Faculty of Economic Sciences, Communication and IT

Marie HalvardssonCarl-Fredrik Herö

Is the Bus Running Late?

New Technological Solutions in the Transportation Sector

Service Management Bachelor Thesis – C level

Date/Term: Spring 2007Supervisors: Carolina Camén

Patrik Gottfridsson

Karlstads universitet 651 88 KarlstadTfn 054-700 10 00 Fax 054-700 14 60

Information@kau.se www.kau.se

Preface

This thesis is the result of a lot of hard work, but also a lot of inspiration and laugher, during a few intense weeks in the spring of 2007.

We would like to thank our supervisors Carolina Camén and Patrik Gottfridsson at CTF - Service Research Center at Karlstad Univerity for their guidance and support during the entire process.

Furthermore we would like to thank Karlstadsbuss, with a special thought to those responsible for Live, for the opportunity, and the commission, to conduct this study regarding Live.

Finally we would like to thank family and friends whom had to share our attention with this thesis. Your support made us reach the goalline.

Karlstad 11 june 2007

____________________________________ ____________________________________Marie Halvardsson Carl-Fredrik Herö

Abstract From having relied on its employees in the interaction with customers, the service industry now move towards an increased adoption of technology to enhance the value of the service offering to the customer. This development has also reached the public transport sector which is traditionally seen as low-tech. In this study we investigate how the customers experience the use of high-tech supporting services within a low-tech context. The case that is used is the city-bus transport provider Karlstadsbuss who provide a high-tech supporting service called Live, which delivers real-time information on bus departures through a website, a WAPsite, and electronic boards at certain bus stops. Focused group interviews were used to get in-dept information from commuters of how they perceive Live. Results show that respondents do not use Live website or WAPsite because the information is not worth the effort of use. Commuters question the service because many buses do not run according to the Live-schedule. Still the commuters say they benefit from Live because it contributes alternative ways of finding departure times, and it presents an overview of departure options. However, if the information is in real-time or not is of secondary importance.

Table of Contents1.1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................... 21.2 PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTION...................................................................................................................... 31.3 DELIMITATIONS...................................................................................................................................................31.4 CASE PRESENTATION........................................................................................................................................... 31.5 THESIS OUTLINE.................................................................................................................................................4

2. METHOD.............................................................................................................................................................5

2.1 INTERVIEWS, FOCUS GROUPS OR OBSERVATIONS..................................................................................................... 52.2 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DATA......................................................................................................................... 62.3 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE............................................................................................................................6

2.3.1 Degree of Structure and Moderation..................................................................................................... 62.3.2 Developing Questions.............................................................................................................................62.3.3 Recruiting Participants.......................................................................................................................... 72.3.4 Group Construction................................................................................................................................8

2.4 DATA ANALYSIS.................................................................................................................................................82.5 DISCUSSION OF TRUSTWORTHINESS........................................................................................................................ 9

2.5.1 Credibility...............................................................................................................................................92.5.2 Transferability........................................................................................................................................ 92.5.3 Dependability....................................................................................................................................... 102.5.4 Confirmability...................................................................................................................................... 102.5.5 Criticism of the Sources....................................................................................................................... 10

3. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES................................................................................................................ 12

3.1 ASPECTS OF TECHNOLOGY READINESS AND CULTURE............................................................................................ 123.1.1 Value in Services.................................................................................................................................. 13

3.2 THE SERVICE OFFERING.....................................................................................................................................143.2.1 The Service Concept.............................................................................................................................143.2.2 Basic Service Package..........................................................................................................................143.2.3 Service Process and Service System.....................................................................................................15

3.3 SERVICE QUALITY.............................................................................................................................................163.4 TECHNOLOGY-BASED SERVICE............................................................................................................................173.5 SELF-SERVICE TECHNOLOGIES............................................................................................................................ 18

3.5.1 Customer Assessment of Technology-Based Service Encounters........................................................ 193.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................................... 19

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION........................................................................................................................21

4.1 WHAT KIND OF SERVICE IS LIVE?...................................................................................................................... 214.1.1 Live From a Service Management Perspective....................................................................................21

4.2 HIGH-TECH SUPPORTING SERVICE.......................................................................................................................224.2.1 Customer Assessment of Technology-Based Service ...........................................................................224.2.2 Service Quality..................................................................................................................................... 25

4.3 TECHNOLOGY-READINESS................................................................................................................................... 29

5. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS...................................................................32

5.1 MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS................................................................................................................................335.2 FUTURE RESEARCH........................................................................................................................................... 34

6. REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................. 35

Appendix1. Question guide (in Swedish)2. How Live works and WAP usage in Sweden3. Summaries from the focus groups4. German summary

1. Introduction and Research ProblemIn this section we present the background of the problem and research question that is investigated in this study. Furthermore we present the purpose of the study, its limitations, the case that is studied, and the thesis outline.

1.1 Introduction and Background The technological development during the past decade has made it possible for companies and other organizations to reach their customers and business interests in new ways (Cunliffe, 2000). At the same time the use of computers and the Internet in private homes increases, which might indicate that people are more comfortable with the use of technological interfaces.

Increased use of technological solutions has in many ways changed the way we understand services and how services are delivered. As an example the use of internet has to a greater extent enabled customers to compare, and in some cases, test services before they decide to buy them. For firms delivering services, the Internet presents a possibility to expand to other markets, and to offer new core services, supporting services, and facilitating services. At the same time the risk of additional competitors increase due to the fact that many Internet based services often have low barriers to entry (Echeverri & Edvardsson, 2002).

Technology is a means to produce services in a more efficient way, often enhancing the value of the service for the customer. However, technological solutions are not enough. Behind every service, technology-based or not, there has to be a customer demand, sometimes the customer is not aware of this demand, and thus it can be created by the service company (Edvardsson, 1997).

The service industry has formerly been recognized as a “low-tech, high-touch” industry where the front-line personnel are the key resource in a company. Self-service technologies change the way customers and service personnel act in the service encounter. In some encounters the customer takes a more active role and in extreme cases produces the entire service alone (as in self-scanning in supermarkets), in other encounters the technology helps the staff with more information to make them reach better decisions (as in Customer Relationship Management databases) (Meuter et al., 2000; Lovelock & Wirtz, 2007).

The introduction of high-tech support services in low-tech industries is of particular interest in this study. Technology does not only enable new services to be developed, many low-tech industries are now trying to increase customer satisfaction and, in the end, profitability by introducing high-tech support services (Dabholkar et al., 2003). Retailing is one example of a low-tech industry where the technology infusion, through supporting services like self-scanning, has increased customers control, reliability and ease of use (Dabholkar et al., 2003).

