. 
Figure 3. Personal adaptation of ECSI customer satisfaction model 
As seen in Figure 3, customer loyalty is considered a product of customer satisfaction and can be defined 
as customer attitude encompassing repurchase and recommendation intentions (e.g. Zeithaml et al, 1996). 
Previous empirical studies carried out in different industries proved that customer satisfaction positively 
influences customer loyalty (Lai and Chen, 2011). 

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