Evaluating the sustainability of Rea Vaya System through measuring the service quality

This study aimed at assessing the sustainability of the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system through assessing how the seven elements of service quality affects the commuters' satisfaction with the service rendered by the Rea Vaya system, and the impact on its sustainability. The rationale for this assessment was to determine whether the system will continue to operate at a low cost for its customers, offer a high quality service that retains commuters and thus, sustaining Rea Vaya's profitability in the future. A quantitative research method was used for this study, the method allows numerical data collection and enables the study to analyse data. The use of a quantitative data collection method helped in answering the primary and secondary objectives. A questionnaire was used as a means of collecting data handed out to BRT users at selected bus stations on specific routes in Johannesburg. The target population consisted of all users of the Rea Vaya BRT system. Rea Vaya transports an average of 16 000 commuters every day (Rea Vaya, 2009). The sampling unit can be found at five of the fifty-eight Rea Vaya stations currently operational. Data analysis included getting a summary of the mass of data that will be collected and presenting the results to communicate important findings.