City bus transportation is another typically low-tech service, the timetable is presented in a static paperback brochure and it is not possible for commuters to know in advance if the bus runs according to schedule or not. It is not until today that some transport companies have used new technology to make travelling easier for their customers. Karlstadsbuss is a city bus company in Sweden who ofers their commuter the possibility to know, in real-time, when the bus leaves the stop. Through an Internet website, a WAPsite1 or by electronic boards at the

1 Wireless Application Protocol

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bus stops the customers can immediately see if the bus is on its way and if so within how many minutes.

1.2 Purpose and Research Question

The service Live by Karlstadsbuss is a way of delivering real-time departure information to their commuters. A recent study showed that only 13% of the commuters in Karlstad knew what Live is and only half of these actually use the website and WAPsite of this service (Attityd i Karlstad, 2006).

The purpose of this study is to investigate how customers perceive the introduction of new high-tech supporting services in traditional low-tech industries.

To find out how the customers perceive a high-tech service within the low-tech industry we use the case of Karlstadsbuss and Live, the research question of this study is as follows:

How does the service Live contribute to customer’s perception of the service offering by Karlstadsbuss?

1.3 DelimitationsThis study is limited to the real-time information service offered by Karlstadsbuss. Although there are similar services offered by other companies in other cities in Sweden, we have not, due to time-constraints, carried out any comparison study.

Customers perception of the service Live is the important issue in this study. Because of this we do not investigate other aspects of Karlstadsbuss such as its organization, or its service personnel. Furthermore, we do not intend to investigate any technical aspects of the service such as the user-friendliness of the website and WAPsite. The sources or causes to problems stressed by our respondents are not verified with Karlstadsbuss. We do not take a position on how well Karlstadsbuss have succeeded with their service, we only present the different opinions expressed by respondents in the focus groups.

1.4 Case PresentationIn Karlstad, a city of more than 80000 inhabitants (www.karlstad.se), the public transport within the city is handled by Karlstadsbuss. The company is controlled by the local government, not by the administrative province (county) which is the most common arrangement in the rest of Sweden when it comes to public transport. In 2006 commuters travelled with Karlstadsbuss 4 284 735 times. Karlstadsbuss wish to expand the amount of travels further and continue to be ranked high in surveys on how people perceive their service performance2.

The buses are run by an external contractor providing buses and drivers. However, Karlstadsbuss and the contractor have agreed on certain goals to guarantee a perceived high quality by the customer. The four main criteria is kind reception, clean and tidy buses and reliable and safe to ride with Karlstadsbuss3.

2 Interview with personnel responsible for Live 26 April 20073 Ibid

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Karlstadsbuss have since 1994 provided electronic boards (e-boards) on more crowded bus stops. The first years the e-boards only displayed departure time according to the static timetable. A couple of years later the system was upgraded and the electronic boards have since then displayed calculated real-time departure time. In 2004 the service expanded to offer the same information on Internet and through WAP. At the same time Karlstadsbuss created the brand “Live!” instead of the often used label “Real-time”, to get a less technical feeling to it4. A more detailed presentation of the service Live is included in Appendix 2.

1.5 Thesis OutlineThe thesis outline is presented in order to guide the reader through this thesis and to give a quick overview of the different chapters.

Introduction and research problemIn chapter 1 we present the background of this thesis and the purpose together with the research question. We also give a short presentation of the study-case.

MethodThe method chapter presents how the study was carried out. We also discuss the trustworthiness of this study.

Theoretical perspectivesIn the third chapter we present the theoretical perspectives that our analysis is based upon. The chapter ends with a model of our theoretical framework.

Results and DiscussionIn chapter 4 we present our findings and connect them to the framework model.

ConclusionsThe last chapter presents our conclusions and managerial implications. We also answer our research question, and finish the chapter with proposals for future research.

4 Interview with personnel responsible for Live 26 April 2007

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2. MethodIn this chapter the research process and the methodology used to collect data for the research is described. Before research process is explained, we discuss the different methods that can be used in a qualitative research; interviews, focus groups and observations, and why we decided to use focus groups. The chapter ends with a description of how the data was analysed and a discussion about the trustworthiness of the study.

The method approach used in scientific research is often divided into quantitative or qualitative. Researchers that use a quantitative approach search for general information that can be presented in numbers. These figures are meant to be applied to a whole population and to give “the bigger picture” of a certain phenomenon. The data is collected using questions with given answers, these questions are easy to categorize and statistical methods are often used to find numerical descriptors like mean and standard deviation. The problem with quantitative methods is that they cannot answer any in-depth questions (Jacobsen, 2002).

The opposite of a quantitative method is a qualitative method. A qualitative method is used when researchers want to gain a deeper understanding of a phenomenon, and when the researchers are more open to unexpected answers. The data could be collected using interviews, focus groups or observations. The problem with this method is that the result is often very narrow and sometimes only valid for the specific object that has been investigated (Jacobsen, 2002).

The two methods also differ in what way the research is carried out. To use a quantitative method the researchers have to categorize and structurize the answers before the investigation, while the qualitative method demands the data to be categorized after the data has been collected (Jacobson, 2002).

The choice of method should be answered by the purpose of the research (Jacobsen, 2002). We want to find out what bus travelers think about the service Live and how they perceive it; we cannot know in advance what answers we are going to get. This is why we need to use the qualitative method.

2.1 Interviews, Focus Groups or ObservationsQualitative research can use interviews, focus groups or observations (Jacobsen, 2002). The interview is a conversation between the researcher and the respondent and can be used when the opinion of the single individual is of interest. The interview is useful because the researcher can ask attendant questions to gain a deeper understanding. The focus group is much like an interview and at the same time a guided group discussion. In this situation the researcher acts more as a chairman than an interviewer, moderating the discussion instead of just asking questions (Morgan, 1998a). Observations are basically a method to investigate how people behave, not what they say or how they perceive a phenomenon (Jacobsen, 2002).

Focus groups are also particularly useful when experiences from certain circumstances are of interest (Jacobsen, 2002). An interview is often formal and the respondent does not always think through his or her answers, a focus group on the other hand, can trigger a chain of thoughts and the participants can help each other to express their experiences in more detail which would not be possible in a regular interview (Jacobsen, 2002). Focus groups enable us to find out how different actions are motivated, understand differences between people, and to

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find out how participants in a group together respond to a phenomenon or subject (Wibeck, 2000). The focus groups included bus commuters in Karlstad, both those who use Live from the Internet and WAP, and those who only use the e-boards.

2.2 Primary and Secondary DataData collected from focus groups are sometimes referred to as primary data, which means that the researcher has collected the data for its particular purpose. The other source of information is secondary data, data collected from other researches with a different purpose. An academic research should use both kinds of data since they can strengthen or reject each others results. It is also important to backup the conclusions from the research from prior results in similar researches (Jacobsen, 2002).

