Page 1 of 12
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 06 Issue 05
May 2018
Available online: https://journals.eduindex.org P a g e | 1860
Consumers Perception towards BEST Bus Service in Mumbai City
Ms. Kanwalpreet Kaur Puri, Asst. Professor, JM Patel College, Goregaon West
Mr. Sohil Altaf Pirani, Research Scholar, BAMU University
ABSTRACT
The number of passengers travelling by BEST BUS are shifting to other modes of transport such
as metro, metered cabs, taxis, auto rickshaw, private bus, private vehicles etc. The purpose of
this study is to find out various demographic factors that affect travelling via BEST BUS. Using
cross sectional technique it is found that gender & monthly income adversely affects travelling
via BEST BUS.
INTRODUCTION:
Consumer behaviour
Any individual who purchases goods and services from the market for his/her final consumption is
called a consumer. Consumer behavior focuses on how individuals select and use products
and services. It is the study of how consumers make decisions about what they need, want, and
desire and how do they buy, use, and dispose of goods and deals with the various stages a consumer
goes through before purchasing products or services for his/her final use.
Perception - the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.
Customer Perception – is a marketing term which indicates how the customer perceives the
product/service. A customer’s perception may be positive, negative, indifferent depending on
his/her experience with the product/service.
Perception is the process by which individuals select, organise and interpret stimuli, to form a
meaningful and clear picture of the world. Perception has strategy implications for marketers,
because consumers make decisions based on what they perceive, rather on the basis of objective
reality.
Page 2 of 12
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 06 Issue 05
May 2018
Available online: https://journals.eduindex.org P a g e | 1861
Public transportation
Public transportation is a system which is owned by the government. It’s various mode can be
trains, buses,taxis, autorickshaws etc.
Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST)
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) (also known as the Bombay Electric
Supply & Transport, the official name until 1995) is a civic transport and electricity provider public
body based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was originally set up in 1873 as a tramway company
called "Bombay Tramway Company Limited". In 1947, the BEST became an undertaking of the
Municipal Corporation and rebranded itself to "Bombay Electric Supply & Transport (BEST)". In
1995 the organisation was renamed to "Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST)"
alongside Bombay being renamed to Mumbai. It now operates as an autonomous body under the
Municipal Corporation.
Public transport in Mumbai involves the transport of millions of its citizens by train, road, and
water. Mumbai has the largest organized bus transport network among major Indian cities. BEST
operates one of India's largest fleets of buses. The bus transport service covers the entire city and
also extends its operations outside city limits into neighbouring urban areas.
Benefits of travelling by bus
Economical
Concessions for school students and senior citizens
Seat reservation for elderly, pregnant ladies, women.
Safe as compared to other modes
Environment friendly
No parking issues
Page 3 of 12
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 06 Issue 05
May 2018
Available online: https://journals.eduindex.org P a g e | 1862
Problems Faced by Commuters
No fix schedule of buses
Frequency of bus
Every route not covered
Conditions of Indian roads
Traffic adds to the woes of commuters
Time consuming depending on traffic
Sometimes overcrowded
Behaviour of Driver/Conductor
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
1) Xiaojian Hu, Linna Zhao, Wei Wang in their research paper titled “Impact of perceptions
of bus service performance on mode choice preference” studied the impact of perceptions
of bus service performance on mode choice preference to increase bus ridership. The result
of the study revealed that passengers give more importance to reliability and comfort of bus
services rather than the availability and safety aspect. Improving reliability and comfort
of bus services can improve the ridership of the bus.
2) Ismail, R., Hafezi, M. H., Nor, R. M., & Ambak, K. (2012) in their research paper
titled Passengers Preference and Satisfaction of Public Transport in Malaysia. Australian
Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 6(8), 410-416 focused on understanding the reasons
