Staff Responsiveness and Passenger Satisfaction in Tanzania’s Standard Gauge Railway Services

Tamimu Mrisho; Laurencia Massawe; Clashon Onesmo

doi:10.7777/jiemar.v6i6.658

Tamimu Mrisho Faculty of Logistics and Business Studies, National Institute of Transport, P. O Box 705, Dar es Salaam-Tanzania
Laurencia Massawe Dean, Faculty of Informatics and Technical Education, National Institute of Transport, P. O Box 705, Dar es Salaam-Tanzania
Clashon Onesmo Lecturer- Department of Mathematics humanities and social science, National Institute of Transport, P. O Box 705, Dar es Salaam-Tanzania

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7777/jiemar.v6i6.658

Abstrak

This study examined the influence of staff responsiveness on passenger satisfaction in Tanzania’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) services. Staff responsiveness forms a critical component of service quality in transport operations, encompassing prompt assistance, courteous communication, and professional interaction between service providers and passengers. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study collected quantitative data from 117 passengers through structured questionnaires and qualitative data from key informant interviews. Quantitative results showed that respondents were generally satisfied with staff responsiveness, recording high mean scores for prompt response, courtesy, and assistance (mean values ranging between 3.81 and 4.13). However, regression analysis revealed that staff responsiveness had an insignificant statistical influence on overall passenger satisfaction (R² = 0.013; p > 0.05). Qualitative results complemented these findings, indicating that while passengers appreciated politeness and professionalism, responsiveness alone did not fully determine satisfaction due to communication challenges and limited staffing during peak hours. The study concludes that passenger satisfaction in SGR operations is multidimensional and depends on the integration of staff responsiveness with other service quality factors such as scheduling and facility standards. It recommends continuous staff training, improved communication systems, and coordinated service delivery to enhance passenger experience.

Referensi

Afolabi, J. (2018). Train services and their impact on passenger satisfaction within African urban contexts. Engineering and Transport Journals, 76-85.

Bagwandeen, M. (2023). Africa’s Railway Renaissance: Continental Aspirations versus National Realities. African Studies Quarterly, Volume 22, Issue 1, 1-23.

Bakti, I., & Sumaedi, S. (2021). P-TRANSQUAL: a service quality model of public land transport services. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management 32(6), 534-558.

Chombo, H., & Sikujua, N. (2020). Passenger satisfaction in Tanzania’s urban rail system. International Journal of Economics & Management Sciences, 6(2), 51-59.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Boston: Sage Publications.

Hizam, S. M., Ahmed, W., Akter, H., & Sentosa, I. (2021). Understanding the public rail quality of service towards commuters’ loyalty behavior in Greater Kuala Lumpur. Transportation Research Procedia (55), 370–377.

Kewate, S. R., & Gandhewar, V. R. (2023). Perception-satisfaction Based Quality Assessment of public Transportation Services using SERVQUAL Model. Journal of Propulsion Technology, 871 - 880.

Kumar, R. (2020). Assessing the Service Quality Attributes Affecting the Satisfaction of the Northern Railway Passengers: An Empirical Study. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology, 122 - 133.

Lu, K., Han, B., & Zhou, X. (2018). Smart urban transit systems: from integrated framework to interdisciplinary perspective. Urban Rail Transit (4), 49–67.

Mapunda, M. A. (2021). Customer Satisfaction on Bus Rapid Transit Services in Tanzania: The SERVQUAL Model Perspective. Sustaibable Education and Development, 194 - 208.

Massawe, L. N. (2024). Passengers Demand on Railway Transport in Tanzania, A case of Dar es salaam to Moshi - Arusha Route. International Journal of Development Research Vol. 14, Issue, 06, 66037 - 66039: DOI: 10.37118/ijdr.28454.06.2024.

Muya, F., Mganilwa, Z., & Mgaya, P. (2023). Realizing the Benefits of Tanzania’s Standard Gauge Railway Flagship Project. A Marketing Mix Perspective. Journal of Logistics, Management and Engineering Sciences; Vol. 4, Issue 1, June 2023 ISSN 2961-6239 (Online), ISSN 1821-9349 (Print), 26-41.

Nkunda, R. M. (2023). Impacts of Standard Gauge Railway Project on Tanzania Economy Amidst and After Completion. Journal of Logistics, Management and Engineering Sciences (JLMES), Vol. 4, Issue 2, 59-70.

Oluochi, J. N. (2019). Analysis of The Economic Value of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) And its Contributions for Kenya. International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, Vol. 6, Issue 2, 740-748; available at: www.researchpublish.com.

Otele, O. (2021). China’s Approach to Development in Africa: A Case Study of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway. Council on Foreign Relations.

Siti, N. W., & Muhammad, I. H. (2024). Unveiling passenger satisfaction in rail transit through a consumption values perspective. Multimodal Transportation, Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.multra.2025.100196.

The Citizen. (2024, August Saturday, 03). Tanzania's electric trains: Teething problems are common but manage public relations.

The EastAfrican. (2024, December Thursday, 14). Vandals target new Tanzania SGR infrastructure.

Vickerman, R. (2024). The transport problem: The need for consistent policies on pricing andinvestment. Transport Policy.

Widyastuti, H. (2018). Analysis of transport schedulling for performance and satisfaction level of Jenggala Commuter Line (Sidoarjo-Mojokerto). International Journal of Social Service and Research, 1(4), 402-407; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201818103003.

Zhao, M. K. (2020). Sustainability of Rail Transport in Africa: A Case Study of Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway. Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering, 17- 27.