2.3 Data Collection Procedure

2.3.1 Degree of Structure and ModerationConcerns regarding what degree of structure to use in focus groups can be answered by the purpose of the study. If the aim is to find answers to predetermined questions a more structured form is recommended, but if the goal is to explore new subjects a less structured form is of better use (Morgan, 1998a). The degree of structure of the focus groups in this study was chosen to be of the more structured kind, but not to the most extreme design. The reason for this was because we needed customers opinions about the service Live, and at the same time find out how and why the service is being used. We used a structured interview guide to enable us to gain answers to the most important questions, but at the same time it was allowed for the respondents to discuss more freely about themes which seemed important to them, even if these were not included in the question guide.

The same moderator was used with all groups to avoid biases that might be caused by changing moderator. Structured interviews demand an active moderator who can keep the group on track, whilst a less structured group depends on a moderator who can help them on the way towards finding new ideas about the subject at hand (Morgan, 1998b). As we were two people working on this study one of us acted as moderator whilst the other made notes during the interviews and only interacted when asked by the moderator. The notes were used as backup to the recording of the interviews, an example being to note when the participants were nodding as agreeing to a statement, because this is not heard on tape. At the beginning of every session we asked for permission to tape the conversation, and we explained that the data used would be completely anonymous.

At the beginning of each meeting we allowed for the participants to have coffee, juice and a sandwich or cinnamon-bun to accomplish a less formal feeling. They were asked to fill out a small questionnaire to make them think about the subject at hand.

2.3.2 Developing QuestionsThe question guide was developed by categorising the questions into opening, introductory, transition, key, and ending questions, much like Krueger has suggested (Krueger 1998). This was done to make moderation easier, and to make sure that all questions filled their purpose. The question guide is attached in Appendix 1.

When the first draft was finished, we asked a few people to examine if the questions answered our purpose, and some of the questions had to be revised. When we had a set of questions ready we decided to try them in the first focus group. In the test group we were able to check

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almost all questions except those connected to the WAP function, due to the fact that none of the respondents had used it. After the test group, some of the questions were deleted and some had to be added. To change questions between groups is generally avoided, this to be able to compare the results and to see contrasts in answers (Krueger 1998) There are, however, situations when one might consider changing questions. Krueger (1998) suggests that when a question clearly does not work it should be replaced, and if past responds lead to another level it might open for developing more questions to be asked in following groups. This is very much what happened in our trial-session; we discovered topics that had to be addressed and realized that some of the questions had to be revised in order to clarify them.

Because of our choice to have groups consisting of different constellations of users and non-users, we had to adjust the questions to the group at hand, but we had the same moderating question form (Appendix 1) as base for all groups.

Before the session started, we gave background information to our group participants to avoid tacit assumptions. The participants often want to know why they are gathered and need to know the purpose of the session in order to be able to figure out how and in what manner they can respond to questions, and also to be able to feel comfortable talking to the others and expressing their opinions (Krueger 1998). The amount of information given was adjusted to the knowledge level of the group at hand.

2.3.3 Recruiting ParticipantsWe needed to find commuters in Karlstad who were either users or non-users of Live on internet and WAP, this to find out both how users perceive this part of the service, and also what the reasons are to why some commuters do not use the service. We experienced difficulties during the recruitment and therefore used more than one method to find respondents.

First we decided on using open solicitation to target the “Live on internet”- and WAP-users. We tried to reach users of the website and WAPsite by placing an advertisement asking for help on the Karlstadsbuss homepage and the Live homepage. Open solicitation can be useful when one is seeking participants of a specific category but they can not be located. Open solicitation was not as successful as we thought it would be. The advertisement was on the homepage for three weeks and had about 200 hits resulting in only two group participants.

We also performed random sampling at different bus stops within the city. During eight days of three weeks of the recruitment period we asked people at different bus stops if they would like to participate in this study. We made no difference between commuters and asked as many as we could before their bus arrived. We were astonished to see that almost no one was interested to participate, simply because they did not know what Live was, or did not feel they had time to participate; in general people seemed disinterested in the subject. When we contacted the four people collected by this method a second time to confirm their participation, only one could still participate.

The results of recruitment at bus stops caused a need to further adjust the method for sampling. This time we tried referrals, which is a way of using other persons as sources for potential participants (Morgan, (1998b). We contacted people who we knew had used the Live website or WAPsite, and also asked people that we knew travelled by bus on a regular basis. We asked known users if they knew other users that we could contact. Referrals gave us 13 participants.

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To reduce the risk of participants not showing up at the session we rang each respondent the day before, or in the morning of the day of the interview. This was very successful resulting in only two people, both in different groups, not showing up due to other obligations.

2.3.4 Group ConstructionMorgan (1998b) claims that the typical group size should be six to ten participants, Wibeck (2000) on the other hand recommends a minimum of four and a maximum of six participants. Because we were not able to assemble the participants on fewer occasions than four, we had to use two groups with only three participants. This is not solely negative, small groups open for more time for each individual, which makes it possible to hear more about the experiences from each person (Morgan, 1998b).

The optimal number of groups is three to five (Morgan, 1998b; Wibeck, 2000). More than five groups are often not necessary since less new information will be obtained for every performed group discussion.

In total we did four interviews described in the table presented below.

Users of WAP/Internet Non-users Group 1 (test) 1 2Group 2 4Group 3 3Group 4 2 3

2.4 Data AnalysisFirst we transcribed all interviews to a level where the statements were written as they were said. Second, we went through all transcripts independent from each other, marked statements which were of interest to the research question and also noted if other subjects of particular interest to the respondents were discussed intensely although not being an answer to a question asked by the moderator. Third we compared the results and found that we had marked almost exactly the same statements and issues. Fourth, we sorted these statements into categories discussing different aspects of Live in relation to the theoretical framework. Finally we present these results in chapter 4 Results and Discussion. In the discussion we use quotes from the focus groups to a large extend to backup our analysis.

Focus groups are meant to be more of a group discussion between people than an interview. This way the participants can feel more comfortable and talk more freely about the subject at hand, which often result in a more spoken language than an interview may have. The quotations in chapter four can therefore sometimes be difficult to read because we sought not to alter the quotes. However, because the focused group discussions were conducted in Swedish and the results are presented in English we found that it was necessary to translate the quotes.

2.5 Discussion of TrustworthinessTo be able to claim that a study is trustworthy, the researchers need to show an awareness of the possible strengths and weaknesses in the research (Arbnor & Bjerke, 1994).

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Trustworthiness is often described using the terms reliability and validity, mostly for quantitative research, but also qualitative research (Jacobsen, 2002). Reliability aims to secure that the result will be the same independently of who performs the study, and if the study is performed repeatedly. Validity aims to confirm that the researchers have measured what they intended to measure. The validity also concern the possibility of generalization of the results, that is, if the result is valid for other situations than the one described in the particular study.

However it has been discussed whether a qualitative study can be judged using these concepts (Bryman & Bell, 2005). Therefore our discussion of trustworthiness uses the criteria presented by Lincoln and Guba found in Bryman and Bell (2005). The reasons for this are that these better reflect the characteristics of qualitative research. The terms used are: credibility (correspondent to internal validity), transferability (correspondent to external validity), dependability (reliability), and confirmability (objectivity).

