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Assessment of Customer Satisfaction in Transportation Service Delivery: The Case of
Three Terminals of Anbassa City Bus Service Enterprise.
Assessment of Customer Satisfaction in

Transportation Service Delivery: The Case of Three
Terminals of Anbassa City Bus Service Enterprise.
By
Mkonnen Mammo.
Abstract 1
This study is undertaken to assess the level of satisfaction of customers about

the transport service provision of ACBSE.
The study indicates that buses are aged, there is high breakdown of buses,
very limited supply of buses, and existing buses are not operating as per the
schedule. Therefore, the service is found not reliable and safe. Excessive
waiting time and long walking distance to reach the service make it
inconvenient. Moreover, high overcrowding and pick pocketing make it
uncomfortable and insecure. Correspondingly, the quality of the service is
poor and customers are not satisfied about the transport service of ACBSE.
EJBE Vol.1 No.2/2010 Page 29
Background of the study

Palmer and Cole (1995: 34), state that “Service is the
production of essentially intangible benefits […] which through
some form of exchange satisfies an identified consumers’ need”.
Consequently, there are service providers to satisfy customers’
needs.
Rosander (1985), Daniels (1993), and Zeithaml and Bitner
(2004) have grouped transportation under the category of
services. Transport provides a means of moving persons from
one place to another, for instance to get to work place, school,
shopping, social and entertainment places, etc. Thus, it would be
possible to say that, people use transport to satisfy a particular
need, i.e. the need to get to work or school, etc, and back to
home (Bamford and Robinson, 1978; Wood and Johnson, 1989).
In Addis Ababa, which is the capital city of Ethiopia and the

seat for African Union, transport service is being delivered to
the public through publicly owned Anbessa City Bus Service
Enterprise (ACBSE) and different privately owned vehicles,
such as small buses and taxis. As a public enterprise, ACBSE
has its own contribution to address the transport demands of the
people (customers), particularly of the poor, who cannot afford
other alternative modes of transportation. The demand for
transport service, however, has been increasing from time to
time. Demand and supply of transport services could not be
reconciled. This can be evident from long line up of people
along the roadsides of Addis Ababa.
Therefore, the researcher has attempted to assess whether

ACBSE is delivering quality transport service to the public with
adequate capacity that can meet and satisfy their requirements
and reached at valuable conclusion and recommendations,
following the findings of the research.
Statement of the Problem

As World Bank (2002: 22) states, “[---] cities are the engines of
economic growth in most developing countries, and that urban
transport is the oil that prevents the engine from seizing up”. As
cited in (http://www.nctr.usf.edu), Button noted that,
improvement in transportation can make cities much more
efficient and productive. The city of Addis Ababa is not an
exception as far as it is the economic and political centre of
Ethiopia, the diplomatic centre of Africa and the seat for many
international organizations. Therefore, the role of transport in
running economic, social and political activities smoothly could
not be easily valued.
Most trips in Addis Ababa are carried out using public transport
and on foot. Sixty percent (60%) of the population are walkers
(SABA, 2005). The major modes of public transportation in
Addis Ababa are buses and taxis. Transportation service is being
delivered to the public through publicly owned ACBSE, and
other privately owned vehicles, such as small buses and taxis.
ACBSE gives transport services for 10.9 % of the total
population (SABA, 2005).
The population of Addis Ababa is increasing significantly and

the size of the city is expanding horizontally. As the number of
population increases, the numbers of passengers using public
transport also increases. To accommodate the increasing
numbers of passengers, transport service is expected to expand.
However, the supply of transport service is not proportional to
the demand. Due to limited numbers of buses as well as routes,
poor people who cannot afford for other modes of transport are
exposed to walk long distances, and longer waiting and travel
time (SABA, 2005).
During peak hours, the demand extremely exceeds the supply of

service. At this time, many people are waiting for transport
service for long time and there is hard struggle to get the service.
Furthermore, buses are overcrowded and operate without
closing their doors, which may expose passengers to accident,
suffocation, pick pocketing and communicable diseases. It is
also too difficult for the elderly, pregnant, patient and disabled
people to get the service. Hence, this research has assessed the
over all level of satisfaction of customers taking quality
indicators of bus transportation service as parameters and
forwarded recommendations for improvement.
Research Questions
The major research questions addressed in this study are:
1 What is customer’s opinion in terms of satisfaction
about the quality of the transport service provided by
ACBSE?
2 Why ACBSE could not be able to meet the demands of
customers?
Research Objectives
The major objective of this thesis is to examine the level of
customer satisfaction in transport service delivery provided by
ACBSE.
The specific objectives of the study are to:
1. Evaluate whether ACBSE meets the demands of
customers,
2. Identify major challenges of ACBSE to meet the
demands of customers,
3. Create awareness to those concerned bodies by
portraying the intensity of the problems and
4. Provide hints as to how the problems can be resolved.
Scope of the Study

ACBSE provides transport service across the centre of Addis
Ababa, to the outer surroundings of Addis Ababa and the town
of Jimma. Due to financial and time constraints, the scope of
this study is limited only to ACBSE in Addis Ababa on the three
main terminals in Addis Ababa-Merkato, Legahar and
Megenagna.
Limitation of the Study

