EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF SERVICE (QOS) OF URBAN BUS PERFORMANCE IN THE CAPITAL STATE OF PERAK, MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i43.2133Keywords:
sustainable public transportation, urban bus performance, quality of service (QOS), carbon footprint, green energyAbstract
Global urbanisation results from demographic trends, such as population growth, migration from less urban to developed areas and international migration to developed countries. Rapid population growth has increased the number of vehicles. Moreover, ongoing infrastructure development has struggled to keep pace with the urban population growth. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of urban bus services in Perak, Malaysia. The data were collected from Terminal Bus Medan Kidd in Ipoh, Perak. To assess bus performance in this study, the transit capacity and quality of service manual (TCQSM, 2013) were selected as the main guidelines. Results showed that the average operational duration was 14 h and 4 min with daily rating of QOS C. The average service frequency recorded a headway of 76 min, a corresponding rating of QOS E. Punctuality assessment had an average on-time departure rate of 80.74%, a corresponding rating of QOS D. The overall QOS corresponded to an overall classification of QOS C (QOS score of 3.75). Bus services in Ipoh are operationally sufficient, but operational optimisation is required to achieve a more reliable and user-oriented bus service.
Downloads
References
Amir, N. N. S., Anuar, N. S., Ismail, B., Azreen, N. A. N. M., & Ramli, N. A. (2025). Ridership prediction system for rapid bus Kuantan and Penang using multi-features analysis, Planning Malaysia, 23(6), 332-347.
Bakar, M.F.A., Norhisham, S., Katman, H.Y., Chow, M.F., Azlan, N. N. I. M., & Samsudin, N. S. S. (2022). Service quality of bus performance in Asia: A systematic literature review and conceptual framework. Sustainability, 14:7998.
Borhan, M.N., Ibrahim, A. N. H., Syamsunur, D., & Rahmat, R. A. (2019). Why public bus is a less attractive mode of transport: A case study of Putrajaya, Malaysia. Periodica Polytechnica Transportation Engineering, 47(1):82-90.
Chow, M. F., & Bakar, M. F. A. (2019). Environmental benefits of green roof to the sustainable urban development: A review. Lecturer Notes in Civil Engineering, 9:1525-1541.
Chuhdary, R., Shah, M. Z., Chuhdary, S., Tahira, M., Mehmood, R. T. (2025). Developing a sustainable urban planning index: a multi-criteria decision-making framework for master plan evaluation in developing countries, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(2):4206-4236.
Deb, S., & Ahmed, M. A. (2018). Determining the service quality of the city bus service based on users’ perceptions and expectations. Travel Behaviour Society, 12(2018):1-10.
Esmailpour, J., Aghabayk, K., & Esmaili, A. (2024) An evaluation of pedestrian crash risk factors at urban intersections in a developing country: Comparing the classification accuracy of methods accounting for unobserved heterogeneity, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 28, 101275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2024.101275
Google Maps (2025). [https://www.google.com.my/maps].
Hamzah, M. I., Wahab, S. N., Rashid, M. H. A., & Voon, B. H. (2023). Switching intention, WOM and quality public transport service: A case of the Kuala Lumpur conurbation, Multimodal Transportation, 2(3):100082, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.multra.2023.100082
Kerber, J. C., De Souza, E. D., Bouzon, M., Cruz, R. M., & Govindan, K. (2021). Consumer behaviour aspects towards remanufactured electronic products in an emerging economy: Effect on demand and related risks. Resources Conservation and Recycling, 170:105572, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105572
Lachapelle, U., & Boisjoly, G. (2023). Breaking down public transit travel time for more accurate transport equity policies: A trip component approach, Transportation Research Part A, 175, 103756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2023.103756
Liu, Q., & Wan, P. (2025). Greening the Urban Landscape: Smart City Initiatives and Pollution Reduction in China, Systems, 13, 165, https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13030165
Ministry of Transport Malaysia. (2019). National Transport Policy 2019-2030. Retrieved from https://rb.gy/bo7avg.
Ngadiman, N. I., Roslan, N. F., Rahman, A. F., Ahmad, F., Daud, M. M. S., & Abdullah, R. (2020). Survey on Quality of Service (QoS) at Larkin Central Terminal (LCT), Johor Bahru, International Journal of Advanced Trends Computer Science and Engineering, 9(1.1): 229–232, https://doi.org/10.30534/ijatcse/2020/4091.1202
Nor, M. R. M., and Miskam, Z. (2020). The Dilemma Of Stage Bus Operators In Urban Corridor Of Johor Bahru: Profitability VS Social Responsibility, Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(8), pp. 72-75.
