Customers’ Expectations Meet Perceptions or Not: App-Based Ride-Sharing Services by Uber and Pathao in Dhaka City

Since 2016, revolutionary change in transport has occurred in Bangladesh especially by Uber and Pathao app-based ride-sharing services mainly in Dhaka city for convenience seekers. The main purpose of this study is, if customers’ expectations of ride-sharing services matched or not with perceived services in Dhaka city. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are utilized, face-to-face and online questionnaires are used during the months of August-November 2018 adopting SERVQUAL dimensions comparing satisfaction of two prominent ride-sharing provider- Uber and Pathao; among 216 respondents. Employing SPSS-25.0; reliability test, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and service gap score were identified. Based on analysis, separately three factors influence two ride-sharing customers’ perceptions, Pathao commuters are satisfied with a significant rate whereas Uber fails to meet commuters perceptions based on SERVQUAL dimensions and tangibility and assurance significantly affect on both service providers customer satisfaction. The study will be helpful for ride-sharing service providers’ ability to fulfill commuters’ expectation, and also improving influential factors proactively in this saturated marketplace. This study used both quantitative and qualitative approach to discover a deeper and detail insights of the relationships between service quality expectations and ride-sharing commuters’ perceptions comparing Uber and Pathao services in Dhaka city. Primary data were collected through administering a semi-structured questionnaire from active customers of both Uber and Pathao in Dhaka city by two pair of questionnaires dividing 216 respondents in two parts (108 in each) by face-to-face and online survey throughout August-November 2018 by 15 closed-ended and 1 open-ended questions. Non probability purposive sampling technique has been utilized for ease of collecting specific users’ data. This technique has been used as to grab the essential insights and level of satisfaction regarding specific two app based ride sharing service companies conducted upon university students, service persons, entrepreneurs and other active commuters aged 18 to 65 and more. This technique also supported the ease of data in Dhaka city with chain referral process locating Uber and Pathao rides commuters effectively; otherwise it would be more time consuming and difficult to only active commuters of two Five teams of 20 volunteer students of both and were recruited by the researchers to collect survey data from Uber and Pathao rides passengers for four months in Dhaka city by non-probability purposive sampling, as respondents are selected based on consent and most importantly they have to be the active commuter of these two prominent ride-sharing service provider. The teams were responsible for collecting data by their university acquaintances, friends, surrounding peers through online and face-to-face questionnaire distribution and the researcher announced some gifts for the team gathering highest data collection. 228 questionnaires were collected in total but 216 were readily useable with completeness.