Modelling loyalty and behavioural change intentions of busway passengers: A case study of Brisbane, Australia

Abstract

Understanding public transport passengers' loyalty has received growing research attention, given its potential to inform the long-term market management of a public transport service. However, the nature of public transport passengers' loyalty is arguably yet to be fully understood concerning its relationship to passengers' captivity and attitudes towards private car use, and their intentions to change their modal use. Hence questions remain largely unexplored that: Is public transport passengers' loyalty a result of a preferred or constrained choice? And does their loyalty have the potential to encourage more sustainable transport modal use patterns? Drawing on the busway network in Brisbane, Australia, as the case study, this paper aims to broaden the research on public transport passengers' loyalty by addressing these questions. Through developing a series of linear regression models, our findings highlight: (1) busway passengers were influenced by preferential (the experience of riding the busway service), moral (pro-environmental concerns) and constraint (cost of busway and car use) considerations; and (2) the potential of loyalty to alleviate busway passengers' intentions to shift to private car use for their trip-making. Through these findings, a series of implications are developed with the potential for the improvement of busway service and travel demand management to encourage more sustainable transport especially within a highly motorised context. Future research is encouraged to provide more evidence concerning passenger loyalty and their public transport use.