A STUDYING THE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTION ON THE SERVICE QUALITY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN BOKEO PROVINCE

This study aimed to understand passengers' opinions on the quality of public transport services in Tonpheung and Houayxay districts, Bokeo Province. A questionnaire was used to collect data from passengers at 3 stations: Keochampar bus station, and PhetAloun bus station in the Tonpheung and Houayxay Districts. A total of 360 questionnaires were completed. The data were analyzed by calculating the mean and standard deviation. The results were as follows:
Most respondents were female (75.27%), and 40.56% were aged 16-25 years old, followed by those aged 46–55 years (28.06%), 36-45 years old (16.56%), 26-35 years old (12.5%), and over 55 years old (3.33%). Most respondents were married (64.1%). In terms of education, the highest proportion held a bachelor's degree (58.41%), followed by secondary education (25.8%) and primary education (15.8%). Regarding monthly income, the most common range was 4,000,001-5,000,000 LAK (66.9%). This was followed by 3,000,001-4,000,000 LAK (17.2%), and over 5,000,001 LAK (15.9%).
Passengers' perceptions of public transport service quality were assessed across four areas: appearance, facilities, operational processes, and fares. While the overall average score was "excellent," and all most individual aspects even scored "excellent," the results indicate that services still require improvement and targeted development. In general, however, user satisfaction with service quality remains inadequate. This is clearly evidenced by a decline in the number of public transport users, a trend that has led many operators to cease services.