THE INFLUENCE OF PERCEIVED SERVICE QUALITY ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY AMONG PASSENGERS OF RAILWAY TRANSPORT SERVICES IN KENYA
Abstract
This study intended to establish the influence of perceived service quality on customer loyalty. It determined whether perceived service quality directly associated with customer loyalty among passengers of railway transport services in Kenya. The study adopted a pragmatism paradigm and utilized a descriptive, convergent mixed methods research design. A proportional stratified random sampling procedure was implemented to select samples from each railway service provider, ensuring that all subgroups were adequately represented within the sample. A total sample size of 357 respondents was achieved through simple random sampling. The study population consisted of all railway customers who had frequently utilized passenger services in Kenya. Data collection was facilitated through a self-administered questionnaire. A pilot study was conducted to assess the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data. The study results indicated that there existed a moderate positive relationship between perceived service quality and customer loyalty. The relationship between perceived service quality and customer loyalty was robust and significant (F=147.444, p-value≤0.05). The study concluded that an increase in perceived service quality is positively correlated with higher levels of customer loyalty. This indicates that enhancements in service quality dimensions have a positive impact on customer loyalty.
Keywords: Perceived Service Quality, Customer Loyalty, Railway Transport Services, Kenya
CITATION: King’ola, A., Njeru, W., Kibera, F., &Musyoka, R. (2025). The influence of perceived service quality on customer loyalty among passengers of railway transport services in Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 12 (1), 229 – 236. http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v12i1.3182
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v12i1.3182
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