This paper develops a Stated Preference (SP) experiment that provides a way to measure service quality in public transport. The paper introduces an empirical procedure for optimising the SP experiment. This procedure permits the identification of the choice alternatives defining the experiment by simulating the choices of a user sample. By using the data collected from an experimental survey, a Multinomial Logit model was calibrated. This model is a way of identifying the importance of service quality attributes on global customer satisfaction and calculating a Service Quality Index, which provides an operationally appealing measure of current or potential service effectiveness.

In this work a tool for analysing passengers’ perceptions in terms of satisfaction with transit services is proposed. Specifically, a structural equation model is formulated to explore the impact of the relationship between global customer satisfaction and service quality attributes, such as safety, cleanliness, main and additional services, information, and personnel. We analyse the services offered by rail operators in the Northern Italy; specifically, 32 regional lines and 9 suburban lines connecting different towns of the hinterland of the city of Milan, and 2 express lines connecting Milan with the Malpensa airport are analysed. To calibrate the model, data collected in a survey addressed to a sample of more than 16,000 passengers are used. The survey was conducted in June 2011. The proposed model can be useful both to transport agencies and planners to analyze the correlation between service quality attributes and identify the most convenient attributes for improving the supplied service. The main findings are that service characteristics like punctuality, regularity and frequency of runs, and cleanliness have the highest positive effect on service quality. While also comfort and information have a notable positive effect, personnel and safety have a not very considerable effect