Article
Determinants of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality in Rural Transportation: Evidence from Tamil Nadu
Rural transportation plays a crucial role in promoting economic development, social inclusion, and accessibility to essential services in Tamil Nadu. It facilitates the movement of people and goods between villages and urban centres, thereby supporting education, healthcare, employment, agriculture, and trade. Despite significant improvements in rural transport infrastructure, passengers continue to encounter challenges related to service quality, punctuality, safety, affordability, comfort, and accessibility. Understanding customer satisfaction is therefore essential for improving rural transportation services and ensuring sustainable mobility. The present study examines the determinants of customer satisfaction and service quality in rural transportation with special reference to Tamil Nadu. The study adopts a quantitative research design and collects primary data from 150 rural transportation users through a structured questionnaire. The research investigates the influence of reliability, safety, accessibility, affordability, vehicle condition, staff behaviour, punctuality, and overall service quality on customer satisfaction. Statistical techniques such as percentage analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation, multiple regression, ANOVA, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) are proposed to analyse the data and test the relationships among the study variables. The expected findings will help transport authorities, policymakers, and service providers identify critical areas requiring improvement to enhance passenger satisfaction and encourage greater utilization of rural transport services. The study also contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence from Tamil Nadu, where rural transportation continues to play a significant role in regional connectivity and inclusive economic development.