Commuters more satisfied with public transport: Study

Commuters are more satisfied with the transportation and logistics sector in Singapore this year as they feel they get more value for money, according to the Institute of Service Excellence at the Singapore Management University.

According to its annual Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG), satisfaction with this sector "increased significantly this year by 1.3 points to reach 70.0 points" after remaining stagnant for the last two years.

The CSISG 2011, which releases the findings of several sectors every quarter, reports customer satisfaction score on a scale of 0 to 100, with the higher number representing better performance.

Within the transportation and logistics sector, the budget airlines sub-sector showed the most notable increase in score, with the largest year-on-year increase of 6.2 points to 65.7 points.

The public buses sub-sector came in second, rising by 5.3 points to score 66.4. Of the buses, SBS Transit buses experienced a spike in satisfaction compared to SMRT buses.

The Institute said the combination of distance-based charging and the addition of more bus trips could have helped increase locals' satisfaction in value-for-money public buses.

"Some time after the initial teething problems, the increase in local residents' perception of value-for-money with public buses seems to suggest that commuters have adjusted positively to this change," it said in a press statement.

However, the study also found that regular bus commuters were less satisfied with the frequency and punctuality of bus arrivals compared to irregular commuters.

For public buses and the MRT system, safety and security attributes also positively affect the satisfaction of commuters.

However, the recent decision by the Public Transport Committee to allow an increase in bus and train fares have drawn the ire of Singaporeans, who found the increase unjustified.

Satisfaction in private education sector up significantly

The CSISG also found that commercial schools, consisting the private education sector, saw a significant increase of 9.5 points to reach a score of 64.5.

This is a sharp reversal of the downward trend since 2009. The Institute said the higher satisfaction from commercial school students could be due to the enhanced regulations for private schools introduced in December 2009.

Commercial schools include UniSIM, Singapore Institute of Management, MDIS, PSB Academy, Kaplan and others.

The public education sector, which includes the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University, did not fare too badly. Customer satisfaction went up from 65.8 points last year to 70.3 points.

Results of the second quarter CSISG 2011 are based on data collected from a nationwide survey conducted between April and June 2011. Respondents were asked on their accumulated and actual experience with a business entity, including the respondent's expectations, perceived overall quality and value of the product/services.

A total of 11,243 questionnaires on 442 companies were completed.