A value-function-based model for evaluating the passenger satisfaction in the flexible community bus problem

Measuring the satisfaction is a complicated task because humans are of bounded rationality. The relationship between operational costs and passenger satisfaction has not been established neither in the definition of satisfaction based on customer perceptions nor in the studies using the definition based on specifications in operation research (OR) models. We will align the passenger requirements and cognition with the specifications used in OR models by applying the value function of prospect theory. In our paper, the reference point hypothesis of prospect theory is applied to measure the level of satisfaction for the flexible community bus problem, which can overcome the one-sidedness of traditional satisfaction evaluation either defined by specification or by user perceptions. The aim is to insert as many as unexpected passengers as possible within certain satisfaction level. The numerical results proof that the flexible route plan can insert more unexpected passengers with lower cost and higher passenger satisfaction compared with the fixed and timetabled route. It is also revealed the model has strong adaptability and can be applied in various groups by adjusting the specified satisfaction level.