Exploring satisfaction/dissatisfaction and public confidence in ITS environment

Abstract

With the advent of the Internet and Mobile Communications, the nature of communication has changed significantly over the past few decades .The promotion of technologies among the common people has been found to be an important element of public policy to reduce the digital divide. The rapid advancement of information technology (IT), automation systems and data communications systems leads to improvement of intelligent transport systems (ITS). ITS covers all branches of transportation and involves all dynamically interacting elements of transportation system, i.e. transport means, infrastructure, drivers and commuters. However, few researches have been carried out in the context of public sectors, especially that involving ITS. The purpose of this study is to investigate the justice dimensions that influence satisfaction and public confidence in the context of ITS and to explore implications to Citizen/Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and public policy. This study investigates the following research questions: i) Do levels of perceived justice (distributive, procedural and interactional) in ITS environment affect levels of satisfaction/dissatisfaction? ii) Do levels of satisfaction form ITS affect levels of public confidence? iii) Do levels of dissatisfaction form ITS affect levels of willingness to complain? iv) Do levels of dissatisfaction form ITS affect levels of complaining behavior? v) Do levels of complaining behavior in ITS environment affect levels of satisfaction with complaint handling when the complaints are resolved based on three dimensions (distributive, procedural and interactional)of justice? vi) Do levels of willingness to complain in ITS environment affect levels of public confidence? vii) Do levels of satisfaction with complaint handling in ITS environment affect levels of public confidence? The findings of this study imply that ITS users are more importantly perceive to equity and equality issues, or distributive justice. The employment of ITS should not be limited to the technical aspects of ITS, but should focus more attention on the subjective domain of justice. The results of this study also have important implications for public complaint handling in terms of increasing public satisfaction with ITS, which is crucial for CRM.