2.5.1 CredibilityCredibility corresponds to the internal validity, that is the degree to which there is a possibility to generalize from the results (Bryman & Bell 2005)

We believe that it is possible to come to some general practical conclusions from the results of this study. It is however difficult to implicate any safe theoretical conclusions because the amount of respondents is not large enough. These opinions are based on the fact that there was an even distribution between sexes, and both young as well as adults have contributed. There were however no respondents over the age of 52 due to trouble of recruiting at that age level. This may have affected the conclusions, especially with regards to technology-readiness. Overall the focus groups all came much to the same conclusions, we therefore find that additional groups would not have affected the results of the study to a large extent.

It is possible that the results of this study were affected by the number of people participating in each group. However, this affect can be both positive and negative because in small groups everybody can express their opinions, at the same time there is a loss of group dynamics that might enhance richness of discussion (Morgan, 1998b).

We recorded every session and this might have caused the respondents to ”hold on” to some of their thoughts. Even though everybody agreed to the recording, and at the end of the session when asked if the recorder had affected the discussion at all they said no, it is still possible that it might have affected them.

There is always the possibility that the respondents can misinterpret the questions asked. Because the interviews concerned more than one person we believe that this source of error is minimized because potential misinterpretations could immediately be discussed within the groups.

2.5.2 TransferabilityTransferability correspond to external validity, that is the degree to which there is a possibility to transfer the results of the study to other situations (Bryman & Bell 2005)

We believe that the results from our study can be applied to similar situations, by this we mean through the practical application for other bus companies. We base this on the fact that

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we have described Swedes opinions concerning time and punctuality which is affecting both commuters and drivers. Furthermore we have described the use of WAP in Sweden (Appendix 2) which is not exclusively for Karlstad, it is however important to remember that the use of WAP has had a sharp increase since year 2005 and our interpretation, based on these facts, can be out of date very soon.

There are other characteristics that need to be examined in the new situation to be able to apply the results from this study. The respondents mention that Karlstad is a small city with relatively few bus lines making it easy to remember the lines they travel most frequently. This situation is specific to Karlstad and must be examined in the new area if the results are to be transferred.

2.5.3 DependabilityDependability is comparable to reliability. To ensure dependability Guba and Lincoln find that it should be possible for researchers to audit a study in order to be able to judge it. To make this possible, researcher must present a thorough and accessible description of the research process (Bryman & Bell, 2005) In the chapter on method we have included all parts of the research process, and furthermore enclose the questions that were used (Appendix 1), because of this we find that it will be possible for others to replicate the study to a great extent. However, because human beings are all unique an additional study would be somewhat different.

2.5.4 ConfirmabilityConfirmability is the section in which the researcher has the possibility to verify and confirm the procedure of the research and concern the discussion of whether the researcher has tried to be objective and have not let personal opinions affect the empirical findings and conclusions. Because qualitative research is based upon the spoken word of the respondent, the interpretation by the researcher is important in the conclusions of the study (Bryman & Bell 2005).

We have aimed to keep a neutral language, both body- and verbal language. At the beginning of each session we briefly described how the service works in plain facts. During the analysis we avoided the use of quotations if questions where perceived as leading, these are not included in the results. We believe that we have not let any personal opinions affected the findings to a questionable degree, but we are however aware of the fact that it is never possible to reach complete objectivity, regardless of method used or procedure of a study.

2.5.5 Criticism of the SourcesA scientific research has to base its theories on relevant and credible sources. Thurén (2005) states that four principles can be used to evaluate sources:

Authenticity – the source is what it claims it to beRelation of time – the time between the described occurrence and the time where it is written down, the longer time between, the more reasons for being critical.Independence – the source should be detached from other sourcesTendency of freedom – there should be no reason to suspect that the source gives a misleading picture due to economical, political, personal or other reasons.

The criteria independence in academic articles has to be adjusted. Academic articles often use other academic articles to secure the quality of its own article (Merriam 1994).

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This thesis is built mostly on written sources, both academic articles and books, written by active researchers in the business administration area. The articles come from well-known journals like Journal of Service Research, Journal of Marketing, Harvard Business Review and International Journal of Production Economics.

We have also used visitor statistics from Karlstadsbuss, and a study performed by Attityd i Karlstad commissioned by the local government. Attityd i Karlstad is a research company with customers like Pfizer (a well-known pharmaceutical company), we consider the customers of Attityd i Karlstad to be credible and thereby give Attityd i Karlstad credibility. We have also used information, which is distributed either to external or internal customers, from Karlstadsbuss in our thesis. Information to the public can be considered to be more positive in order to strengthen the image of the company. From this material, we have only used the parts that describe the technical aspects of the traffic supervision system to get a better understanding.

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3. Theoretical PerspectivesIn this chapter we review research and further available literature within the service field that address the purpose of this study. To begin with we discuss aspects that affect the attitude shown by customers towards technological solutions; this includes technology readiness, culture, and value. Second we present the service offering and its content, to explain how a supporting service, such as Live in this case, can be seen as a part of the service offering. Furthermore we discuss how the quality of service can be perceived by customers, both as the total offering, and also through the supporting service and its delivery channels. The theoretical perspectives are then summed up and presented in a theoretical reference frame which is later used when analysing the results of the study.

3.1 Aspects of Technology Readiness and CultureWith a current increased presence of technology in service encounters the knowledge of how customers adjust to, and embrace this new situation is relevant in order for providers to deliver their services at a suitable level of technology advancement, whether it be high-tech, low-tech, or somewhere in between.

Parasuraman (2000) has tried to define what affects a customer’s choice to turn to SSTs (Self-Service Technologies) or other technology-based services. He found that that there are some characteristics which complies with being ready to accept new technologies, or services resulting in interaction through technology. The term technology-readiness refers to “people's propensity to embrace and use new technologies for accomplishing goals in home life and at work” (Parasuraman 2000 p.308). The level of technology readiness that customers show are built on the characteristics that are included in the following four categories, the first two are drivers of technology readiness, and the last two are inhibitors (Parasuraman 2000 p 311):

Optimism: A positive view of technology and a belief that it offers people increased control, flexibility, and efficiency in their lives.Innovativeness: A tendency to be a technology pioneer and thought leaderDiscomfort: A perceived lack of control over technology and a feeling of being overwhelmed by it.Insecurity: Distrust of technology and scepticism about its ability to work properly.

Parasuraman (2000) further explain that it is possible for the customer to have both positive and negative feelings about technology, and in the study he also found that even technological optimists and innovators experience anxiety in the same way as less technology-enthusiastic customers.