ACBSE provides transport service across the center of Addis
Ababa and to the outer surroundings of Addis Ababa by
operating from four main terminals (Megenagna, Legahar,
Piassa and Merkato). It also provides transport service to the
town of Jimma and other services such as transport and
contractual service, crane, advertising and technical services to
external customers. Moreover, according to second quarter
performance report of ACBSE (2001 E.C), the daily customers
of ACBSE in Addis Ababa are about 294,995.22 passengers.
However, this study is limited only to public transport service
delivery of ACBSE in three terminals (Megenagna, Legahar and
Merkato) by taking 250 sample customers from these terminals.
Therefore, even though the researcher believes that the thesis
contains reliable data on the transport service delivery of
ACBSE and customer satisfaction, it does not mean that the
study is free from limitation and all the above shortcomings of
the study may affect the outcome of the findings and the
generalizations to be made.
Research Method
Data Source and Techniques of Data Collection
In this study, the researcher has used primary data to get
relevant information about the study.
To collect data the researcher has used questionnaire (open and

closed ended) that was distributed to customers. Semi structured
interview was also addressed to the concerned officials of
ACBSE to get further information about the status of the
service.
Data Analysis
The data collected from customers, officials of ACBSE, and
field observation are analyzed using SPSS version 15 for data
management with simple descriptive statistics. In the analysis,
both qualitative and quantitative approaches are used to analyze
the collected data.
Sample Size and Sampling Techniques
ACBSE operates from four main terminals, namely,

Megenagna, Legahar, Piassa and Merkato across the centre of
the city and to the outer surroundings of the city. Due to
financial and time constraints and the large number of ACBSE’s
daily customers, which is estimated to be 294,955, the study is
limited to Legahar, Megenagna and Merkato terminals. Within
the available time and budget, it would be difficult and
unmanageable to take 10% or 5% of them. As a result, only 250
customers are randomly selected from the selected terminals. To
avoid personal bias and to get representative sample, every
fourth route which operates from these terminals in Addis
Ababa were selected using systematic sampling technique and
on average 23 passengers are randomly selected from each of
these routes. Finally, three representative officials from ACBSE
were selected using purposive sampling technique to get some
facts about the status of the service.
Structure of the paper
This thesis is divided into four major chapters. The first chapter
is introduction that includes background of the study, statement
of the problem, research questions, objectives of the study,

scope of the study, and research method. The second chapter
deals with the literature review. It includes theories and concepts
related to transportation and service delivery. The third chapter
deals with data presentation and analysis using tables, pie charts
and bar graphs. The last chapter outlines the conclusion and
recommendations of the study.
Review of Literature
Introduction
Reviewing the theoretical aspects of the study is essential to

make proper assessment of any subject. Hence, this chapter
deals with the theoretical aspects of the subject matter-
assessment of customer satisfaction in transport service delivery.
Theoretical Concepts of Service Delivery
Definition of Service
As quoted by Palmer and Cole (1995: 38), Kotler and
Armstrong define services as “Any activity or benefit that one
party can offer to another that is essentially intangible and does
not result in the ownership of anything.” Other scholars Murdick
et al (1990: 4) define service as “Economic activities that
produce time, place, form or psychological utilities”. It is
known that, transportation service users want to consume a
comfortable service in agreed time and in a convenient place.
Therefore, “Service producers have to be increasingly sure that
they are producing the right services, in the right way, in the
right places, for the right people, at the right time, for the right
price.” (Palmer and Cole, 1995: XV).
Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction

Service Quality
Kotler (1999: 55) define quality as “The totality of features and
characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to
satisfy stated or implied need”. According to Johnson and Clark
(2005), service quality can be understood as the same thing with
satisfaction, i.e. perceived service quality, as well as a match
between a customer’s expectation of a service and perception of
its delivery. Service quality is more appropriately termed
perceived service quality that meets or exceeds customer
expectations (Fisk, et al, 2004).
Palmer and Cole (1995: 44) state that “[...] quality can be
defined only by customers and occurs when an organizations
goods or services to a specification that satisfies their need.”
Service quality is an antecedent of customer satisfaction and
satisfaction in turn has greater effect on purchase intentions
(Ibid, 1995).
Customer Satisfaction
According to Jonson and Clark (2005: 134), “Customer
satisfaction is the result of a customer’s assessment of a service,
based on a comparison of their perceptions of service delivery
with their prior expectations”. The level of satisfaction of
customers depends on their perceptions and expectations of the
service. Customer’s satisfaction occurred when the
requirements of customers are exactly fulfilled by the service;
i.e. to satisfy customers, service providers are required to
deliver a service that can at least meet or exceed their
expectations. If customers perception of the actual service is
below their expectation, service gap is said happened and their
satisfaction level is rated as poor (Baron and Harris, 2003).
Hence, in order for achieving customer satisfaction service

providers are essentially demanded to know customer’s
expectations and periodically assess their level of satisfaction.
According to Denton (1989: 17), “Customer satisfaction is the
backbone of service organization and the organization gets
more than money”. Gaining competitive advantage for a service
organization is dependent up on the level of satisfaction of
customer. To satisfy customers, accurate understanding of their
expectation has invaluable importance for those engaged in the
provision of service. A service organization that understood the
expected service in the mind of the customer has better chance
of satisfying that expectation and getting competitive advantage
over other (Palmer and Cole, 1995).
In-depth understanding and fulfillment of customer’s

requirements and expectations enables service providers to
retain their customer by improving their satisfaction
(McDonald, et al, 2001).
Public Transportation Service

Modes of Urban Transportation
In developing countries, most trips are carried out using some
form of public transport or on foot (Armstrong Wright, 1993).
In most developing countries conventional buses and small
buses supplemented by a mass of Paratransit vehicles such as
taxis and converted pickups are very common modes of public
transport (Armstrong-Wright, 1993). According to Johnson and
Tengstron (2005), bus services are flexible, cost effective and
equitable mode of transport that can satisfy the needs of middle
income and low-income groups (Armstrong-Wright, 1993).
Quality Indicators of Bus Transportation Service

