SERVICE QUALITY OF LOCAL MINIBUSES IN NORTHERN PHILIPPINES

Service quality plays an important role in the success of every organization and more importantly, in terms of customer satisfaction. And since public transportation especially public utility buses, plays a very important role in determining the quality of life of every people especially in the developing countries like the Philippines, passenger’s perception and assessment on service quality being provided by the public utility buses should be taken into consideration. This study aims to determine the level of satisfaction on the five indicators of service quality being offered by the local minibuses in Tuguegarao City, Northern Philippines. 250 passengers from the five local minibus companies were considered in the study through descriptive survey and guided interview. Results revealed that cheap fare rate was the main reason why passengers ride in local minibuses and long waiting time at the bus stops was the main problem encountered by the passengers. Moreover, the findings also showed that the passengers are moderately satisfied in terms of interaction with the passengers, moderately satisfied in terms of tangible service equipment, slightly satisfied in terms of operating management support, very satisfied in terms of handiness of service, and very satisfied in terms of offering correct information. In addition, results of the analysis of variance and independent sample t tests reveal that employment type, educational attainment, monthly income, and frequency of riding mini bus affect the service quality being provided by the local minibuses. And in general, passengers are moderately satisfied with the service quality being offered by the local minibuses.