| Abstract [eng] |
In recent years, much attention has been paid to research on the value of public services and customer experience. An analysis of the scientific literature reveals that public transport services are as relevant and important in research as they are in everyday life. Researchers point out that value can be understood as value for the consumer (individual value) or for society as a whole (public value), they emphasize the importance of the consumer in the process of service provision, and underline that the benefits to the members of society are the most important element (Gaulė et. al., 2023). Public services are an integral part of people’s daily lives. Public transport services are essential services that facilitate accessibility for the population of an area, and in order to encourage people to choose public transport services, an attractive, accessible public transport system must be offered (Ranceva ir Ušpalytė-Vitkūnienė, 2021). The integrated public transport services system of Tauragė region was chosen for the analysis of the master‘s final degree project because Tauragė region in Lithuania is the first and so far the only one out of ten regions in the country to have developed a sustainable regional mobility system and to provide integrated public transport services to its residents. The region`s public transport services are organized by a joint public body of the region municipalities called „Žaliasis regionas“. The final project focuses on bus services since the organization of public transport in the region is linked (only) to bus services. The idea, based on the cooperation of Tauragė region municipalities, was successfully implemented and has become a good example for other municipalities in the country. In order to find out whether the integrated public transport system of Tauragė region municipalities creates value for residents of the region, the expectations and needs of the residents that use services, how the population itself evaluates the quality of the services received, etc., are analyzed. Therefore, this final project examines the value created by the integrated public transport system for the residents and explores how residents perceive their experience of these services. This final project presents a theoretical model of the customer value created by an integrated public transport system, consisting of the key elements of value creation. The model is complemented in other parts of the project considering perceived customer value insights. It also analyses the specific case of public transport services in Tauragė region municipalities in order to examine the value created by the integrated public transport services system for the residents. The research problem – what value does the integrated public transport system create for the residents of Tauragė region municipalities? The object of the research – the value created by the integrated public transport services system for the residents of Tauragė region municipalities. The aim of the project – to identify the value created by the integrated public transport services system for the residents of Tauragė region municipalities. Objectives of the project: 1. to perform a theoretical analysis of the value created by the integrated public transport service system for the residents of the region. 2. to examine the strategic documents and legal regulation of the integrated public transport service system and the value it creates for residents. 3. to carry out an empirical study of the value created by the integrated public transport service system for the residents of the Tauragė region municipalities. Research methods used in the project – analysis of the scientific literature, analysis of the strategic documents and legal acts, modelling, questionnaire survey. The first chapter analyzes the concept of public services and the value created by public transport services for residents. The second chapter examines the strategic and legal documents of public transport services and analyzes examples of good practices of integrated public transport systems. The third chapter provides an analysis of the value created by the integrated public transport service system of the Tauragė region, presents the methodology of the empirical study and the data analysis of the research conducted in the municipalities of the Tauragė region. The results of the study showed that the integrated public transport system in Tauragė region enables the residents of the region to reach their workplaces, educational establishments or other places of services and meets the needs of the residents. The most important elements of the value created by this system for the residents are safety, value for money, the e-ticketing system, and the accessibility of the service to all residents of the region. After summarizing the results of the conducted research, conclusions and recommendations are presented to the following interested parties: the municipalities of the Tauragė region, the public institution "Žaliasis regionas", researchers studying the value of public transport services for the user. The final project ends with a list of the scientific literature and information sources used. |
