Bus service satisfaction of older users in the context of the free ticket policy
Email:
hieunm@utc.edu.vn
Abstract
The context of urbanization and population aging in Vietnam is rapidly unfolding, making the need for public transportation access for the older passengers increasingly urgent, especially in major urban areas like Hanoi. The Hanoi capital has issued 532.637 free monthly passes for older persons. This paper scientifically presents the process of researching the factors affecting the satisfaction of older passengers with bus services in the context of applying free fares in Hanoi, Vietnam. The research results indicate that female passengers and those of older age tend to be more satisfied with bus services. Older passengers are most significantly influenced by accessibility and safety when they assess their satisfaction with the service. The free fare policy is also a factor that significantly impacts passenger satisfaction, alongside factors such as promptness and comfort. These results emphasize that the free fare policy plays an important role in the satisfaction and attraction of older people to use bus services, but the most decisive factors remain the service's characteristics. Therefore, bus enterprises need to continue their efforts to develop their services to be more elderly-friendlier.References
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[2]. T.T. Ha, M.H. Nguyen, Sử dụng đa yếu tố phân tích tuyến bus nhanh (BRT) Kim Mã - Yên Nghĩa ở Hà Nội, Tạp chí khoa học Giao thông Vận tải, 61 (2017).
[3]. Khac D.T., Quoc C.D., Efficiency measurement of bus routes in Hanoi city: an application of data envelopment analysis (DEA), 1(2020) 368–379. https://doi.org/10.25073/tcsj.71.4.6
[4]. L. Hoang Thuy, H. Nguyen Thi Hong, H. Phan Thi Thu, T. Nguyen Hoang, Accessibility to public transport from the perspective of the aged people in developing countries: a case study in Hanoi, Vietnam, 73 (2022) 344–358. https://doi.org/10.47869/tcsj.73.4.1
[5]. J. Perone, Advantages and Disadvantages of Fare-Free Transit Policy, World Transit Research (2002). https://www.worldtransitresearch.info/research/4210.
[6]. M.A. Al-Rashid, Y.A. Shamsul Harumain, H.C. Goh, Z. Ali, M. Nadeem, T. Campisi, Perceived norms of public transport use as the determinants of older adults’ social exclusion: Evidence from Pakistan, Cities, 137 (2023) 104264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104264
[7]. G. Andrews, G.P. Parkhurst, J. Shaw, Y.O. Susilo, The grey escape: How and why are older people really using their free bus pass?, in: UK, 2011. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279477421_The_grey_escape_How_and_why_are_older_people_really_using_their_free_bus_pass.
[8]. L. Cheng, J. Wang, A. Paez, Mobility of older adults and the living environment: Introduction, Journal of Transport Geography, 106 (2023) 103525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2022.103525
[9]. A.A. Laverty, C. Millett, Potential impacts of subsidised bus travel for older people, Journal of Transport & Health, 2 (2015) 32–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2014.08.004
[10]. S. Mah, R. Mitra, The effects of a free bus program on older adults travel behaviour: A case study of a Canadian suburban municipality, Case Studies on Transport Policy, 5 (2017) 460–466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2017.05.003
[11]. R.J. Hjorthol, L. Levin, A. Sirén, Mobility in different generations of older persons: The development of daily travel in different cohorts in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, Journal of Transport Geography, 18 (2010) 624–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2010.03.011
[12]. M.H. Nguyen, T.T. Ha, S.S. Tu, T.C. Nguyen, Impediments to the bus rapid transit implementation in developing countries – a typical evidence from Hanoi, International Journal of Urban Sciences, 4 (2019) 464–483. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2019.1577747
[13]. N.S.A. Sukor, S. Airak, S.A. Hassan, “More Than a Free Bus Ride”—Exploring Young Adults’ Perceptions of Free Bus Services Using a Qualitative Approach: A Case Study of Penang, Malaysia, Sustainability, 13 (2021) 3294. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063294
[14]. N. Hashim, M.I. Hamzah, 7P’s: A Literature Review of Islamic Marketing and Contemporary Marketing Mix, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 130 (2014) 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.04.019
[15]. E. Sogbe, S. Susilawati, T.C. Pin, Scaling up public transport usage: a systematic literature review of service quality, satisfaction and attitude towards bus transport systems in developing countries, Public Transp, (2024) 1–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12469-024-00367-6
[16]. A. Parasuraman, V.A. Zeithaml, L.L. Berry, SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality, Journal of Retailing, 64 (1988) 12–37.