The quality of transport service can be measured against
reliability, convenience, safety, security and comfort (Iles,
2005; Height and Cresswell, 1979). Speed, accessibility in time,
reliability, and frequency, are quality indicators of transport
services (Wood and Johnson, 1989).
Reliability: is an important element of service quality, which

determines the level of passengers’ satisfaction. Provision of
reliable service enables service providers to retain passengers
for a long period. Passengers may be lost and may not be
regained if the service is unreliable. Those passengers who use
urban bus transportation services are increasingly sensitive to
waiting time and they are more satisfied with scheduled service,
which habitually operates exactly according to scheduled
departure and arrival times by operating at the appropriate
frequency (Iles, 2005).
The primary determinant of service reliability is the reliability of
the vehicle itself (Ibid, 2005). Availability of sufficient numbers
of buses will attract more passengers to use buses for their daily
traveling needs (http://www.nctr.usf.edu). Poor reliability within
an operation is the result of several breakdowns, which in turn
has adverse effect on vehicle availability and affects the quality
and quantity of the overall services (Ibid, 2005).
Convenience: it comprises accessibility, waiting time,
interchangeability between services, travel expenditure, ease of
payment, and availability and accuracy of information as an
important element, which determines the quality of the service
(Iles, 2005).
Accessibility can be expressed in terms of the distance
passengers have to walk starting from their home to the initial
bus stops and from the final bus stops to their final destination
(Ibid, 2005).
Walking distance is an indicator of the coverage of the service.

High walking distance indicates small coverage (World Bank,
as cited in Armstrong-Wright, 1993). In dense urban areas the
walking distance should range from 300-500 meters. In low
densely urban areas, 500-1000 meter is the acceptable distance
that passengers may walk to and from bus stops (World Bank,
as cited in Armstrong-Wright, 1993; Iles, 2005).
Waiting time is the time passengers have to wait at bus stops for
buses (World Bank, as cited in Armstrong-Wright, 1993). Even
though, their expectations may vary, most passengers are delighted
with minimum waiting time. The shorter the waiting time is the
greater the level of convenience (Iles, 2005). Longer waiting time
indicates poor quality of service. To achieve a reasonable level
of service, the average waiting time should be in the range of 5-
10 minutes and the maximum waiting time should be in the
range of 10-20 minutes (World Bank, as cited in Armstrong-
Wright, 1993).
Interchangeability between services is the number of times a
passenger has to change buses or other modes on a journey to or
from work (World Bank, as cited in Armstrong-Wright, 1993).
Passengers are more satisfied with a route network which
enables them to complete their journey without having to
transfer from one vehicle to another (Iles, 2005). The average
interchanges between routes and services are determined to be in
the range of zero to one and the maximum should not be more
than two. At the same time, the number of passengers who
interchange two times (i.e. the maximum interchange) should be
less than 10% of passengers (World Bank, as cited in
Armstrong-Wright, 1993).
Ease of payment is another important element, which influence

service convenience.
A system which requires passengers to have the exact fare

ready when boarding the bus and advance purchase of tickets
from road side vending machines are common in most countries.
What ever the system of payment, it should be easy and more
user-friendly than others (Iles, 2005).
Availability and accuracy of information enables passengers to

plan their journeys, especially for prospective passengers. Even
if the service is very good, the convenience of the service is
significantly reduced if passengers do not have information
about the service. Details of routes operated, points at which
vehicles may load and unload passengers, places served along
each routes, final destinations of routes, the fares for the
journeys to be made, and service operation timetables which
include departure times from terminals, times at major
intermediate stops and arrival times at the destination are
important information that should be made available to
passengers. Service providers should also keep information
about the service up-to-date.
Accurate and up-to-date information increases passengers

satisfaction and it may also persuade additional passengers to
use the service (Ibid, 2005).
Safety: in most situations, high standards of safety are a
desirable objective of most passengers. Road accidents are the
main threat of passengers. Poor driving standards and poor
vehicle conditions are considered as the primary causes of
accidents. The tendency for drivers to drive at dangerously high
speeds accompanied with overloading, poor maintenance, and
poor vehicle lighting while driven at night, failure of drivers to
regulate their speed in accordance with road conditions are the
common sources for the death and injury of passengers. Hence,
safety measures have to be put in practice so that the passengers
will be guaranteed of safety (Iles, 2005; Height and Cresswell,
1979).
Security: in many transport system, passengers are not secured

from pickpocket both on buses and at bus stops and terminals. In
some cases it is common that passengers are violently robbed.
The way in which transport is operated determines the level of
insecurity. While the presence of inspectors or conductors on the
vehicles, good lighting on buses and at bus stops have a
beneficial effect in reducing the opportunities for the crime of
pick pocketing, overcrowding of buses and poor discipline at
bus stops and terminals increases passengers vulnerability to
pickpockets (Iles, 2005). On public buses particularly, stealing is
common and people loose their wallets due to pick pocketing.
These acts often create a sense of insecurity among passengers
and diminish their satisfaction with public transportation
services (http://www.nctr.usf.edu).
Comfort: is an important element of service quality considered

by passengers using public transportation services
(http://www.nctr.usf.edu).
Good seats with available space to move easily, good heating

and ventilation systems, high proportion of seated to standing
passengers, low step heights (to facilitate access by disabled
passengers), good maintenance standards so that the interiors of
buses are in a good state of repair and good standards of
cleanliness, low level of crowding, smoothly driven buses
particularly where standing passengers are carried, good
protection and resting facilities for waiting passengers at bus
stops and stations, good discipline at bus stops and on boarding
the vehicle so that passengers are being protected from jostling
or losing their places in a queue are highly required by
passengers and determine their level of comfort and satisfaction
(Iles, 2005; Height and Cresswell, 1979).
Data Presentation and Analysis

