Public road transport performance and travelers satisfaction in urban areas: the case of Public Bus Transport in Dar es Salaam

The objective of this study was to examine the performance of public bus transport and travellers satisfaction of such service in urban areas. The study was conducted in Dar es Salaam city.A total of 140 bus commuters in Dar es Salaam region were interviewed. Non probabilistic procedures were used. Both primary and secondary data were used in data analysis. Questionnaire was employed as a major instrument in collection of primary data while documentation was used for secondary data. Regression analysis and Chi square test were used in analysis of data. Findings revealed that public bus transport performance in urban areas was very poor and travellers were highly dissatisfied with the kind of service the industry was rendering. Conclusively, the study has revealed that there is a positive relationship between user satisfaction and performance of public buses. The study recommends opening new routes especially in new areas and improving efforts to overcome traffic congestions. Also, the study recommends improving public bus services and investing more on public buses so as to overcome unreliable transport service.