Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in Public Transport Sector of Kenya: A Survey of Shuttle Travelers in Kitale Terminus

Public transport is important in economies since it permits the movement of factors of production and finished goods to the market. Economic survey of 2009 indicates that about 11.5% of the work force is employed in the transport industry. Customers, who are travellers, are the driving force of all firms’ survival and expansion, as they strive to satisfy customer needs. This study sought to investigate service quality and customer satisfaction in public sector in Kenya by undertaking a survey of shuttle travelers in Kitale. This study was guided by the following specific objectives: finding out the influence of travel time on customers’ satisfaction. The study was conducted in Kitale town at the shuttle terminus. The review of literature indicated that most of the studies had been conducted on taxis and Matatus in Kenya yielded mixed results. Hence it was worth to conduct the study. The research used survey design and the target population was all shuttle travelers in Kitale town. The information from shuttle office indicated that on daily basis about 3100 travelers use shuttles hence a sample size of 310 travelers was selected using simple sampling technique. The questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data. The data was analyzed using computer and presented in table using percentages. The regression was used to find out the influence of travel time, availability of information at booking office and frequency of route change on customers satisfaction. The study found that 76% of customers’ satisfaction was explained by independent variable. Travel time, information and frequency of route change were significant to customers’ satisfaction.