Introduction
The foregoing chapter presents theoretical concepts related with
the subject under study. In this chapter, the data collected from
customers and concerned officials of ACBSE is presented and
analyzed in connection with the theoretical concepts. In brief,
different quality aspects of transport service and customer
satisfaction with selected service aspects is assessed.
Based on the sample size determined in chapter one, 250 survey
questionnaires were distributed to customers of ACBSE.
However, from a total of 250 survey questionnaires, fourteen
(14) were not fully and correctly answered and nine (9) were not
turned back. As a result, the data presentation and analysis is
made based on the response of 227 customers.
Assessment of Service Quality and Customer

Satisfaction
Service Reliability
Provision of reliable service enables service providers to retain
passengers for a long period. Passengers are satisfied with
scheduled service, which habitually operates according to
scheduled departure and arrival times. Reliability of
transportation service is mainly determined by availability of
sufficient numbers of buses (Iles,2005; http://www.nctr.usf.edu).
Customers were asked about the reliability of ACBSE’s service
and the following result is found.
Table 1: Customers Satisfaction about Reliability of the Service
Availability of On time arrival of

sufficient number of buses
Response buses
Respondents Respondents
Frequency Percent Frequency Percent
Very
78 34.4 120 52.9
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied 84 37.0 70 30.8
Average 45 19.8 25 11.0
Satisfied 17 7.5 6 2.6
Very satisfied 3 1.3 6 2.6
Total 227 100.0 227 100.0
Source: Survey Data, 2009
Table1 denotes, that with respect to availability of sufficient

number of buses, nearly 71% of the respondents are not satisfied
(34.4% are very dissatisfied and 37% are dissatisfied). On the
contrary, virtually 8.8% of the respondents are satisfied (1.3%
are very satisfied and 7.5% are satisfied) about availability of
sufficient number of buses.
Whereas, 19.8% of the respondents reacted that their level of

satisfaction concerning availability of buses is average.
Regarding on time arrival of buses, 52.9% of the respondents
are very dissatisfied and 30.8% are dissatisfied. Conversely,
5.2% of the respondents are satisfied (i.e. 2.6% are satisfied and
2.6% are very satisfied). 11% of the respondents are neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied about on time arrival of buses.
Most of the respondents justified that long waiting time is one of

the major discouraging factors. 80% explained that buses do not
arrive on time and they have to wait long time to access the
service and they have recommended ACBSE to improve the
length of waiting time. 58% of respondents said that there is no
clear timetable and as a result they are not sure of about the
exact arrival time of buses.The result obtained from the survey
as indicated in Figure 3.5 (refer page 14) can be evidence that
passengers have to wait long time to use the service (for
example, 35.68% of the respondents reacted that they wait a
minimum of 20-40 minutes, 18.06% wait for from 40-60
minutes and more than 15% wait for buses more than 60
minutes).According to the officials of ACBSE, the service life
time of most buses has expired and there is high mechanical
breakdown of buses. As a result, most of the time buses are in
the garage to be maintained and the frequency of the service in
every route is declining and consequently waiting time is
increasing.
Currently, out of the total 522 buses, 107 buses are under
maintenance and 73 buses are totally out of service due to heavy
mechanical breakdown. Only 282 buses are operable. This
implies that daily operable buses are only 54% of the total
buses. Based on the population census of 2007, the ratio of
operable buses to residents is 1:9,710.
This result gives an idea that there is no adequate numbers of
buses that can accommodate the demand and the service lacks
scheduled operation. Consequently, passengers are waiting for
buses for long time. From this one can infer that the service is
not reliable and relentless endeavor is required to improve its
reliability.
Convenience of the Service

Service Accessibility
Accessibility is described in terms of the distance passengers
have to walk from their home to the initial bus stop and from the
final bus stop to their final destination (Iles, 2005). In dense
urban areas the recommended walking distance ranges from
300-500 meters while it is 500-1000 meters in low densely
urban areas (Iles, 2005; World Bank, as cited in Armstrong-
Wright, 1993). Questions were posed to customers about the
reliability of ACBSE’s transport service.
Average Walking Distance from Home to Initial

Bus Stop
Figure 1: Average Walking Distance from Home to Initial Bus Stop
As indicated in Figure1 above, 23.79% of the respondents

replied that the average walking distance from their home to
initial bus stop is less than 300 meters. 24.23% and 28.63%
reacted that the walking distance to initial bus stop is between
300-500 and 500-1000 meters respectively. The rest 23.35%
responded that they walk above 1000 meters to reach to initial
bus stop.
Assessment of Customer Satisfaction
S in Transportation
T Seervice Delivery: The Case of
minals of Anbassa
Three Term a City Bus Servicce Enterprise.
Figure 2: Evaluation off Walking Distaance from Hom

me to Initial Buus Stop

Figure 2 confirmed d that large numbers off respondentts reacted
that wallking distancce to bus stoop is long. 222.03% and 23.35%
2 of
responddents repliedd that walkinng distance from home to initial
bus stopp is very loong and long corresponndingly. On the other
hand, 2.64%
2 and 19.38%
1 saidd that it is very short and short
respectiively. Those who said thhat walking distance
d to bus
b stop is
mediumm are 32.60% % of the respondents.
This ressult verifies that more thhan 51% of the responddents walk
from hoome to initiaal bus stop beeyond the reecommendedd standard
for denssely urban areas
a (i.e. froom 300-500 meters) as far as the
data is collected frrom routes operating inn Addis Abbaba ( i.e.
denselyy populated)). Moreoveer, 45.38% of the resspondents
evaluateed that walking distance is long.
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Average Walking Distance from Final Bus Stop to

