Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction: A Study of MyRapid in Malaysia

Abstract

MyRapid is the dominant player in Malaysia's public transportation industry. It innovates and drives public transportation systems in the country while providing public transportation services such as light rail transit (LRT), monorail, and bus services to connect millions of people from different states. This paper examines if the service quality of the public transport services influences customer satisfaction in Penang, Malaysia. The five dimensions of service quality include assurance, empathy, reliability, responsiveness, and tangibles. A total of 150 MyRapid users participated in the survey. Findings revealed that the only two dimensions of service quality, which are reliability and tangibles were significantly related to customer satisfaction whereas the other three dimensions are not supported. The findings provide insight into the public transportation industry to improve the public transportation system in Malaysia, given that service quality is a critical driver of customer satisfaction. Keywords: Customer satisfaction, Penang, Public transportation, Service quality, Malaysia

Uncovering the Heartbeat of Public Transport in Klang Valley—Is Your Journey Satisfying?

“…Responsiveness is crucial for customer satisfaction, requiring clear communication and quick responses. Improving employees' responsiveness through training aligns with the results reported by Arabelen & Kaya (2021), Ong (2022), andShamsudin et al (2020).…”

“…A survey method is then chosen based on Keen, Liang, & Sham (2022) method used for measuring cost-effectiveness, efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility, with self-administered questionnaires distributed using a Likert scale (Strongly Disagree = 1; Strongly Agree = 5). The survey instrument is adapted from works by Ong (2022) and Choy and Salleh (2022), and the sampling method employed is convenience sampling (Grassini & Laumann, 2020). The study then employs multiple linear regression analysis to assess the influence of independent variables on the dependent variable as outlined in the research model.…”

“…This study also discusses the critical elements of responsiveness in public transport services, emphasizing both the willingness and promptness to serve customers as one of the important elements influencing the traveller's satisfaction (Ong, 2022). Timeliness is crucial, as customers are unwilling to endure inefficiency and may resort to private cars, particularly observed in the commuter service in Klang Valley (Ali et al, 2022).…”

Service quality of e-hailing taxi services in Johannesburg

“…In Ethiopia, [46] explored the passengers' satisfaction with HIGER city bus services. [47] also found the reliability and tangibility dimensions of public transport service quality as the largest contributor of service quality to customer satisfaction. The study by [48] in Malaysia also supports the finding that reliability and tangibility dimensions of service quality factors significantly affect customer satisfaction.…”