Assessing COVID-19’s Impact on Passenger Perception of Bus Service Quality

This study explores the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on passenger perception of service quality in public bus transport. The Covid-19 global pandemic has profoundly affected bus transport, leading to a reassessment of bus service quality and safety standards. By examining a variety of academic sources, this review aims to map the main areas of Covid-19 impact on passenger perception regarding bus service quality. To this end, a scoping review was conducted to explore the current state of research, and to analyze and synthesize the literature on the topic in question. The PRISMA-ScR methodology was adopted for this literature review, which included 36 relevant studies published between 2020 and February 2024, from the Web Of Science, Springer, and MDPI databases. The results of this review highlight the significant changes in passenger expectations and concerns about service quality, as well as the service quality attributes significantly associated with passenger satisfaction. In addition, the solutions put in place by authorities and bus operators to meet these new requirements. By synthesizing current knowledge, this review offers valuable insights to guide future research and initiatives aimed to improve bus service quality in a post-pandemic context.