Final Destination
Figure 3: Average Walking Distance from Final Bus Stop to Final
Destination
The above pie chart signifies that 24.67% of the respondents

replied that walking distance from final bus stop to final
destination is less than 300 meters. 31.72 % reacted that it is
between 300-500 meters. 25.99% and 17.62% act in response
that they walk 500-1000 and above 100 meters correspondingly.
As Figure 4 (refer the next page) indicates, 16.30% of the
respondents responded that walking distance from final bus
stops to their final destination is very long. 22.03% answered
that it is long. 35.24% said that it is medium. The remaining
18.94% and 7.49% reacted that it is short and very short
respectively.
From this data one can infer that there are significant numbers of
passengers (43.61%) who walk to and from bus stops ahead of
the recommended walking distance for densely urban areas and
S in Transportation
minals of Anbassa
38.33%% of the respo ondents evalluated that walking

w distaance from
final buus stop to fin
nal destinatioon is long. Thus,
T it is saafe to say
that the service coveerage of ACCBSE is poorr.
Figure 4: Evaluation off Walking Distaance from Finaal Bus Stop to Final
F
Destination
Sourcce: Survey Data, 2009
Waitin
ng Time
To achiieve a reaso
onable level of service, the averagge waiting
time should be in the
t range off 5-10 minuttes and the maximum
m
should not exceed d 20 minuutes (World Bank, as cited in
Armstroong-Wright, 1993). Bassed on this, three questiions were
addressed to custom
mers of ACBBSE and the response iss analyzed
as follow
ws.
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S in Transportation
minals of Anbassa
Min
nimum Waiiting Time
F
Figure 5: Minim
mum Waiting Time
T

2
Figure 5 above signnifies that 355.68% of thee respondentts wait for

buses a minimum of 20-40 minutes.m 22..03% wait for buses
betweenn 10-20 minnutes. 18.06% % and 15.422% wait bettween 40-
60 and more
m than 60
0 minutes reespectively. Moreover,
M 7
7.05% and
1.76% wait betw ween 5-10 and less than 10 minutes
correspoondingly.
This result indicatees that onlyy 8.81% of the responddents can
access the
t service as per the standard
s (5--10 minutes)) whereas
the restt 91.19% wait
w for busses beyond the standaard which
extends up to more than 60 minnutes.
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Maxim
mum Waiting
g Time
F
Figure 6: Maxiimum Waiting Time
Source: Surveey Data, 2009
The aboove bar charrt illustrates that more thhan 49% annd 29% of
the resppondents ressponded thaat the maxim mum waitinng time is
more thhan 60 minuutes and 40-660 minutes in i that orderr. 13.66%
wait bettween 20-40
0 minutes, 6.17% wait beetween 10-20 minutes
and the rest 1.32% wait
w betweenn 5-10 minuutes.
This daata shows thaat how extreemely long the

t waiting time
t is as
compared to the sttandard diviised by Worrld Bank. More
M than
92% off the responddents (49.34%%, 29.52% and 13.66% %) wait for
buses awway from thhe standard. When we taake the averaage of the
minimuum and max ximum waitiing time, more
m than 800% of the
responddents wait fo
or buses morre than 20 minutes,
m i.e. less than
20% off the respo ondents can access thee service ass per the
standardd.
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S in Transportation
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It is poointed out byy 80% of thhe respondents that long waiting

time iss the primaary problem m for theirr discouragiing from
consumming the serv vice and disssatisfaction. As can be seen
s from
annex-A A, the minim
mum waitingg time that thhe Enterprisee use as a
standardd for waiting time is 7.5 minutes (rroute numbeer 31, i.e.
from Legahar-Shir
L ro Meda) which
w itselff is greater than the
standardd (5 minutees). The maaximum waaiting time for buses
which operate
o in the
t center of o the city is i 61 minuttes (route
numberr 50 which h runs from m Total No. N 3 round about-
Megenaagna), which h is more than
t triple ofo the recommmended
standardd.
Figure 7: Evaluation off Length of Waaiting Time

2
As cann be seen fromf the abbove bar chhart, 44.93% % of the
responddents said th
hat the waitinng time is very
v high and 35.68%
replied that it is high.
h On thee contrary, less
l than 4%
% (2.64%
respondded that the waiting
w timee is low and 1.32% saidd it is very
low) acct in responsse that waitiing time is short. 15.422% of the
d that the waiting time is medium.
responddents reacted
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S in Transportation
minals of Anbassa
The offficials of AC CBSE also asserted thaat due to mechanical

m
breakdoown of buses, lack off spare partts and high capacity
limitatioon to maintaain buses, thhe number of
o buses in most
m routs
is reduccing and cu ustomers aree waiting more
m than twwo hours.
They haave affirmedd that the Entterprise is onn the way too purchase
about 200
2 additionaal buses witth the help of o donors annd AACG
to accommmodate thee transport demand.
d
Interchangeabillity betweeen Servicees

The average intercchanges are determinedd to be onee and the
maximuum should not
n be more than two. AtA the same time, the
numberrs of passen
ngers who innterchange two
t times should
s be
less thhan 10% ofo passengeers (World Bank, as cited in
Armstroong-Wright, 1993). To evaluate whether ACBSE’s
A
service meets thiss standard a questionn was addrressed to
customeers.
Figure 8: Number of Times Passenngers Have too Interchange Buses in a

