CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the Study

Inter-urban transportation is the movement of people and goods from one urban area to another in a given country or region. Inter urban transportation is important because it connects places. Inter-urban transportation is inevitably important because it’s connects places.

By the late 1920s, a comprehensive bus network had been developed by mix of large regional companies and numerous local independents ‘ in addition to village-to-town links, many services took the form of inter-urban routes, connecting two or more towns via a series of intermediate villages. This helped to provide high load factors (through combining local and interurban passengers’ flows) and justify a higher level of service. These services increase the degree of competition with road, although typically remains much slower, especially where indirect routings were followed to serve intermediate villages.

According to the recent strategic transportation plan for Dhaka city- the primary mode of transport for personal trips is – about a third (34%) non-motorized rickshaws, another one third (34%) buses and the remaining 30% using walking or other motorized vehicles.  For trips that involves several mode “primary mode ” is the mode used by the longest ( distance) part of trip (STP,2005).Gwilliam offers the follow assessment of Dhaka’s transport system: ” In Bangladesh the combination of public supply and fare control had a negative impact on the traditional bus service.  The public sector supplier  has found the urban operation commercially unavailable, and has leased its vehicles instead to the private sector , which has often found it more profitable to operate them in inter-city rather than the urban market.  Meanwhile private sector mini buses and cycle rickshaws have taken an increasing proportion of the market “(Gwilliam , 2000), present public transit supply system. A preliminary estimate of vehicular trip demand on the city’s 18 major bus routes showed a demand range of 150,000 to 350,000 trips per day, with peak hours per direction demand In the range of 4,500 to 9,000 per hour (Hossain and Hossain 2003 ). While it is clear that the transit system is heavily utilized, nearly one third of the personal trips involve non – motorized modes that are challenged to adequately serve the increasingly dispersed and growing population.

Interurban transportation service operation in Africa countries According to Oyeniku (2002) urbanization in Nigeria has a long history in its growth and development. Extensive development being a feature of the 19th and 20th centuries, with concentration of economic and administrative decision making in Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna ,Enugu and high degree of specialization of good  and services Wyatt (1997)states  that inter-urban areas  have tendency to develop nodal points in transport network and places with good road network will possess relative advantage are  found  where different transport routes converge with high degree of congestion, connectivity, density, length and accessibility exhibited within the intra- and inter-urban road networks.

Many of the registered private transport companies / operators have their own maintenance workshop and garages. They train their staffs and their operations are known to be viable.  However, the economic recession and the spiralling cost of vehicle operation is seriously eroding their profit margins (Adermo, 2004). The majority of private sector transport operators in Nigeria provide transport services, which are primarily demand responsive and unscheduled in the urban taxicabs. Moreover , road transport , the predominant mode used for providing services sometimes varies from one urban area to another, although the operating characteristics of the mode are similar. In Jo’s, for instance, the were 9,552 registered taxis for town service in 1999 as against 917 mini buses by the end of December 1995.

The urbanization of Cameroon during the 20th and 21th century had led to the emergence of new towns and cities all over the country. This was also followed by an increased in human activities, the dominant being agriculture, followed by commercial and tertiary activities. All these activities in the different towns and cities in Cameroon have a great need for transportation for their operation. Bus transportation is a key travelling way for global travellers. It offers linkage between destinations and transport customers for food and services (Eden, 2005). Nowadays, every kind of people utilize transportation sector to travel anywhere. Bus transportation is a part of the transport sector available in Cameroon. Bus transportation plays a vital role as the main transportation for all people, especially for poor and medium income families. Customer satisfaction is the most important factor whether it is meant for a product or a service.

 The town of Bamenda is one of the largest cities in Cameroon Around 1899, it emerges as the largest urban area in the western highlands of Cameroon.  This was continuously followed by an increase in urbanization of the neighboring  town around it putting a high demand on the access road which due to the continuous increase and numerous human activities. As a result, inter – urban transportation problems emerge

1.2. Delimitation of the Study

Spatial Delimitation

Out of the numerous agencies operating in Bamenda, this study was limited only to  Nso Boyz  and  Amour Mezam travel agencies. This area was chosen because of the researcher  knowledge about  this agencies and regions.

Thematic Delimitation

This  study focuses  on the  inter- urban transportation  service and customer satissfaction  in Nso Boyz  and  Amour travel  agencies,   Bamenda.

Time Delimitation

This  study is  limited to a time frame of 5 months  and  all the data will be collected within  this period. Topic be developed during  first two  months  alongside  the construction of  chapter 1 and 2 . The Last  chapter will  be concluded  after administering  and  analyzing  the results.

1.3. Statement of the Problem

There is an increase in the level of competition between transport operators and hence reduced earnings (Mporogomi 2001). But on the other side of the coin, there is a challenge among transport operators to seek and improve service and customer satisfaction in inter-urban transportation in order to win customers. There is a number of new companies that are formed and enter into inter-urban transportation agencies but surprisingly most of them failed to sustain in business. It is necessary to make a thorough research to examine the challenges of inter urban transportation service and Satisfaction in Nso Boyz and Amour Mezam travel agencies are as follows.

Overloaded buses threatened road safety, service quality and customer satisfaction and are contributing to many accidents in inter-urban roads. Due to Overloading the buses will  be less stable, difficult to steer and take longer  to stop bus react differently when the  maximum weights which  they are designed to carry are exceeded, overloaded buses increase can cause the types to overheat and wear rapidly which, increase the  chance of an accident, the overloaded bus cannot accelerate as normal making it difficult to overtake,

Waiting time is the time Passengers have to wait at the bus station for buses. Even though their expectations may vary, most passengers are delighted with maximum waiting time, the shorter the waiting time is the greater the level of convenience longer waiting time indicators poor service. Amour Mezam and Nso Boyz travel agencies don’t respect travel time especially Nso Boyz usually pick up very late and arrived it destination also late.

Comfort is one of the factors  that influence customer satisfaction, this can only be achieved when the condition of the bus are in good  condition, passengers do not only value comfortability but also has an impact on their satisfaction level, but that is not the case with Amour Mezam and Nso Boyz  travel agencies  this  is because majority of their buses  are very  old  and dirty (can spoil anytime even though they are  maintained  at all  time) movement  in such buses cases  dissatisfaction. Also unstable fare on cargo and mail causes dissatisfaction because the prices are not stable.

1.4. Research Questions

1.4.1. Main Research question

What is the effect of inter -urban transportation on Customer satisfaction in Nso Boyz and Amour Mezam travel agencies, Bamenda?

1.4.2. Specific Research Questions

What is the extent to which reliability affects customer satisfaction in Nso Boyz and Amour Mezam travel agencies, Bamenda?

Which are the services provided by Nso Boyz and Amour mezam travel agencies, Bamenda that can influence customer satisfaction?

What is the role of the state of the vehicles on customer satisfaction  in Nso Boyz and Amour Mezam travel agencies, Bamenda?

1.5. Objectives of the Study

1.5.1. Main Objective of the Study

To examine the effects of inter-urban transportation on customer satisfaction  in Nso Boyz and Amour Mezam travel agencies Bamenda?

1.5.2. Specifically Research objectives

To Find out the extent to which reliability affects customer satisfaction in Nso Boyz and Amour Mezam travel agencies Bamenda?

To identify the transportation services provided by Nso Boyz and Amour Mezam travel agencies Bamenda  that  could influence customer satisfaction?

To examine the influence of the state of vehicle on customer satisfaction in Nso Boyz and Amour travel agencies, Bamenda?