Abstract:

The research is aimed at examining the influence of service experience dimensions like brand name of transporter and past experience on passenger patronage of transit companies in the South-South region of Nigeria. The survey research design was adopted for the study and primary data were collected through the usage of questionnaires. A sample of 310 respondents made up of outbound passengers, from 47 registered transport companies operating within the South-South region, were used for the study. The simple regression analysis was used to ascertain the level of relationship between the independent and dependent variables at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings showed that the two dimensions of service experience have a positive significant influence on passenger patronage of transit companies. It was concluded that brand name of transporter and past experience were significant positive predictors of passenger patronage of transit companies. It was recommended that transporters should recognize that passengers patronage of transit companies was to a large extent determined by the image of the brand in the mind of customers, hence creating a good impression on service encounters should be a goal as passengers share their experiences and impressions when they have used a service. These experiences and impressions can be both positive and negative experiences and impressions, where the providers are often not present to defend their brand name.