RANKING OF A PUBLIC SECTOR PASSENGER BUS TRANSPORT COMPANY USING PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS: A CASE STUDY

The public sector passenger transport has been crucial sector for transportation of people in developing countries like India. But there is less emphasis on customer expectations in this sector. This study aims at evaluating the customer expectations of this service sector in India. A questionnaire containing eighteen quality characteristics was administered to various customers of three bus depots of one division of a state road transport undertaking (SRTU) in south India. Two quality dimensions, viz. customer expectations and company responsibilities, are identified based on principal component analysis. The findings not only would help prioritise different parameters but also provide guidelines to managers to focus on or to improve. Finally three depots have been ranked.