DOES CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MEDIATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERVICE QUALITY AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN PUBLIC BUS TRANSPORT?

EVIDENCE FROM GOVERNMENT-OWNED PUBLIC BUS TRANSPORT IN NORTH-EASTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

This is a conceptual paper of a future study based on the review of literatures related to service quality and customer loyalty mediated by customer satisfaction of government owned public bus transport in North Eastern Nigeria with a focus on states of the North East region. The study seeks to address a question: Does customer satisfaction mediate the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty in public bus transport? Evidence from government-owned public bus transport in North Eastern Nigeria. Some dimensions of service quality are identified that have effect on customer loyalty with the intervention of customer satisfaction and those factors are considered in the proposed research model. The dimensions outlined in the study are analysed using theoretical framework of expectancy-disconfirmation theory, dissonance theory, and self-perception theory. The result of this future research may provide information relevant to public bus transport corporations more especially those owned by the government in order to enhance performance and revenue generation. It will also be relevant to policy makers who design support mechanism and schemes to promote the establishment and growth of public transport firms. The study recommended that, more research is needed using other variables to produce better understanding and explanations of dimensions of service quality that will assists in improving and enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty of government-owned public bus transport in Nigeria.