Norhisham, S., Bakar, M. F. A., Syamsir, N., Baharin, N. L., Shkuri, N. S. M., & Saad, N. M. (2021). Evaluating the quality of service for bus performance in Alor Setar. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 708(2021):012038.
Norhisham, S., Bakar, M. F. A., Syamsir, A., Zaini, N., Baharin, N. L., Shkuri N. S. M., & Saad, N. M. (2021). Development of expert system for bus services in Klang Valley, IOP Conference Series: Earth Environmental Science, 708:012039.
Perak Transit (2025). https://peraktransit.com.my/routes-2/.
Pira, M. L., Attrad, M., & Ison, S. G. (2021). Urban transport planning and policy in a changing world: Bridging the gap between theory and practice. Research in Transportation Business & Management, 39:100634.
Ponrahono, Z. (2018). Transformation of public bus services in Kuantan, Malaysia, Journal of Architecture. Planning & Construction Management, 8(1);87-97.
Ponrahono, Z., Bachok, S., Osman, M. M., Ibrahim, M., & Abdullah, M. F. (2017). Public bus level of services performance in Peninsular Malaysia: correlation analyses on level of services (LOS) and passengers’ satisfaction level. Malaysia Planning Journal of the Malaysia Institute of Planners, 15(1):229-234.
Ramli, M. Z., Hanipah, H., Lee, L. G., Loo, K. F., Wong, J. K., Hafiz, M., & Fuad, N. F. S. (2017). Level of services for pedestrian movement towards the performance of passenger information in public transport in Klang Valley. AIP Conference Proceeding, 1885(1): 020111.
Rodrigue, J. P. (2024). The Geography of Transport Systems, 6th Edition: London: Routledge. 402 pages. ISBN 9781032380407. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003343196
Rong, R., Liu, L., Jia, N., & Ma, S. (2022). Impact analysis of actual traveling performance on bus passenger’s perception and satisfaction, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 160, 80-100, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2022.03.029
Saad, N. M. (2016). Knowledge seeking behaviour in healthcare environment amongst Malaysia citizen. Information (Japan), 19(7B):3039-3044.
Shaji, H., Vanajakshi, L., & Tangirala, A. (2023). Effects of Data Characteristics on Bus Travel Time Prediction: A Systematic Study. Sustainability, 15, 4731. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064731
Shukri, M. N. S., Ponrahono, Z., Sunoto, N. Y, & Ghazali, W. W. N. W. (2020). Evaluation of Level of Service (LOS) on Routes of Smart Bus in Kajang, Selangor. Malaysia Planning Journal of the Malaysia Institute of Planners, 18;241-250.
Sogbe, E., Susilawati, S., & Pin, T. C. (2025). Scaling up public transport usage: a systematic literature review of service quality, satisfaction and attitude towards bus transport chttps://doi.org/10.1007/s12469-024-00367-
Sugito, E., Mohamad, B. D., & Roosli, R. (2025). Evaluating Urban Public Bus Transport Service Quality: Perspective From Two Users Group, Journal of Malaysia Institute of Planners, 23(2): 177-189.
Transportation Research Board (TRB). (2013). Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM). Transit Cooperative Research Programme, The Federal Transit Administration TCRP Report 165 3rd edition, Washington, USA.
Ubaidillah, N. Z., Sa’ad, N. H., Ismail, F., Nordin, N. A., Baharuddin, N. N., & Hassan, M. K. H., (2022). The Impact of Public Bus Service Quality on the Users’ Satisfaction: Evidence from a Developing Asian City, Review of Applied Socio-Economic Research, 23(1):83-96.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), (2023). UN DESA Annual Highlights Report, Available online: https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/ files/desa-highlight-report-2022-2023.pdf
Zulkiflee, A. S. (2020). The cleanliness and comfort as well as safety and reliability aspects of level of satisfaction (LOS) for facilities at Medan Kidd Bus Station, Ipoh, Perak, Diploma Dissertation, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UITM).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright & Creative Commons Licence
eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysian Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.