Customer satisfaction and the viability of the business are greatly impacted by the quality of the services provided in interurban transportation. This study assesses the level of client satisfaction and the quality of service offered by Vatican Express, a significant interurban transport provider in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The study employed a mixed-method research approach, gathering qualitative insights through interviews and observations and quantitative data through user surveys. Tangibility, dependability, assurance, responsiveness, and empathy are all crucial components of service quality that were assessed using the SERVQUAL methodology. The results show that although Vatican Express is excellent at assurance and responsiveness, there are serious issues with cleanliness, seating comfort, timeliness, and general service dependability. To increase client satisfaction, the study emphasizes the necessity of better vehicle maintenance, better booking systems, increased operating efficiency, and staff training. By putting these changes into practice, Vatican Express will be able to maintain its competitiveness in the interurban transportation market.

Keywords:Service quality, customer satisfaction, interurban transport, Vatican Express, SERVQUAL model

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1. Parasuraman A, Zeithaml VA, Berry LL. SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. J Retailing. 1988;64(1):12–40.
2. Zeithaml VA, Bitner MJ, Gremler DD. Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2003.
3. Kotler P, Keller KL. Marketing Management. 14th ed. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Pearson; 2012.
4. Farris P, Bendle N, Pfeifer P, Reibstein D. Marketing Metrics: The Manager’s Guide to Measuring Marketing Performance. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Pearson; 2010.
5. Grönroos C. A service quality model and its marketing implications. Eur J Mark. 1984;18(4):36–44.
6. Cronin JJ, Taylor SA. Measuring service quality: A re-examination and extension. J Mark. 1992;56(3):55–68.
7. Rust RT, Oliver RL. Service Quality: Insights and Managerial Implications from the Frontier. Thousand Oaks (CA): SAGE Publications; 1994.
8. Lovelock C, Wirtz J. Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River: (NJ) Pearson; 2011.
9. Rai AK. Customer Relationship Management: Concepts and Cases. New Delhi: PHI Learning; 2013.
10. Tao F. Customer relationship management based on big data and improved association rules. J Bus Res. 2014;67(10):2171–2178.
11. MacCallum RC. Model specification in covariance structure analysis: The problem of capitalization on chance. Psychol Bull. 1995;118(1):159–166.
12. Sekaran U. Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach. 4th ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 2003.
13. Yin RK. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks (CA): SAGE Publications; 2003.
14. Kassiani N. The convenience sampling technique in market research: Benefits and drawbacks. J Bus Insights. 2022;12(2):45–59.
15. Smith AM. Measuring service quality: Is SERVQUAL still the answer? Serv Ind J. 2007;27(6):63–81.

Customer satisfaction and the viability of the business are greatly impacted by the quality of the services provided in interurban transportation. This study assesses the level of client satisfaction and the quality of service offered by Vatican Express, a significant interurban transport provider in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The study employed a mixed-method research approach, gathering qualitative insights through interviews and observations and quantitative data through user surveys. Tangibility, dependability, assurance, responsiveness, and empathy are all crucial components of service quality that were assessed using the SERVQUAL methodology. The results show that although Vatican Express is excellent at assurance and responsiveness, there are serious issues with cleanliness, seating comfort, timeliness, and general service dependability. To increase client satisfaction, the study emphasizes the necessity of better vehicle maintenance, better booking systems, increased operating efficiency, and staff training. By putting these changes into practice, Vatican Express will be able to maintain its competitiveness in the interurban transportation market.

Keywords:Service quality, customer satisfaction, interurban transport, Vatican Express, SERVQUAL model

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Parasuraman A, Zeithaml VA, Berry LL. SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. J Retailing. 1988;64(1):12–40.
2. Zeithaml VA, Bitner MJ, Gremler DD. Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2003.
3. Kotler P, Keller KL. Marketing Management. 14th ed. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Pearson; 2012.
4. Farris P, Bendle N, Pfeifer P, Reibstein D. Marketing Metrics: The Manager’s Guide to Measuring Marketing Performance. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Pearson; 2010.
5. Grönroos C. A service quality model and its marketing implications. Eur J Mark. 1984;18(4):36–44.
6. Cronin JJ, Taylor SA. Measuring service quality: A re-examination and extension. J Mark. 1992;56(3):55–68.
7. Rust RT, Oliver RL. Service Quality: Insights and Managerial Implications from the Frontier. Thousand Oaks (CA): SAGE Publications; 1994.
8. Lovelock C, Wirtz J. Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River: (NJ) Pearson; 2011.
9. Rai AK. Customer Relationship Management: Concepts and Cases. New Delhi: PHI Learning; 2013.
10. Tao F. Customer relationship management based on big data and improved association rules. J Bus Res. 2014;67(10):2171–2178.
11. MacCallum RC. Model specification in covariance structure analysis: The problem of capitalization on chance. Psychol Bull. 1995;118(1):159–166.
12. Sekaran U. Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach. 4th ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 2003.
13. Yin RK. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks (CA): SAGE Publications; 2003.
14. Kassiani N. The convenience sampling technique in market research: Benefits and drawbacks. J Bus Insights. 2022;12(2):45–59.
15. Smith AM. Measuring service quality: Is SERVQUAL still the answer? Serv Ind J. 2007;27(6):63–81.