Journey

2
EJBE Vo
ol.1 No.2/20
010 Page 53
S in Transportation
minals of Anbassa
Figure 8 displays th
hat 41.41% ofo the responndents compplete their
journeyy without haaving to traansfer from one bus too another.
20.70%
% change bu uses one timmes. 32.60%% change buses
b two
times and
a 5.29% change busses more thhan two tim mes. The
pondents whho interchangge the maximum one
percentaages of resp
and beyyond are 37.8
89% (32.06% % + 5.29%) of the responndents.
This ressult shows thhat the nummber of intercchange that 5.29% of

the resppondents mad de exceed thhe maximum m interchangee (i.e. two
interchaange) and those who do interchhange the maximum m
interchaange are greaater than 10%
%.
Traveel Expend
diture
Custom
mers were asked about their leevel of saatisfaction
concernning the faree of the serrvice and thhe followingg result is
found.
Figure 9: Customer Satisfaction withh the Fare of thhe Service
EJBE Vo
ol.1 No.2/20
010 Page 54
The above Figure depicts that more than 62% of respondents are
satisfied (25.11% are very satisfied and 37.44% are satisfied)
regarding the fare of the service. On the other hand, 14.1% of
the respondents are dissatisfied (3.97% are very dissatisfied and
10.13% were dissatisfied) about the fare of the service. The
remaining 23.35% of the respondents have rated their level of
satisfaction as average.
From this data it could be possible to infer that the fare is

affordable. But, some respondents (17.7%) indicated that
uniformity of the fare is one of the discouraging and
dissatisfying factors. Moreover, according to the officials of
ACBSE, due to very minimum service fare, aged buses which
have oil, fuel and lubricant consumption, and high maintenance
costs, the Enterprise is making a loss. The performance of buses
and revenue is declining. Average daily passengers are declining
to 250,000. Financial performance of the Enterprise indicates
that the actual performance of revenue is less than the planned
and the actual expenditure is greater than the planned.
Consequently, the Enterprise is operating under loss year to
year.
Ease of Payment
Regarding the ease of payment in purchasing ticket a question
was posed to customers to measure their level of satisfaction.
Table 2: Customer Satisfaction about Ease of Payment to Purchase Ticket

Response Respondents
Frequency Percent
Very dissatisfied 45 19.8
Dissatisfied 77 33.9
Average 51 22.5
Satisfied 41 18.1
Very satisfied 13 5.7
Total 227 100.0
The above Table depicts that regarding the ease of payment to
purchase ticket, 19.8% and 33.9% of the respondents are very
dissatisfied and dissatisfied respectively. Conversely, 5.7% are
very satisfied and 18.1% are satisfied concerning ease of
payment to purchase ticket. 22.5% of the respondents were
neither satisfied nor dissatisfied about ease of payment to
purchase ticket.
41% of the respondents indicated that the place of conductors is
a little bit higher and stretching to get the ticket makes it
difficult, particularly for those elderly, pregnant, disabled and
for the shortest too.
The officials of ACBSE have also affirmed that the step height
of buses is some what high and it is difficult to conclude that it
is easily accessible to all parts of the people. It may be difficult
to some people. However, even if it is influenced by drivers and
conductors willingness, there is a trend to serve the elderly,
mothers with child and pregnant by front door and priority is
also given to those kinds of people.
Availability of Information
Availability of information enables passengers to identify the
vehicle on a particular service to a particular direction. Accurate
and up-to-date information increases passengers’ satisfaction
and it may also persuade additional passengers to use the service
(Iles, 2005).
Table 3: Customers Satisfaction about Availability of Indicator Information
Frequency Percent
Average 42 18.5
Satisfied 40 17.6
Total 227 100.0

Regarding availability of accurate indicator information at bus
stops and terminals as shown in the Table above, 28.2% and
29.5% of the respondents are very dissatisfied and dissatisfied
correspondingly. On the contrary, 6.2% and 17.6% of the
respondents are very satisfied and satisfied respectively. 18.5%
of the respondents have rated their level of satisfaction as
average.
The researcher has also observed that there is no precise

indicator information at most bus stops except some terminals
(Merkato and Piassa). It is observed that at some bus stops there
is information indicating what route numbers can load and
unload in that particular bus stop without further information.
The higher expert of planning and data processing of ACBSE

said that before some years back there was a trend of standing
information at some bus stops and terminals about the fare to
each route, the direction of routes run and timetable. But,
because of capacity limitation, lack of materials and lack of
attention, it could not be continued and currently there is no
adequate indicator information at most bus stops and some
terminals.From these it can be generalized that there is no
adequate indicator information at bus stops and terminals.
Safety of the Service Delivery

Poor driving standards and poor vehicle conditions are
considered as the primary causes of accidents (Iles, 2005). To
measure customers’ level of satisfaction with reference to safety,
questions were addressed to them.
Table 4: Customers Satisfaction Regarding Technical Condition of Buses
Frequency Percent
Average 55 24.2
Satisfied 53 23.3
Total 227 100.0
Table 4 depicts that 14.1% and 23.3% of the respondents are
very satisfied and satisfied with technical condition of buses
correspondingly. Conversely, 20.7% are very dissatisfied and
17.6% are dissatisfied. The rest 24.2 % of the respondents have
rated their level of satisfaction as average.
Respondents (27.4%) mentioned poor bus interior maintenance

as a discouraging factor to use Anbessa bus. Some said that
there is hollow space in the floor of buses and dusts can easily
enter in to the inside of buses and as a result they do not feel
safe. The officials of ACBSE also asserted that some buses are
poorly maintained and technically not in a good condition due to
long period operation (i.e. beyond their life time). However,
service quality design and control branch chief has affirmed that
to keep passengers safe, buses are decided to operate after
detailed mechanical inspection even if their body is not well
maintained. According to his saying, for proper maintenance of
buses, other buses should be supplied to accommodate the
demand. Other wise, the service may decline and some routes
may be totally closed.
Security of Customers in the Process of Service Delivery

Due to overcrowding of buses and poor discipline at bus stops
and terminals, passengers are most of the time vulnerable to pick
pocketing and they loose their wallets and properties (Iles, 2005;
http://www.nctr..usf.edu). Questions were forwarded to
customers to measure their level of satisfaction about their level
of security.
Table 5: Customer Satisfaction about Security from Robbery and Pick