Furthermore Parasuraman (2000) suggests that further research on possible influences on the technology readiness shown by people, for example across cultures should be of interest. The theme of how cultural aspects might affect the perception of technology is discussed by other researchers (Gong et al., 2007, Leidner & Kayworth, 2006, Zeithaml et al., 2003). Culture is a concept widely discussed and there have bee several definitions presented (Hoecklin, 1994 p.28 for an overview). Hofstedes cultural dimensions5 are among the most applied frameworks used to describe different cultures (Gong et al., 2007, Bjerke, 1998). The dimensions are based on a difference in preferences among different cultures. What is preferred in one culture might be disliked by members of other cultures. These differences in

5 The dimensions are: power-distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity.

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preferences cause implications for managers across the globe, because it affects behaviour of people and evaluations made by customers (Hoecklin, 1994).

Sweden, in which this study is situated, is a part of Scandinavia. When it comes to the Scandinavian culture Bjerke (1998) explain that Scandinavians have a very low score on power-distance, which means that the countries are very concerned about everyone being equal, men and women, and between occupational levels. According to Gong et al. (2007 citing Herbig and Miller) cultures with a large power-distance are less innovative, proposing that these high power-distance cultures take less initiative to discuss the introduction of new products and technologies. This should indicate that Scandinavians are innovative, and take initiative to discuss new technology.

Scandinavians are more individualistic, proposing that they put great value on freedom and challenges at work. They can accept rules and regulations as long as they are fair. To be honest, reliable, correct, ethical, and loyal is also important. Scandinavians are also very punctual. They are practically oriented and willing to change and experiment (Bjerke 1998).

This willingness to try new things is also connected to the low score gained by Scandinavians on Hofstedes dimension of uncertainty avoidance. This dimension indicate that rules are allowed to be bent by pragmatic reasons, being tolerant is important, and not feeling that differing behaviour is a threat (Bjerke 1998).

Scandinavian countries score lowest of all on masculinity, which is shown in the Scandinavian culture through the importance of the expression self-fulfilment. In Scandinavia it is motivating to be part of progress and change, and there is sympathy for the weak in the society (Bjerke 1998).

Much like culture the subject of value is discussed within the service field. When technology changes the service encounter, such as when a high-tech service is present in a low-tech environment, an understanding of how this change the perceived value of the service through the eye of the customer is necessary.

3.1.1 Value in ServicesThe perception of value is a complicated issue because, as Zeithaml and Bitner (2003) explain, every individual makes up his or her own opinion about what value is:

“When customers discuss value, they use the term in many different ways and talk about a myriad attributes or components. What constitutes value, even in a single service category, appears to be highly personal and idiosyncratic.”(Zeithaml & Bitner 2003 p.490)

In this study we adopt the perspective of value expressed by Heskett et al. (1997). Value for the customer is the actual result of the service and the processes of delivering the service taken together, and put in relation to the price of the service in addition to the price for acquiring the service:

“the value of goods and services delivered to customers is equivalent to the results created for them as well as the quality of the processes used to deliver the results, all in relation to the price

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of a service to the customer and other costs incurred by the customer in acquiring the service” (Heskett et al., 1997 p. 12).

In the eye of the customer the way in which a service is delivered is often equivalently important as the results delivered. What the customer prefer can however differ from person to person, saying that some prefer volume, some convenience. What is paid to acquire the service can be both monetary and non-monetary, or a combination (Zeithaml & Bitner 2003). For example if a person receives a free of charge concert ticket, there are monetary costs for the bus ride there, as well as non-monetary costs for the time you spend that could have been used differently.

The service Live is free of monetary charge for commuters, but it still needs to be perceived as valuable in order for the commuters to use the service. The cost that might occur is online transaction cost of the website/WAPsite alternative for delivery. The monetary cost of using the Live WAPsite however is very small since it is text-based6.

Customers evaluate every part of the service they consume, as explained above, and in total these evaluations form the opinion of the value they perceive to have gained from the total service offering.

3.2 The Service OfferingIn the development of services, it is important to focus on perceived total quality (Grönroos, 2000; Edvardsson, 1997). From a service provider's point of view, one service offered to customers often consists of several services (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2007; Grönroos, 2000; Edvardsson, 1997). These services, often referred to as core, facilitating and supporting (or enhancing) services, are described in the service offering (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2007 ; Edvardsson, 1997).

3.2.1 The Service ConceptThe service concept describes how the service provider should satisfy its customers in terms of primary needs and secondary needs (Edvardsson, 1997), referred by Goldstein et al. (2002) as the company's strategic intent. Goldstein et al. (2002) also states that the service concept is vital in the explanation of the technical quality (what is to be done), the functional quality (how this is to be achieved), and the integration between the two (Goldstein et al., 2002; Grönroos, 2000; Edvardsson, 1997). Heskett (1986 cited by Goldstein et al., 2002) defines it as the way in which the “organization would like to have its services perceived by its customers, employees, shareholders and lenders”, i.e. the organization’s business proposition (Goldstein et al., 2002 p. 123). “The service concept or concepts determine the intension of the organization” (Grönroos, 2000 p. 165). Lovelock and Wirtz (2007) describe the service concept in terms of core services, supplementary services (divided into facilitating and enhancing service) and delivery processes.

3.2.2 Basic Service PackageThe Basic service package originates from Grönroos (1990;2000), who describes the technical quality aspect of the service concept with core services, facilitating services and supporting services.

6 Interview with personnel responsible for Live 26 April 2007

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Core ServicesThe core service (or services, an organization can offer more than one) is the reason for the company to be on the market. For a transportation company the core service is the actual transport from point A to B. Core services are in general easy for competitors to provide in a similar way. To distinguish the company from its competitors there is a need to offer complementary services in addition to the core service. These services can be divided into facilitating services and supporting service (Grönroos, 2000).

Facilitating ServiceFacilitating services are services not offered as a separate service but rather as a complement to the core service. These services are called facilitating because they facilitate the use of the core service. Facilitating services are a very important part of the service offer because the core service cannot function without the facilitating service. The ticket machine is an example of this kind of service. Without a ticket, you cannot ride the bus. The facilitating service is also an opportunity for the company to add extra value to the core service. If the customer can choose how to pay for the ticket, as in through the use of credit card instead of cash, this adds value, as opposed to a “cash only” situation. The facilitating service can sometimes also be a physical good (as in the credit card that gives you access to your money through an ATM) (Grönroos, 2000).

Supporting ServiceSupporting services are also complementary services offered to enhance the value of the core service. Unlike facilitating services, the supporting services are not mandatory. The supporting service only task is to add value to the core service in order to differentiate the company from its competitors or spontaneously delight customers. The supporting services can in some cases also be a physical good, soap and shoe shine in a hotel room is such goods (Grönroos, 2000).

3.2.3 Service Process and Service SystemIn order to realize the service concept and offerings, the company also has to clarify the process and the service system (Edvardsson, 1997).

The Service Process”The service process is the chain or chains of parallel and sequential activities which must function if the service is to be produced” (Edvardsson, 1997 p. 38).

