Exploring Passengers’ Perceptions of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway Madaraka Express Ticketing Communication
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Date
2024
Authors
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Publisher
Daystar University, School of Communication
Abstract
This study explored Kenya Standard Gauge Railway passengers’ views, perceptions, satisfaction with the communication, and the communication barriers encountered during ticket booking. The research objectives that guided the study were to examine passengers' views and perceptions regarding the SGR Madaraka Express ticketing process. To assess passengers’ satisfaction with the communication of the ticketing process of the SGR Madaraka Express. To establish the communication barriers passengers encounter during the SGR Madaraka Express ticketing process. The study employed the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to enhance its validity and relevance, providing a structured approach to understanding passengers’ experiences and perceptions. Exploratory research design amenable to a qualitative research approach was beneficial. Purposive sampling, a non-probability sampling technique, was applied, aligning with the qualitative approach when the researcher aims to gain detailed knowledge about a specific phenomenon rather than making statistical inferences when the population is tiny or specific. A sample size of 18 frequent SGR Madaraka Express passengers was utilized. The study employed interviews with open-ended questions designed to allow deeper exploration of participants’ perspectives and feelings and elicit emotions for rich qualitative data. Thematic analysis was considered as it fitted well within the study’s research design. The research findings indicate that while passengers value the convenience, user-friendliness, and efficiency of electronic booking platforms, several communications carriers and system inefficiencies significantly affect their overall satisfaction. Key issues include payment processing errors, website malfunctions, and unresponsive customer support, contributing to passenger frustration and uncertainty about travel status. Furthermore, unclear ticket information, inadequate transparency regarding cancellation and refund policies, and rigid ticketing procedures intensify dissatisfaction. The study’s findings emphasize the critical need for enhancing communication strategies to address these challenges effectively. By addressing these communication challenges, SGR Madaraka Express will not only resolve current issues but also align the ticketing process to achieve higher levels of passenger satisfaction and confidence and meet passengers' expectations, fostering a more positive, smooth booking and efficient travel experience. Therefore, this study recommends that Kenya Railways should redesign the USSD code system with a user-friendly interface and longer session timeouts to improve communication, enhance accessibility for less tech-savvy users and expand payment options beyond M-pesa to accommodate diverse customer preferences globally, implement real-time booking confirmations and AI-driven chatbots to provide immediate responses, enhance transparency in pricing decisions, improve on-site customer support with multilingual communication and improve user guide and policies to offer detailed user information and understanding of the booking process with flexible refund and rescheduling policies.
Description
MASTER OF ARTS in Communication
Keywords
Passengers’ Perceptions, Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway Madaraka Express Ticketing Communication, Communication barriers, Ticket booking.
Citation
Ndanu, K. I. (2024). Exploring Passengers’ Perceptions of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway Madaraka Express Ticketing Communication. Daystar University, School of Communication