1 Introduction
1.1 The perception of social value in collective urban transport
1.2 The Servicescape model
1.3 Practical application of the model
2 Methods
2.1 Definition of hypothesis
2.2 Information-gathering technique: the face-to-face survey
Block | Interval of Bus questions | Interval of Underground questions |
---|---|---|
1. First Impressions | 1–15 | 1–16 |
2. ‘Feeling’ or Internal Responses | 16–25 | 17–25 |
3. Behaviour | 26–39 | 26–39 |
Alpha obtained | Bus | Underground | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cron-bach’s Alpha | Cronbach’s Alpha based on the elements typified | N° of ele-ments | Cron-bach’s Alpha | Cronbach’s Alpha based on the elements typified | N° of ele-ments | |
Block of questionsa | ||||||
Socio-demographic Profile | .074 | .088 | 10 | .501 | .640 | 10 |
Very Bad (1) to Very Good (5) | .998 | .998 | 6 | .998 | .998 | 6 |
Very Bad (5) to Very Good (1) | .746 | .590 | 3 | .727 | .544 | 3 |
Greatly disagree (1) to Greatly agree (5) | .785 | .685 | 4 | .897 | .858 | 5 |
Greatly disagree (1) to Greatly agree (5) | .847 | .888 | 9 | .686 | .484 | 8 |
Very important (1) Not at all important (5) | .984 | .985 | 6 | .977 | .979 | 6 |
Very few (1) to A lot (5) | .734 | .734 | 3 | .920 | .919 | 3 |
Very often (1) to Very little (5) | .990 | .990 | 2 | .989 | .989 | 2 |
Other questions (without Likert scale) | .717 | .597 | 3 | .658 | .522 | 3 |
2.3 Technique used to analyse information gathered: statistical analysis
Parameter | Description | |
---|---|---|
Type of survey | Self-administered face-to-face | |
Place carried out | City of Madrid | |
Universe or population | Residents in City of Madrid + Visitors | |
Size of sample | 500 (250 at the underground, 250 at the bus) | |
Sample error | 6.4% | |
Confidence level | 95% | |
Sample method | Random stratification | |
Date of fieldwork | 17–23 December 2013, 25 January 2014 | |
Average time per person surveyed | 8 min | |
Negativity rate | Underground: 16% | Bus: 12% |
Non-response rate | Underground: 1.99% | Bus: 1.87% |
Analysis technique | Statistical analysis: Univariant_Bivariant (correlation) Predictive: analysis: Regression Model | |
Computer program used for data treatment | IBM SPSS Statistics 20 |
3 Results and discussion
3.1 Block 1: ‘first impressions’
3.1.1 The characteristics of the environment
3.1.2 How employees treat users
3.1.3 Symbols, signs and signals
3.1.4 Relationship with other users
3.2 Block 2: ‘feelings’
Typified answers | Detail |
---|---|
Bus | The bus is better, the night bus |
Metro (underground) | “Madrid Metro flies”, tunnel |
Sustainable city | Less pollution, less traffic, less fuel consumption |
Good quality service | Very frequent, good connection, speed, comfort, efficiency, useful and practical, usually punctual, effectiveness, quality, time-saving, arrives early, punctuality, excellence, clean, cheaper travel |
Bad quality service | Crowded, burglars, chaos, very unpleasant smell, stress, crazy insane, delayed buses, full, useful technology, noisy, dirty, tardiness, people sweating, very slow, delays, crowded in the mornings, few seats, madness, heat, dizziness, discomfort, running to get it, stomach upset, agglomerations. |
The service is worse than it was a few years ago | The wait has worsened, in decline |
Mobility and Communication | Communication, mobility, proximity, accessibility, good circulation, distances, travel, connections, organisation |
Economic aspects | Expensive, strikes, has risen a lot, poor value for money, too much publicity, budget cutbacks |
Comparison with other cities | Good service with respect to other European cities |
3.3 Block 3: ‘behaviour
3.3.1 Reasons for using public transport
3.3.2 Perception of the objectives of the service
3.3.3 Perception of the economic value of the service
3.4 Results summary and contrast of hypothesis
Hypothesis | Contrast 1 | Contrast 2 (a) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | B | C | D | ||
H: The Underground is more highly valued socially than the bus.
| Arithmetic mean | Typical dev. (dispersion) | Result | ||
Block 1: First Impressions | Bus | Under-ground | Bus | Under-ground | |
Very Bad (1) to Very Good (5) | |||||
Quality of air and temperature | 2.920 | 3.090 | 1.120 | 1.092 | Given that A < B, the hypothesis can be accepted. |
Space | 2.700 | 3.170 | 1.045 | 0.956 | |
Noise | 2.690 | 3.070 | 0.971 | 0.916 | |
Cleanliness, smell | 2.920 | 3.110 | 1.075 | 0.959 | |
Seats | 3.080 | 3.420 | 1.081 | 0.876 | |
Interior design and lighting | 3.290 | 3.680 | 0.877 | 0.761 | |
Average mean | 2.933 | 3.257 | 1.028 | 0.927 | |
Very Bad (5) to Very Good (1) | |||||
Sense of safety | 2.950 | 2.930 | 1.080 | 1.104 | Given that A > B, the hypothesis can be accepted. |
Treatment received from employees | 2.730 | 2.750 | 1.027 | 0.962 | |
The signposting at the end of the street that enables one to reach the nearest stop | 2.450 | 2.260 | 0.945 | 1.001 | |
Average mean | 2.710 | 2.647 | 1.017 | 1.022 | |
Block 2: ‘Feelings’ | Bus | Under-ground | Bus | Under-ground | |
Greatly disagree (1) to Greatly agree (5) | |||||
EMT de Madrid/Metro de Madrid associated with modernity, innovation and efficient transport | 3.240 | 3.750 | 1.029 | 0.996 | Given that A < B, the hypothesis can be accepted. |
Average mean | 3.240 | 3.750 | 1.029 | 0.996 | |
Greatly disagree (5) to Greatly agree (1) | |||||
Transport by bus/underground makes the city more habitable. | 1.890 | 1.860 | 0.877 | 0.934 | Given that A > B, the hypothesis can be accepted. |
Average mean | 1.890 | 1.860 | 0.877 | 0.934 | |
Block 3: Behaviour | Bus | Under-ground | Bus | Under-ground | |
Very often (1) to Very little (5) | |||||
Use the bus/underground for work purposes | 2.021 | 2.238 | 1.356 | 1.438 | Given that A < B, the hypothesis cannot be accepted. |
Use the bus/underground for leisure purposes | 2.317 | 2.361 | 1.044 | 1.115 | |
Average mean | 2.169 | 2.299 | 1.200 | 1.277 | |
Very cheap (1) to Very expensive (5) | |||||
The current price of the bus/underground service is... | 1.875 | 1.757 | 0.706 | 0.695 | Given that A < B, the hypothesis can be accepted. |
Average mean | 1.875 | 1.757 | 0.706 | 0.695 |