The service process consists of several sub processes both internally and also externally. The result of a service is realized in the interaction between the customer and the company. The deliver process is the part of the service that the customer notice and base his or her opinion of the service quality on. This is also the process that involves the customer and makes him, or her, a co-producer (Edvardsson, 1997). Because of the nature of services, and the fact that customers perform certain parts of the service, the company cannot have full control of all processes. Earl and Kahn (1994 referred to by Echeverri & Edvardsson, 2002) define four kinds of processes that to some parts are tied to the three service categories in the basic service package.

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Core processesSupport processesNetwork processes: processes not only performed by the organization but also suppliers and customersManagement processes: processes on how the company works with planning organizing and control

The Service SystemThe service system includes all resources that the company needs in order to be able to deliver the service (Edvardsson, 1997). The service system consists of four components:

The company’s employeesEmployees in a service company is often seen as the key resource, it is therefore very important to manage how employees behave in the moment of truth (see for example Grönroos, 1990).

CustomersVery often the customer performs more or less of the job in the service process, the most extreme case is Self-Service Technologies (SSTs). In the same way employees need instructions and education, customers also need to be educated in their specific tasks.

The physical/technical resourcesAll companies need some kind of physical or technical equipment. Because of the tangibility aspect of these resources, they are a great way to make the whole service more tangible.

Organization and controlThis component includes the organization structure, administrative support system, how the interaction between customers, suppliers and partners and how the company is managed in terms of complaint and feedback handling, often referred to as service culture (Echiverri & Edvardsson, 2002; Grönroos 1990) and finally the companies marketing activities.

3.3 Service QualityServices have not been studied for more than three centuries, a very short time compared to traditional studies of economics and business administration (Brown et al. 1994). Brown and colleagues (1994) identifies Lynn Shostacks (1977) “Breaking Free from Product Marketing” as a landmark for the evolution of the service marketing field. However as the service sector has increased in importance throughout the world, so has the amount of research on services. Services differ from goods and are often described through their specific characteristics of intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability, perishability, and the ways in which these affect the production, consumption, and evaluation of the service (Zeithaml, et al. 1990, Fitzsimmons & Fitzsimmons, 1998; Lovelock & Wirtz, 2007).

Different views of what quality is have been presented (Karlsson & Söderstedt, 1997; Bergman & Klefsjö, 2003; Jönsson, 1995). Within service quality research field there are two main perspectives, the “Nordic” which defines the dimensions of service quality in global terms, and the “American” which uses terms that describe characteristics of service encounters (Brady & Cronin 2001). In the following paragraphs we first describe Grönroos (2000) perspective as an example of the “Nordic” view, adopted in this study to shred light on the overall assessment of the service offering made by the customer. Secondly, we describe

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the “American” view through the work of Zeithaml and colleagues (1990) showing quality dimensions that are applicable to the encounter in which the use of Live has taken part.

Grönroos (2000) explains that service quality is perceived by customers through two dimensions: a technical and a functional dimension. The technical dimension addresses the actual outcome of the service production process when all service encounters have been completed. The functional dimension relates to how all of the service encounters were executed, it is how the customer evaluates the processes he or she needs to go through to reach the outcome of the encounter. The evaluation of the two by the customer is in turn affected by the customer’s perceived image of the firm, resulting in an assessment of the total quality of the service. (Grönroos 2000) In order to have the customers evaluate a service as high quality both dimensions must be perceived as high quality, and in addition must be supported by a positive image of the firm according to the customer.

Zeithaml and colleagues (1990) found that to be able to know what service quality is to the customer they had to ask the customer. Through research they found that when customers assess service quality they form their opinions by comparing their expected and perceived service and relate it to five dimensions as evaluative criteria (Zeithaml et al. 1990). The nature of the encounter between the high-tech service and the commuter as part of the service offering address three of the dimensions, these are:

TangiblesThe appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials. These can be described as how the customer sees the physical surroundings set by the service provider, such as the degree to which the bus is clean and tidy, or the look of the boards presenting timetables.

ReliabilityThe ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. This dimension show how customers rely on the service to be delivered in a predictable manner, such as being sure that the bus leave and arrive on time every time, or that information is accurate.

AssuranceThe credibility, trustworthiness, believability, and honesty of the service provider. Furthermore security, to be free from danger, risk, or doubt, and the competence, such as possession of the skills and knowledge required to perform the service. Courtesy is required through politeness, respect, consideration, and friendliness of contact personnel. This dimension shows how important it is to be truthful, informative, and intelligent, always to look for the best of the customer. For instance it is crucial that bus drivers are excellent drivers as well as being polite to commuters travelling with the company.

In addition to these dimensions we need further knowledge as to what has been found to be specific when it comes to services based on technology, and the customer assessment in the experience of such services.

3.4 Technology-Based ServiceAccording to Grönroos (2000), services can be divided into either high-touch or high-tech. Services from a traditional point of view has been seen as high-touch (Bitner et al., 2000) which means that the service is mostly dependent on people in the service process. High-tech services are on the other hand based on information technology and automated computer

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systems. Most high-touch services also contain elements of physical resources or computer systems, and high-tech is often dependent on people, not the least when technology fails to live up to customers’ expectations (Grönroos 2000).

The role of technology in services is also discussed by Edvardsson (1997) who stresses that “technology is not a goal in itself but a means, a means of creating favourable conditions for increasingly better services...”(Edvardsson 1997 p.38), he continues by addressing the issue of being customer-focused and business-oriented when involving new technology “Technology-run developments seldom result in the best added value, the most attractive services and the best customer-perceived quality”(Edvardsson 1997 p.38). Instead it has been suggested by researchers that development must include customer-involvement in order to create a greater value perceived by customers (Lüthje, 2004; Magnusson et al., 2003; Echeverri & Edvardsson, 2002).

As mentioned earlier technological innovations affects the development, production and delivery of services. Customers now often produce their own services without interaction with service-personnel, and it is therefore crucial for companies to understand the acceptance-level for technologies amongst their customers (Fitzsimmons & Fitzsimmons, 1998). There are numerous examples of how technology is used within services to different degrees from a tool for service-personnel, to actually being the service-personnel (Bitner et al. 2000).

A key to understand the customer’s impression of a service that is technology based is to gain more knowledge of what it is they encounter when consuming the service, and what parts of these experiences are affected by the infusion of technology. What is encountered can be described by the help of Lovelock & Wirtz (2007) who present a version of the servuction system7 . Within the frame of this system they explain which parts of the service production that are visible to the customer, such as environment, contact personnel, other customers, and the customer self. Non-visible parts of the system are also presented as part of three overlapping elements: service operations, service delivery, and other contact points. These three elements make up the service marketing system, which presents all possibilities in which customers can learn about and experience an organization. Lovelock & Wirtz (2007) further states that the development of this system is done to make marketers aware of that their involvement is needed in order to research how customers behave during the element of service delivery to be able to create a routine of delivering services the right way.

