Measuring the Evolution of Passenger Satisfaction Following the Introduction of Scheduled Services: The Case of the 7th Avenue Minibus-Taxi Association in Mitchells Plain

Abstract

This research forms part of the City of Cape Town’s pilot programme to improve the business models of minibus-taxi associations and establish transport operating companies, in preparation for the implementation of the next phase of Cape Town's Integrated Public Transport Network. In 2017, a number of minibus taxi associations were selected to participate in this pilot on a voluntarily basis. As part of this program, the 7th Avenue and Districts Minibus-Taxi Association of Mitchells Plain implemented a trial run to shift its operations to scheduled services in January 2019. This paper presents the results of two passenger satisfaction surveys, conducted prior to and during the early stages of the implementation of this trial. The results of the two surveys are compared using different statistical methods to establish whether the shift to scheduled services improved passenger satisfaction as it relates to various attributes of the services. The finding of this research is that the implementation of scheduled services resulted in a substantial increase in satisfaction amongst users. Linear regression analysis confirms that this increase is attributable to the implementation of the trial.