High Passenger Mobility Makes Service Quality Crucial
Inter-city and inter-province buses remain an important mode of public transportation in Indonesia because they provide broad coverage at relatively affordable costs. The Cirebon–Bekasi route connects Cirebon, an emerging economic center in eastern West Java, with Bekasi, a densely populated industrial and residential area.
PT Primajasa Perdanaraya, part of the Mayasari Bakti Group, has operated the route as an inter-city and inter-province bus service. However, passenger complaints have continued to emerge, particularly concerning departure and arrival delays, facilities, fleet cleanliness, and crew service.
The researchers emphasized that service quality depends on how closely actual performance matches what passengers expect. Without regular measurement, service gaps can reduce passenger satisfaction and potentially affect an operator's reputation. The study therefore focused on identifying which aspects of Primajasa's service matter most to passengers and which still need improvement.
100 Passengers Evaluated 29 Service Attributes
The research was conducted at Harjamukti Terminal in Cirebon City, the departure and arrival point for Primajasa buses serving the Cirebon–Bekasi route.
Operational data recorded 20,343 passengers during the September 2025–June 2026 observation period. From this population, the researchers surveyed 100 passengers using questionnaires distributed both directly at the terminal and online.
The questionnaire assessed 29 service attributes covering five broad dimensions: physical service conditions, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Passengers rated both the importance of each attribute and the actual performance they experienced on a scale of one to five.
The researchers then applied Importance Performance Analysis (IPA). In simple terms, the method compares how important a service is to passengers with how well the operator performs it. The comparison allows managers to identify services that should be improved, maintained, monitored, or given fewer resources.
Service Performance Is Good, but Not Yet Very Good
The study found that performance scores across the 29 service attributes ranged from 3.77 to 4.11, placing all attributes in the "Good" category. However, none reached the "Very Good" category.
The strongest performance scores were recorded for passenger safety and crew courtesy, both scoring 4.11. Meanwhile, arrival punctuality received the lowest performance score, at 3.77.
Passenger expectations were high across almost the entire service spectrum. Twenty-six of the 29 attributes were classified as "Very Important." The highest importance score, 4.58, was given to the cleanliness and physical condition of the bus.
This finding indicates that passengers place strong value on cleanliness, comfort, safety, and fleet reliability—not simply on reaching their destination.
Seven Service Areas Need Immediate Attention
The overall conformity level of 92.48 percent indicates that Primajasa's service generally meets passenger expectations. However, the remaining 7.52 percent gap points to areas where passenger expectations are not yet fully matched by service performance.
The IPA analysis identified seven attributes as the main improvement priorities:
- Passenger seat comfort.
- Baggage capacity.
- Interior cleanliness.
- Departure schedule accuracy.
- Consistency between actual service and information provided.
- Completeness of safety equipment.
- Attention to passengers with special needs.
Safety and Fleet Conditions Should Be Maintained
Not every aspect of the service requires major intervention. Seven attributes were placed in the category where both importance and performance were high, meaning the operator should maintain its existing performance.
These attributes include the physical condition of the bus, air-conditioning performance, accessibility of route information, driver operation, fleet reliability, passenger safety, and driver caution and compliance with traffic rules.
Passenger safety and fleet condition therefore emerge as important strengths of the Primajasa service on the route examined.
At the same time, 11 attributes were classified as having relatively high performance but lower passenger importance. The researchers suggest that the operator could evaluate whether resources devoted to these areas could be redirected toward the seven higher-priority attributes.
Research Offers Practical Guidance for Transport Operators
For PT Primajasa Perdanaraya, the study provides a data-based framework for deciding where service improvements should be concentrated. Rather than treating all complaints or service attributes equally, the operator can prioritize areas that passengers consider highly important but currently perceive as underperforming.
For passengers, improvements in seating comfort, cleanliness, punctuality, safety equipment, baggage capacity, service information, and accessibility could contribute directly to a better travel experience.
The researchers recommend prioritizing the seven attributes in the main-priority category, maintaining strong performance in the second category, monitoring lower-priority attributes, and evaluating resource allocation for attributes considered excessive.
The authors also acknowledge that the study covers only one bus operator and one route. Therefore, the findings cannot automatically be generalized to all inter-city bus operators or routes. Future research could examine additional routes and operators, combine IPA with other passenger-satisfaction approaches, and track service perceptions over a longer period.
Author Profile
Bima Giri Jati is the corresponding and first author of the study. He is affiliated with the Civil Engineering Study Program, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati. The study was co-authored by Nurullah Budisiswanto, who is also affiliated with the same study program and university.
Their research focuses on transportation-related issues, particularly public transport service quality, passenger satisfaction, and service evaluation using the Importance Performance Analysis approach.
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