Lovelock & Wirtz (2007) continue to discusses the service delivery element saying that it is about where, when and how the service product is delivered to the customer. If the service is delivered through impersonal electronic channels, such as a computer or on an electrical board, there is virtually no physical contact with the service provider. At the far end of the scale, having no physical contact, only contact through technology, we find Self-Service Technologies.

3.5 Self-Service Technologies“Self-service technologies (SSTs) are technological interfaces that enable customers to produce a service independent of direct service employee involvement” (Meuter et al., 2000 p.50)

7 Terminology established by Eiglier and Langeard states that service business is a system which integrates marketing, operations, and customers.

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SSTs differ from traditional services, because they place the customer in a situation where he or she is expected to interact with a machine or device whilst producing the service. Furthermore this type of service differs by the fact that the place in which this service-encounter takes place vary widely, often outside the actual service company, sometimes at home (Echeverri & Edvardsson, 2002). Echeverri & Edvardsson (2002) explain the problem that new technologies are often not as easy to use as the customers wishes them to be, and that the communication of how to use these facilities often is insufficient. They further state that in most cases of the first encounter with a service, the experience for the customer is of major importance for further use of the service, everything must work.

Today the customer is faced with many types of SSTs, from internet information searches to vending machines and telephone banking, which increases the problem of understanding how the customer experience of such technology solutions might be perceived. Meuter, et al. (2000) have categorized SSTs in order to get an overview of what is available. They suggest three different categories by referring to the purpose of the self-service technology. The first category is customer service, because many forms of helping customers are now provided through technology. Second, transactions, both consumer and business-to-business sales are enabled through technological solutions. And finally, self-help, which refers to technologies that enable customers to learn, receive information, train themselves, and provide their own services. These categories are enabled and provided to the customer through technology interfaces such as telephone, Internet, and interactive kiosks.

Because technology changes the way customers experience the service encounter we further expand the discussion of assessment of service made by customers in the following section.

3.5.1 Customer Assessment of Technology-Based Service EncountersTo make it possible for service providers, who deliver services through self-service technologies, to see what really matters to the consumers and what their major points for assessment are, Meuter et al. (2000) found sources of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with SSTs.

When it comes to points of satisfaction these are described as: solved intensified needs, better than the alternative, and did its job. The categories show that the consumers appreciate when the service can help them in difficult situations which are affected by external environmental factors that add a sense of urgency. Technology encounters are better than the alternative when (divided into subgroups) they are: easy to use, make it possible to avoid service personnel, save time, when I want, where I want, and finally save money. Some customers are satisfied simply because the technology does what it is supposed to (Meuter, 2000).

Dissatisfying sources on the other hand were described as technology failure, which is when the technology does not work as intended: process failure, that is when there is a failure in the process after the customer-technology interaction; poor design, either regarding the technology design or the service design in both cases the SST functions correctly, but the design is a problem; and customer-driven failure, which means that the customer in some cases understand that their actions contribute to the result of the encounter and are willing to take some blame when things go wrong (Meuter et al. 2000).

3.6 Theoretical Framework To clarify our theoretical framework we will in this part present an analysis model. An analysis model is a graphical picture that shows the connections between the different

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theories. The purpose is to give a clear overview of how we use the theories presented in chapter 3, in the results and discussion, and conclusion chapters.

A supporting service is a complementary service to the service providers core service. The core service and supporting service form together with facilitating services the service offering. The supporting service should enhance the value of the core service and the service offering, it is not mandatory in order for the core service to function but as the core service is dificult to diversify, supporting services are a great source of competitive advantage and delight customers.

A high-tech supporting service is often some kind of self-service with a technological solution (Self-scanning in Supermarkets, or a real-time bus departure time in this case). Live, in its role as a high-tech supporting service, consists of three parts: electronic boards, the website and the WAPsite. The different categories of self-service technologies found by Meuter et al. (2000) is used to analyze what reasons there are for satisfaction and dissatisfaction when customers use Live.

The culture in which the service consumption takes place, and the level of technology-readiness influence the customers’ perception of a high-tech service, and we use the work by Parasuraman et al. (2000) on technology readiness to investigate if it also affect the perception of Live and also relate to the Scandinavian culture.

The service quality dimensions found by Zeithaml et al. (1990) measures general quality and can be used to measure the quality of the supporting service but also the Total Service Offering. In this study we examine the overall perception of Live using three of the service quality dimensions.

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4. Results and DiscussionIn this part we discuss and analyze the results from the focus group interviews in the light of the theoretical framework described above. First we discuss what kind of service Live is to the different parties of this service: the commuters, the service provider, and the service management view that we have adopted. This is done in order to see that different views might affect how the introduction of this high-tech supporting service is perceived when related to the service offering.

In this chapter the following words are used frequently:

Internet; the World Wide Web in generalWAPsite; the WAPsite of LiveWebsite; the Karlstadsbuss website for Live (www.karlstad.se/buss/live)E-boards; the electronic boards placed at bus stops displaying real-time departuresUsers: respondents who uses Live through internet and/or WAPNon-users: respondents that do not use Live though internet and/or WAP

4.1 What Kind of Service is Live?During the research we realized that the understanding of what Live is, differed from the commuters, Karlstadsbuss, and us. In the following section we explain the different views and discuss the different parts of Live.

Karlstadsbuss sees Live as a brand presented to their customers (the commuters), a way to package and deliver information about departures. Live consists, in addition to being a brand, of e-boards, a website, and a WAPsite. Karlstadsbuss has no intention to remove the paperback timetable. They see Live more as a complementary service to the paperback timetable. The system used to produce the information presented through Live is also used internally for traffic control and supervision. When Live was introduced the system already existed and therefore no new technology installations in the system was needed. The already existing information was repackaged to suit the commuters, and the result was called Live8.

The respondents on the other hand see Live as a complete service, or system, including all the technology behind. Because of this some of the comments from the interviews discussing problems with Live is really a discussion of the traffic control system. The fact that customers sometimes include resources as a part of the service is not at all rare (Echeverri & Edvardsson, 2002).

4.1.1 Live From a Service Management PerspectiveKarlstadsbuss service offering includes the actual bus ride, that is the core service which satisfies commuter’s primary need, to get from point A to point B; facilitating services for example different travel passes and other payment methods, and supporting services such as Live. Commuters have several possibilities to find out which time “their” bus leaves from the stop, apart from Live there is the ordinary paperback timetable, which is also available on the Karlstadsbuss website and Kollplatsen which we describe in Appendix 2. The difference between facilitating and supporting services is that the facilitating services are mandatory (Grönroos, 1990; 2000). Even though the paperback timetable is not mandatory for the core service, the buses will still run, the timetable plays a very important role in the service

8 Interview with personnel responsible for Live 26 April 2007

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offering. Live is a complementary, or supporting service in service management theory (Grönroos, 1990; 2000), because it can enhance the perception of the service offering, the service cannot be purchased separately and it is not mandatory for the core service to function.

