Riding the Wave of Satisfaction: Exploring Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in Ride-Hailing Services
Abstract
In Malaysia, ride-hailing services like Grab Car increasingly supplement public transport. This study examines how five service quality dimensions—tangibility, empathy, responsiveness, reliability, and assurance—affect customer satisfaction. Using a quantitative method, data were collected via an online survey of 100 respondents and analyzed through regression analysis. The results show that perceived service reliability (? = 0.345, p < 0.001) and assurance (? = 0.439, p < 0.001) significantly and directly influence customer satisfaction, explaining 50.3% of the variance (R² = 0.503). Empathy (? = 0.517) and responsiveness (? = 0.355) influence satisfaction indirectly through reliability, while tangibility (? = 0.415) and responsiveness (? = 0.365) do so through assurance. However, tangibility does not significantly affect reliability, and empathy does not influence assurance. These findings suggest that improving reliability and assurance, supported by other service dimensions, can enhance customer satisfaction. This research offers practical insights for public transport and ride-hailing services to strengthen service quality and increase customer loyalty.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Ab Majid, R., Said, R., Sahray, K., Mustafar, S., & Kaspin, M. (2022, October). Towards Sustainable Public Transportation Cost in Malaysia. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 1067, No. 1, p. 012017). IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1067/1/012017
Adam, M., Kee, D. M. H., Junaina, I., Fadhilah, N., Uwais, N., Al Rashidi, F., ... & Pandey, R. (2020). The influence of customer satisfaction on Grab services in Malaysia. International journal of Tourism and hospitality in Asia Pasific, 3(2), 26-37. https://doi.org/10.32535/ijthap.v3i2.820
Al-Azzam, A. F. M. (2015). The impact of service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction: A field study of Arab bank in Irbid city, Jordan. European Journal of Business and Management, 7(15), 45-53.
Aldawood, A. S., & Al-Otaibi, A. (2010). Quality assurance practice impact on customers’ satisfaction: A case study in IIUM. In Knowledge Management International Conference 2010 (KMICe2010), 25-27 May 2010, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
Ann, D. Y. H., & Shafi, M. A. (2022). Factors influencing consumer satisfaction towards e-hailing service among Malaysian. Research in Management of Technology and Business, 3(2), 72-84. https://doi.org/10.30880/rmtb.2022.03.02.007
Aryani, D. N., Singh, P., Khor, Y. X., Kee, D. M. H., Selvia, K., Lee, C. W., ... & Anantharavoo, L. (2022). Factors influencing consumer behavioral intention to use food delivery services: A study of Foodpanda. Journal of the Community Development in Asia, 5(1), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.32535/jcda.v5i1.1386
Biesok, G., & Wyród-Wróbel, J. (2011). Customer satisfaction-Meaning and methods of measuring. In H. Howaniec, W. Waszkielewicz (Eds.), Marketing and Logistic Problems in the Management of Organization (pp. 23-41). Wydawnictwo Naukowe Akademii Techniczno-Humanistycznej w Bielsku-Bia?ej.
Bismo, A., Sarjono, H., & Ferian, A. (2018). The effect of service quality and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty: A study of grabcar services in Jakarta. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 26(1), 33-47.
Chen, C. F. (2008). Investigating structural relationships between service quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions for air passengers: Evidence from Taiwan. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 42(4), 709-717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2008.01.007
Delbosc, A. (2012). The role of well-being in transport policy. Transport Policy, 23, 25-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2012.06.005
Effendi, A. D. (2023). Analysis of Grab transportation services in Ciamis Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Khazanah Sosial, 5(1), 173-180.
Fonseca, F., Pinto, S., & Brito, C. (2010). Service quality and customer satisfaction in public transports. Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto. https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/handle/10216/71072
Grab Malaysia. (n.d.). E-Hailing Regulations FAQs | Grab MY. Grab. https://www.grab.com/my/e-hailing-regulations-faqs/
Grönroos, C. (2001). The perceived service quality concept–a mistake?. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 11(3), 150-152. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520110393386
Gruji?i?, D., Ivanovi?, I., Jovi?, J., & ?ori?, V. (2014). Customer perception of service quality in public transport. Transport, 29(3), 285-295. https://doi.org/10.3846/16484142.2014.951685
Hajduk, I., Poliak, M., & Gašparík, J. (2022). Quality of transport services and customer satisfaction measurement. Archiwum Motoryzacji, 96(2), 51-76. https://doi.org/10.14669/AM/151707
Hassan, M. U., Malik, A. A., Imran, M., Hasnain, A., & Abbas, J. (2013). Relationships among customers’ perceived service quality, satisfaction and loyalty in the retail banking sector of Pakistan. World Applied Sciences Journal, 24(8), 1020-1030. https://doi.org/10.5829/IDOSI.WASJ.2013.24.08.13254
Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., & Gremler, D. D. (2002). Understanding relationship marketing outcomes: An integration of relational benefits and relationship quality. Journal of Service Research, 4(3), 230-247. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670502004003006
Hui, G. K., Lim, S. H., Aronkar, P., Lim, W. S., Lin, X., Hashim, M. B. M., & Kee, D. M. H. (2024). Investigating the relationship between key factors and customer satisfaction in an online shopping platform. Journal of the Community Development in Asia, 7(2), 149-162. https://doi.org/10.32535/jcda.v7i2.3213
Kee, D. M. H., Al-Anesi, M., Chandran, S., Elanggovan, H., Nagendran, B., & Mariappan, S. (2021). COVID-19 as a double-edged sword: The perfect opportunity for GrabFood to optimize its performance. Journal of the Community Development in Asia, 4(1), 53-65. https://doi.org/10.32535/jcda.v4i1.998
Kee, D. M. H., Gan, Z. W., Chan, Y. Q., Lee, H. T., Tan, X. Y., & Lee, S. W. (2021). Customer satisfaction and brand loyalty: A case study of Nestlé. Advances in Global Economics and Business Journal, 2(1), 13-26.