Pocketing At Bus Stops and Terminals, and on Buses
Response Security from robbery Security from pick

at bus stops and pocketing on buses
terminals
Respondents Respondents
Frequency Percent Frequency Percent
Very
127 55.9 138 60.8
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied 50 22.0 48 21.1
Average 23 10.1 18 7.9
Satisfied 16 7.0 16 7.0
Very satisfied 11 4.8 7 3.1
Total 227 100.0 227 100.0
As Table 5 exhibits, 55.9% and 22% of the respondents are very

dissatisfied and dissatisfied with regard to security from being
robbed at bus stops and terminals correspondingly. But 4.8%
and 7% of the respondents are very satisfied and satisfied in that
order. The remaining 10.1% of them responded that their level
of satisfaction is average.
Regarding security from pick pocketing on buses, 60.8% and

21.1% of the total 227 respondents are very dissatisfied and
dissatisfied respectively. In contrast, 3.1% of the respondents are
very satisfied while 7% of the respondents are satisfied about
security from pick pocketing on buses. The remaining 7.9% of
the respondents are neither dissatisfied nor satisfied with
security from pick pocketing on buses.
It is also indicated by 66.1% of the respondents that pick

pocketing following high overcrowding is the major
discouraging problem and source of dissatisfaction. Some
(34.3%) also state that the passengers themselves are not
disciplined and most of the time queues at bus stops and
terminals are not respected, particularly when there is large
numbers of waiting passengers. Some conductors also see
loosely while queues are disturbed by some dishonest people
and as a result there is an element of risk of pick pocketing.
From this one can infer that passengers are not secured from
pick pocketing both at bus stops and terminals, and on buses.
Comfort of the Service

Good seats with available space to move easily, good bus
interior, good standards of cleanliness, low level of crowding,
smooth operation of buses, shelters at bus stops and terminals
are some of the factors that contribute for high comfort of
passengers (Iles, 2005). To measure customer’s satisfaction with
reference to comfort of the service, questions were addressed to
customers.
Competition and Mobile Penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa Assessment of Customer Satisfaction in Transportation Service Delivery: The Case of
Table 3.6: Customer Satisfaction about the Comfort of the Service

Availability of seats Comfort of bus’s seats Cleanliness of bus’s Facilities inside buses
Response on buses interiors
Response Respondents Respondents Respondents
Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent
Very
74 32.6 95 41.9 108 47.6 100 44.1
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied 59 26.0 53 23.3 56 24.7 64 28.2
Average 43 18.9 38 16.7 30 13.2 28 12.3
Satisfied 39 17.2 31 13.7 24 10.6 25 11.0
Very
11 4.8 10 4.4 9 4.0 10 4.4
satisfied
Total 226 99.6 227 100.0 227 100.0 227 100.0
Missing* 1 .4 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 227 100.0 227 100 227 100 227 100
NB: * one respondent does not specify his/her level of satisfaction about availability of seats on buses.
EJBEVol.1 No.1/2010 Page 62
Competition and Mobile Penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa Assessment of Customer
Satisfaction in Transportation Service Delivery: The Case of Three Terminals of Anbassa City
Bus Service Enterprise.
As Table 3.6 indicates, concerning availability of seats in the bus,

32.6% and 26% of the respondents are very dissatisfied and
dissatisfied respectively. On the other hand, 4.8% and 17.2% of the
respondents are very satisfied and satisfied correspondingly. The rest
18.9% have rated their level of satisfaction as average. ACBSE’s
officials have indicated that the rated capacity of a bus is 100 (30
seating and 70 standing) and during peak period a bus carries up to
200 passengers. This shows that at peak period the seating to
standing ratio is about 1:6.
As can be seen from the Table, among 227 respondents more than
half of them are dissatisfied (41.9% are very dissatisfied and 23.3%
are dissatisfied) with regard to comfort of bus’s seats. In contrast to
this, 4.4% are very satisfied and 13.7% are satisfied about the
comfort of bus’s seats. Moreover, 16.7% replied that their degree of
satisfaction regarding comfort of bus’s seats is average. Concerning
cleanliness of the interiors of buses, considerable numbers of
respondents (47.6%) are very dissatisfied. 24.7% of the respondents
are dissatisfied while 4% and 10.6% are very satisfied and satisfied
respectively. The rest of the respondents, i.e. 13.2% have rated their
degree of satisfaction with cleanliness of buses as an average.
Moreover, 44.1% of the respondents are very dissatisfied and 28.2%

are dissatisfied about the interior facilities of buses. In opposition,
4.4% are very satisfied and 11% are satisfied concerning the
facilities of buses. In addition, 12.3% are neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied regarding the facilities of buses.
EJBEVol.1 No.1/2010 Page 63
Assessment of Customer Satisfaction in Transportation Service Delivery: The Case of Three
About 79.4% of the respondents pointed out that buses load without
limit and as a result very high overcrowding is one of the major
factors discouraging them from using Anbessa bus and most of them
have recommended ACBSE to limit the numbers of passengers.
53.5% of the respondents also indicated that lack of seat is one of the
discouraging factors. 34.7% of the respondents replied that the step
height is high and difficult to in and out for those elderly, pregnant
and disabled people. According to the discussion with ACBSE’s
officials, out of the total 1400 bus stops, those which have shelters
are only 85 bus stops.
The researcher has also observed that there is high overcrowding at

pick hours (from 7:00AM-9:00AM and from 4:30PM-7:30PM). Bus
windows do not have sunshade to protect passengers from sun heat
and reflection. It is also observed that the existing shelters are not
adequate enough to accommodate all waiting passengers in that
particular bus stops or terminals. However, shelter with good
standard has constructed at Merkato terminal by MOHA. All these
results indicate that seats on buses are not sufficient and comfortable,
bus interiors are not clean and buses do not have interior facilities.
Moreover, most bus stops (more than 93%) do not have shelters.
Therefore, it is safe to say that the service is not comfortable to
passengers.
Measures Designed to be implemented by ACBSE in

