Abstract
Rail transport is a critical mass transit mode in South Africa performing in excess of
400 million passenger trips per annum. Within a high density metropolitan region it is
expected that rail passenger transport form the backbone of the public transport
system, however in the Gauteng region it is estimated that only 8% of public transport
commuting trips are completed by train; approximately 2% of total commuting trip.
Total rail passenger trips have declined by nearly 20% since 2013/14. This suggests
that the passenger rail service provider, PRASA, is not providing the service levels
that commuters require. If rail is to fulfil its expected role, it is crucial that service levels
are improved. The 2014 Gauteng Household Travel Survey suggests that train users
were generally dissatisfied with train services, citing availability, overcrowding on
trains, punctuality and reliability of services, geographical coverage and frequencies
of services as key limitations. To more accurately assess the extent of service
dissatisfaction, this research applied an adapted SERVQUAL model to determine the
gap between commuters’ perceptions of service quality and their expectations. The
study utilised a longitudinal approach to determine whether customer perceptions of
five dimensions of service quality, i.e. reliability, the extent of the service, comfort,
safety and affordability had changed over a two-year period. The results indicate
changing gaps in most of the dimensions and a number of attributes were identified
as having influenced the perception of service quality significantly enough to lead to
customer dissatisfaction.