Kee, D. M. H., Rusdi, S. A. F. M., Mokhtar, S. S., Ridzuan, S. A. M., & Abdullah, S. A. A. (2021). How Grab becomes one of the greatest start-ups in South-East Asia. International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 4(1), 73-81. https://doi.org/10.32535/ijthap.v4i1.1023
Kee, D. M. H., Veeraselvam, V. R. A., Vayapuri, V. A., Aisyah, U., A’ishah, T. A., Enakhifo, E., & Edeh, F. O. (2022). Contributing factors to customer satisfaction during the pandemic: A study of Foodpanda in Malaysia and Nigeria. International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality in Asia Pacific, 5(1), 21-33. https://doi.org/10.32535/ijthap.v5i1.1399
Kee, D. M. H., Zakiah, S. N. S., Nadhirah, A., Shamsuri, N. B., Syazana, N. A., & Nadia, N. I. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer satisfaction and business performance of Foodpanda. Advances in Global Economics and Business Journal, 2(1), 27-38.
Kurniawati, A., Shivaanii, M., Raj, S., Singh, J., & Singh, K. (2021). The study of customer satisfaction among Grab users in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic Journal of Business, 30-64.
Ladhari, R. (2009). A review of twenty years of SERVQUAL research. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 1(2), 172-198. https://doi.org/10.1108/17566690910971445
Lai, W. T., & Chen, C. F. (2011). Behavioral intentions of public transit passengers—The roles of service quality, perceived value, satisfaction and involvement. Transport Policy, 18(2), 318-325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2010.09.003
Lew, T. Y., Ling, L. H., Bin Mohd Fuad, A. A. R., Khan, A. B. A., Ismail, A. A. B., Hazaini, A. A. B. M., & Kee, D. M. H. (2024). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on customer satisfaction and business performance. Journal of the Community Development in Asia, 7(3), 482-498. https://doi.org/10.32535/jcda.v7i3.3502
Liou, Z. Y., Lok, Y. H., Teoh, K. B., Lim, J. T., Lim, K. E., Lim, P. E., & Kee, D. M. H. (2024). Influencing factors on customer behavioral intentions to use a food delivery app: A study of GrabFood in Malaysia. Advances in Global Economics and Business Journal, 5(1), 1-14.
Maryanto, R. H., & Kaihatu, T. S. (2021). Customer loyalty as an impact of perceived usefulness to grab users, mediated by customer satisfaction and moderated by perceived ease of use. Binus Business Review, 12(1), 31-39. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.21512/bbr.v12i1.6293
Mujahid, M., Nurdin, N., Riyadi, S., & Madewa, M. R. S. (2022). The influence of service quality and price perspective on customer satisfaction users of transport services online taxi car in Makassar City. International Journal of Health, Economics, and Social Sciences, 4(3), 187-196. https://doi.org/10.56338/ijhess.v4i3.2606
Ngoc, N. T. L., & Park, J. S. (2021). A study on the structural relations among factors influencing the adoption intention of Grab ride-hailing service in Vietnam. Korean Marketing Management Association Academic Conference, 53- 54.
Nguyen, D. T., Pham, V. T., Tran, D. M., & Pham, D. B. T. (2020). Impact of service quality, customer satisfaction and switching costs on customer loyalty. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 7(8), 395-405. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no8.395
Noor, N. M., Arshad, A. K., Jais, I. B. M., & Mustafa, M. (2014). An analysis of user satisfaction on public transport terminal based on users survey. In InCIEC 2013: Proceedings of the International Civil and Infrastructure Engineering Conference 2013 (pp. 369-376). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4585-02-6_32
Nur’Najmah, D. K., Menudin, P. H., & Laidey, N. M. (2019). Factors affecting customer’perception toward service quality of grab. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, 7(5), 55-62.
Obulemire, T. A., King’ori, P., & Ondiek, A. B. (2014). Applicability of SERVQUAL/rater model in assessment of service quality among local authorities in Kenya. International Journal of Economics, Commerce, and Management, II(12), 1-18.