the Future
According to the officials of ACBSE, Implementing BPR, importing

200 additional buses, designing better routes and increasing the
service coverage, improving maintenance standards of buses,
controlling the quality of the service and monitoring customer
satisfaction, providing other alternative mass public transport service
and increasing the supply by encouraging private sectors and

improving the existing transport infrastructure are measures designed
to be implemented in the future.
Conclusion
The researcher has assessed the quality of the service and customer
satisfaction using quality indicators of bus transport service as
parameters. In the analysis it is found that the existing transport
service of ACBSE is constrained by capacity limitation.
Consequently, the quality of the service is poor and the basic quality
of service indicators devised by World Bank was not meet and the
majority of customers are not satisfied about the selected service
attributes. Most of the respondents do not have positive feeling about
the transport service of ACBSE. Therefore, ACBSE is not meeting
the requirements of customers.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study the following recommendations
are forwarded to improve the service and meet the requirements of
customers.
• To make the service more reliable and convenient by increasing
the frequency of the service and by reducing waiting time as well
as overcrowding, increasing the number of buses is
indispensable. Buses can be increased through encouraging
private sectors via tax incentives and other facilities to invest on
similar conventional bus public transport. Government in general
and all stakeholders in particular should also give emphasis to
improve the capacity of the Enterprise by assigning adequate
financial resources which enable to purchase many more buses
that can accommodate the transport demand of the public. By
supplying additional buses the existing buses should be well
maintained so that passengers can reach their destination safely
and on time. While buses are purchased, comfort and number of
seating, internal facilities, step heights and types of users should
be taken in to consideration to improve comfort and ease of
accessibility.
• To improve satisfaction of customers through minimizing

walking distance to and from bus stops and interchangeability
between services, it would be better to provide direct service
through proper routing and by putting additional buses into
operation so that the coverage of the service is improved and
expanded.
• To make the service more affordable and satisfy the requirements

of customers as well as to be competent and profitable for the
Enterprise, flexible rate should be encouraged and implemented
for all routes at different distances.
• To keep customers secured, buses should have good lighting, the
level of overcrowding should be considered while buses are
operated and conductors should made customers aware to keep
themselves from thief and ACBSE should also work in
cooperation with the police especially at high demand routes and
terminals. It could also be better to collect fare (ticket price)
before passengers board buses (while passengers are queuing) to
avoid queue disturbance and to reduce theft particularly at high
demand routes and terminals. It will also make the payment
system more easy and convenient.
• Shelters with adequate seating capacity should be built at each
bus stops and terminals particularly at high demand routes and in
the line of many routes to protect passengers from sun, rain, dust
and others, so that they can wait for buses patiently and their
comfort can be improved. Shelters can be built by inviting
companies and allowing places for them to advertise their
products. Moreover, adequate indicator information which
include the direction of bus run, timetable and route fare should
be posted at terminals and bus stops. Indicator information can
also be posted on the side of buses.
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Assessment of Customer Satisfaction in Transportation Service Delivery: The Case of

Three Terminals of Anbassa City Bus Service Enterprise.

Assessment of Customer Satisfaction in

This study is undertaken to assess the level of satisfaction of customers about

Background of the study

In Addis Ababa, which is the capital city of Ethiopia and the

Therefore, the researcher has attempted to assess whether

Statement of the Problem

The population of Addis Ababa is increasing significantly and

During peak hours, the demand extremely exceeds the supply of

Scope of the Study

Limitation of the Study

To collect data the researcher has used questionnaire (open and

ACBSE operates from four main terminals, namely,

of the problem, research questions, objectives of the study,

Reviewing the theoretical aspects of the study is essential to

Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction

Hence, in order for achieving customer satisfaction service

In-depth understanding and fulfillment of customer’s

Public Transportation Service

Quality Indicators of Bus Transportation Service

Reliability: is an important element of service quality, which

Walking distance is an indicator of the coverage of the service.

Ease of payment is another important element, which influence

A system which requires passengers to have the exact fare

Availability and accuracy of information enables passengers to

Accurate and up-to-date information increases passengers

Security: in many transport system, passengers are not secured

Comfort: is an important element of service quality considered

Good seats with available space to move easily, good heating

Data Presentation and Analysis

Assessment of Service Quality and Customer

Table 1: Customers Satisfaction about Reliability of the Service

Availability of On time arrival of

Table1 denotes, that with respect to availability of sufficient

Whereas, 19.8% of the respondents reacted that their level of

Most of the respondents justified that long waiting time is one of

Convenience of the Service

Average Walking Distance from Home to Initial

Figure 1: Average Walking Distance from Home to Initial Bus Stop

Source: Survey Data, 2009

As indicated in Figure1 above, 23.79% of the respondents

Figure 2: Evaluation off Walking Distaance from Hom

Source: Survey Data, 2009

Average Walking Distance from Final Bus Stop to

Source: Survey Data, 2009

The above pie chart signifies that 24.67% of the respondents

38.33%% of the respo ondents evalluated that walking

Sourcce: Survey Data, 2009

Source: Survey Data, 2009

Figure 5 above signnifies that 355.68% of thee respondentts wait for

Source: Surveey Data, 2009

This daata shows thaat how extreemely long the

It is poointed out byy 80% of thhe respondents that long waiting

Figure 7: Evaluation off Length of Waaiting Time

Source: Survey Data, 2009

The offficials of AC CBSE also asserted thaat due to mechanical

Interchangeabillity betweeen Servicees

Figure 8: Number of Times Passenngers Have too Interchange Buses in a