INTRODUCTION
Assessing and improving quality of service in the urban
mass transit holds a high priority for the majority of public
transport operators. Furthermore, urban transport operators
are forced to place particular emphasis on the monitoring
and improvement of the service quality provided in an
attempt to address the increasing rate of automobile
ownership and the high rate of traffic congestion in the
environment, and how to move the sustainability of urban
transport system to a high extent (see [15]). The TRB
Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual [13], the
TRB Handbook for Measuring Customer satisfaction and
Service Quality [12], and the EC-CEN Transportation
Logistics and Science measures customer of service
satisfaction and quality of service.
Targeting and Measurement [3] are some of the manuals
produced for measuring public transit quality. Transport
contributes to pro –poor policy by providing access to
opportunities, and enhancements to security (through
reduced isolation), as well as providing job opportunities in
the sector [16]. Urban transport has to do with mobility in
an urban area. Such mobility has to be planned in such a
way that it will bring about a balance in the inter-relation
between city structure and supply of transportation
services. It takes a relatively minor accumulation of
automobiles to occupy the city streets to the extent that the
average operating speed of all vehicles would come to
almost that of the bicycle. The unavoidable slowdown of
traffic and traffic jams are the consequences of the
enormous demand for necessary streets space. The private
automobile requires many times more streets routes for
each carried person when compared to that required for a
bus. If this trend is allowed to continue, we shall get to a
stage where movement in the city will come to a near-halt
(see [9].The urban transport sector, however, have many
problems in most developing countries. Inadequate and
poor quality infrastructure, mismatch between demand and
supply, and increased rate of accidents are some of the
problems. These problems are triggered by interrelated
trends such as urban population growth and (unplanned
and uncoordinated) development of cities [11]. The term
“urban mass transit” generally refers to scheduled intra-city
service on a fixed route in shared vehicle. Even this
definition embraces horse –drawn Omnibus and streetcars,
cable cars, trolley coaches, gasoline and diesel buses,
underground and above ground rail rapid transit, ferries,
and some commuter rail services. It also comprises a
spectrum of modes of urban public transport that use
specific fixed-track or exclusive and common – user road
track (such as metros, suburban railways, light rail transit,
and buses). Mass transit usually has superior operating
capacity and performance compared with unsegregated
road–based public transport (such as buses, taxes and
Para transit) [18].