| Summary, etc |
Tricycles are one of the most used public transportations in Tuguegarao City because they are available, cheap, and widely used by day-to-day commuters, and that these transit mechanisms would thus have a good and adequate impact in achieving the city's mobility goal. Despite its popularity, tricycle services have many disadvantages, such as inequity of service provision, congestion on busy routes and the continuing use of outdated 2-stroke engines, which affect passenger satisfaction and thus the overall quality of the service. This study was to investigate the level of passenger satisfaction (convenience, safety, accessibility, and affordability), as well as whether the present number and type of tricycle units are sufficient to meet peak-hour demand. This descriptive study utilized both primary and secondary data. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 396 tricycle passengers from 6 different demographic groups. Traffic volume counts were carried out during the morning and afternoon peak hours at SM City Tuguegarao. Secondary data such as total number of registered tricycles by engine type, were drawn from local government records. The survey of passenger satisfaction showed that the average customer satisfaction with all three dimensions of the service was neutral. The highest satisfaction rating was affordability and the lowest was accessibility. Peak-hour traffic on the tricycles averaged more than 15, 000 and therefore suggests a high level of usage but also indicates possibility of congestion. The total number of registered tricycles for peak hours amounts to 7, 809, of which 84. 8% are 4-stroke vehicles, 15.2% are 2-stroke vehicles, and total fleet size is sufficient. Although tricycles are now widely available, improvements in the quality of the vehicles, fleet management and infrastructure are needed to improve passenger experience and urban mobility.
Keywords: Tricycle, Passenger Satisfaction, Public Transportation, Urban Transport, Transport Infrastructure, Service Quality |