[17]. M.H. Nguyen, D. Pojani, Why are Hanoi students giving up on bus ridership?, Transportation, (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-021-10262-9
[18]. Z. Al-Ayyash, M. Abou-Zeid, Investigating commute satisfaction differences of private car users and public transport users in a developing country context, Transportation, 46 (2019) 515–536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-019-10000-2
[19]. J.N. GITHUI, T. OKAMURA, F. Nakamura, The Structure of Users’ Satisfaction on Urban Public Transport Service in Developing Country: the Case of Nairobi, (2009). https://doi.org/10.11175/eastpro.2009.0.232.0
[20]. V.B. Tavares, S.T. Lucchesi, A.M. Larranaga, H.B.B. Cybis, Influence of public transport quality attributes on user satisfaction of different age cohorts, Case Studies on Transport Policy, 9 (2021) 1042–1050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2021.04.018
[21]. Arup, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, KFH Group, Inc, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc, Kittelson & Assoc, Inc, TCRP Report 165 - Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual. Third Edition, Washington, D.C., 2013. http://www.worldtransitresearch.info/research/4941
[22]. M.H. Nguyen, Evaluating the Service Quality of the First Bus Rapid Transit Corridor in Hanoi City and Policy Implications, in: D. Tien Bui, H.T. Tran, X.-N. Bui (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Innovations for Sustainable and Responsible Mining, Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2021: pp. 98–123. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60269-7_6
[23]. S. Singh, Assessment of Passenger Satisfaction with Public Bus Transport Services: A Case Study of Lucknow City (India), Studies in Business and Economics, 11 (2016) 107–128. https://doi.org/10.1515/sbe-2016-0039
[24]. B. Barabino, E. Deiana, P. Tilocca, Measuring service quality in urban bus transport: a modified SERVQUAL approach, International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 4 (2012) 238–252. https://doi.org/10.1108/17566691211269567
[25]. T.K. Ojo, Quality of public transport service: an integrative review and research agenda, Transportation Letters, 11 (2019) 104–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/19427867.2017.1283835
[26]. M.F.A. Bakar, S. Norhisham, H.Y. Katman, C.M. Fai, N.N.I.M. Azlan, N.S.S. Samsudin, Service Quality of Bus Performance in Asia: A Systematic Literature Review and Conceptual Framework, Sustainability, 14 (2022) 7998. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137998
[27]. G.A. Churchill, C. Surprenant, An Investigation into the Determinants of Customer Satisfaction, Journal of Marketing Research, 19 (1982) 491–504. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378201900410
[28]. M.H. Nguyen, Factors influencing home-based telework in Hanoi (Vietnam) during and after the COVID-19 era, Transportation, 48 (2021) 3207–3238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-021-10169-5
[29]. D. Collins, C. Tisdell, Gender and Differences in Travel Life Cycles, Journal of Travel Research, 41 (2002) 133–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/004728702237413
[30]. P. Kowal, J. Dowd, Definition of an older person. Proposed working definition of an older person in Africa for the MDS Project., 2001. https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.5188.9286
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Received
07/03/2025
Revised
09/04/2025
Accepted
10/04/2025
Published
15/04/2025
Type
Research Article
How to Cite
Đỗ Thị Hương, L., Phan Thị Thanh, Q., Nguyễn Thị Hồng, T., Phạm Thị, D., Đỗ Minh, Đạt, Trần Minh, C., Nguyễn Thị Nguyệt, Q., & Nguyễn Minh, H. (1744650000). Bus service satisfaction of older users in the context of the free ticket policy . Transport and Communications Science Journal, 76(3), 198-212. https://doi.org/10.47869/tcsj.76.3.1
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