Olawole, M. O. (2021). An empirical study of commuters’ satisfactions with taxi service quality in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 11, 100434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2021.100434
Othman, A. G., & Ali, K. H. (2020). Transportation and quality of life. Planning Malaysia, 18. https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v18i13.774
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. Journal of Marketing, 49(4), 41-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1251430
Pérez-Morón, J., Madan, S., Cheu, J. Y., Kee, D. M. H., Cheong, L.C., Chin, R., ... & Garcia, A. P. M. (2022). Effect of service quality and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty: A case study of Starbucks in Malaysia. International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality in Asia Pasific, 5(1), 62–74. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.32535/ijthap.v5i1.1402
Phuong, N. N. D., & Trang, T. T. D. (2018). Repurchase intention: The effect of service quality, system quality, information quality, and customer satisfaction as mediating role: a PLS approach of m-commerce ride hailing service in Vietnam. Marketing and Branding Research, 5, 78-91.
Prasoon, R., & Chaturvedi, K. R. (2016). Life satisfaction: A literature review. The Researcher-International Journal of Management Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(2), 25-32.
Ravi, T., Yusof, R., Koay, L. K., Teoh, Y. T., Thin, M. Y., Donold, T. A. A., Jannah, N. A. R., & Kee, D. M. H. (2024). Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in customer’s purchase intentions on GrabFood. International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality in Asia Pacific, 7(2), 120-133. http://doi.org/10.32535/ijthap.v7i2.3212
Salleh, H. S., Yusof, Y., Mohamed, W. N., Nik Mat, N. H., Ahnual, N. K., & Ali, M. H. (2021). Grabcar service quality: What matters most?. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 12(5).
Singh, E. K. A/P. J., Valin, E. K., Tony, E. A., Zulhelmi, E. D. B., Gautam, M., Dema, W., Nabila, B., …, & Yusof, R. (2023). Factors influencing consumer purchasing behaviour: A study of Honda. Asia Pacific Journal of Management and Education, 6(3), 75-88. https://doi.org/10.32535/apjme.v6i3.2668
Statista. (n.d.). Public Transportation - Malaysia | Statista market forecast. Statista. https://www.statista.com/outlook/mmo/shared-mobility/public- transportation/malaysia
Teo, B. C., Mustaffa, M. A., & Rozi, A. M. (2018). To grab or not to grab?: Passenger ride intention towards e-hailing services. Malaysian Journal of Consumer and Family Economics, 21(1), 153-163.
Waebuesar, A. M. E., Rosli, A. B., & Azmi, A. N. B. M. (2022). Customer satisfaction and brand loyalty: A survey of Nestlé. International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality in Asia Pasific, 5(2), 20-37. https://doi.org/10.32535/ijthap.v5i2.1577
Wahid, S. N. S., Dangi, M. R. M., Jabar, F., Muhamed, M. F. A. A., & Paino, H. (2017). Effect of tangibility and reliability service quality towards homestay customer satisfaction. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Environment Management, 2(5), 44-53.
Wilson, A., Zeithaml, V., Bitner, M. J., & Gremler, D. (2020). EBK: Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Service Across the Firm 4e. McGraw Hill.
Yo, P. W., Kee, D. M. H., Yu, J. W., Hu, M. K., Jong, Y. C., Ahmed, Z., ... & Nair, R. K. (2021). The influencing factors of customer satisfaction: A case study of Shopee in Malaysia. Studies of Applied Economics, 39(12), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.25115/eea.v39i12.6839
Zeithaml, V. A., Parasuraman, A., & Malhotra, A. (2002). Service quality delivery through web sites: a critical review of extant knowledge. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 30(4), 362-375. https://doi.org/10.1177/009207002236911
Zygiaris, S., Hameed, Z., Ayidh Alsubaie, M., & Ur Rehman, S. (2022). Service quality and customer satisfaction in the post pandemic world: A study of Saudi auto care industry. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 842141. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.842141
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32535/ijthap.v8i2.4010
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lay Hong Tan, Gai Sin Liem, Steven Sing, Vivian Sim, Wei Siang Sim, Siti Nur Allisya Nurulzaman Binti Abdull, Siti Nursyakiroh Binti Mohamed Ridzuan, Anees Janee Ali, Daisy Mui Hung Kee

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality in Asia Pacific (IJTHAP)
ISSN 2685-8800 (Print) | ISSN 2654-7945 (Online)
DOI Prefix: 10.32535 by CrossRef
Published by AIBPM Publisher
JL. Kahuripan No. 9, Hotel Sahid Montana, Malang, Indonesia
Email: journal.ijthap@gmail.com
Phone: +62 341 366222
Website: https://ejournal.aibpmjournals.com/index.php/IJTHAP
Governed by
Association of International Business and Professional Management
Email: admin@aibpm.org
Website: https://www.aibpm.org/
Licensing Information
International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality in Asia Pacific (IJTHAP) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License .