Because the commuters have several options of supporting services which present the timetable, these supporting services compete against each other. The customer will choose the option he or she perceives as the most valuable. The different delivery processes (e-boards, the website and WAPsite), will in fact compete against each other as well. The delivery processes differ from each other on two significant points; the level of customer involvement, and the level of skills. The e-boards do not require any involvement from the customer or any particular skills to use while the website require, not much, but some time to use. The WAPsite demands, first and foremost that the commuter has a WAP equipped mobile phone and the knowledge how to use the WAP function. Because of this, the commuter will more likely adopt and use the e-boards faster then the website and WAPsite. The e-boards are actually on the bus stop delivering information, whether the commuters wants it to or not.

With regards to the definition of SSTs by Meuter et al. (2000) the website and the WAPsite as technological interfaces are seen as SSTs in this study. Because of this the e-boards are treated differently from the other parts of Live in the analysis. The e-boards are however part of the complete service Live.

4.2 High-Tech Supporting ServiceThe commuter who has a primary need of getting from point A to point B is placed in a service encounter where technology is infused by the service provider through the presentation of the supporting service. Live is enabled through technology, both the actual real-time data presented, and also the channels for delivery namely the website, WAPsite, and e-boards. The following analysis of the focused group discussion data is built through the use of the theoretical reference frame model that was introduced in chapter 3.6. We start to look at the parts of Live that are SST, then we move along the model and discuss Live in the light of service quality, technology readiness and culture, and relate this to the overall effect on the customer experience of the service offering by Karlstadsbuss.

4.2.1 Customer Assessment of Technology-Based Service When the respondents who use the Live website and/or WAPsite describe their experiences with Live we find traces of both the dissatisfying and satisfying factors described by Meuter et al. (2000).

What stands out to be of importance for the users is that the SST solves a very specific need that they have. This need is described by Meuter et al. (2000) as an intensified need, which means that the situation is affected by external environmental factors that add urgency to the transaction. The users (mostly of WAP) argue that their main reason for use is that they travel from less crowded bus stops with few buses departing, and with no e-boards at the stop. One of these respondents in addition state that she relies heavily on WAP because her bus departure time fluctuates from one day to another “... it fluctuates from seven to ten past... last Friday it came two minutes past, so I missed it.” The alternative for these users would be to use the paperback timetable, which cannot give them the exact time and therefore would have them wait longer at a bus stop without an e-board, a case that is not attractive in the eyes of these respondents.

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The interest to know the exact time until departure indicate that users also perceive saved time to be of importance, also recognised to be satisfying in the study by Meuter et al. (2000). They can use their saved time to do other things for example one respondent says that he appreciates that he can see that he still has time left to go to the toilet before running to the bus. It is worth to note that these respondents still know exactly what time their buses are supposed to leave according to the original bus schedule “...wait for the right departure, twelve minutes past...”, and one of them even admits that after a while there is no need for him to use WAP because he knows how the buses run “...use in the beginning, before I learned when the buses leave, because then you keep track and learn along the way, and in the end you don’t have to check the mobile phone.”.

The way in which these commuters compare to the original bus schedule is also evident when they address one of the issues that is dissatisfying to them, this is a problem described by Meuter et al. (2000) as the design of the service, first they point out that it is not possible to see if a bus is cancelled

It was very slippery this autumn and the bus was cancelled for two hours, but...it (WAP) just continued the countdown...I had to walk ten kilometres home...I would have liked to have the information that it was cancelled so that I could have started to walk earlier and not just stand there waiting for a bus that didn’t show up”.

Second when asked what could change Live to the better, they wish that it would be possible to see the time according to the original schedule in addition to the real-time information “that would be to give information on delays... show some kind of indication that there is a delay”. When the respondents discuss Live they have a twofold view, they appreciate the real-time information, but later express opinions that indicate that this is not the most important factor. Instead what they emphasize the possibility to see information very fast through the technological interface, be it real-time or ordinary scheduled time, as long as they can be sure a bus will come.

Much like Meuter et al. (2000) found some respondents actually admit to take part of the blame of the failure of this service, in this case simply because they did not try it. One non-user respondent describe that she thinks that the effort is much bigger than the value she expects to get from the service and therefore not use the website or WAPsite:

"I haven't learned how to use WAP either, and I don't have a mobile phone suitable for WAP, which means it is too much of a hustle", she continuous "fine, it is of my own interest, to configure the mobile phone so that I can use it, but as long as I live where I live (nearby a stop with an e-board)..."

Furthermore she illustrates that the fact that Live delivers real-time information is not seen as a big benefit "two minutes is not such a big deal, and in that case you are patience with the delay". This is also evident when one respondent, who sometimes uses the website, says that what is really important to him is that it does not take a long time to find the bus-time information and therefore he switches between Kollplatsen and Live depending on how much time he has for checking the information “I use both Kollplatsen and Live, depending on how

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much time I have to navigate”; “Kollplatsen is a little bit faster I think”. This respondent thinks that Kollplatsen takes less time, and is easier to use, and the real-time information in this case is of secondary importance, also in this case the use of technology itself helps the commuter in his consumption of the service offering.

As the respondents have illustrated, the SST parts of Live are important to those who use bus stops that are without e-boards, however if the bus-departure information is in real-time or not is of lesser importance, especially among non-users. Live as a high-tech supporting service is appreciated because it makes it possible for commuters to find departure times in more ways than through a paperback timetable. Although the users do not explicitly say so it seems as if the fact that Live show all buses that pass their stop is of importance, it is otherwise hard to understand why, as quoted above, they only need to use this service if they are new to the bus-line system, or as a non-user expresses when asked to explain what could make him use web or WAPsite “that would be if you go by different buses every day, so that you cannot learn the system”.

Since only few commuters use the SST part of Live it is interesting to learn the reasons for this. According to Meuter et al. (2000) the SST would be satisfying and therefore used, if it was perceived to be better than the alternative by the customer. We found that the respondents named mainly two reasons why they did not use Live through internet or WAP, and that only one of them corresponded to the category better than the alternative. The first reason for not using was that several of the respondents did not know that Live was accessible through internet and WAP, WAP being the most unknown. The second reason corresponded to the study by Meuter et al. (2000) and the subcategory saved time. When related to the perception of value as explained by Heskett et al. (1997) the other non-user respondents did not feel that they received enough value for the time consumed, the alternative ordinary paperback timetable or just to run down and look at the e-board by the stop was perceived as easier and faster, in particular compared to internet, "It takes me more time to turn on my computer, than to go down to the bus stop". It was not worth the risk to miss a bus because they had turned on the computer. One can argue that the lack of speed could be due to the speed of the actual equipment used by the customer, for example the computer, mobile phone or internet connection. But the perceived quality, however, still comes down to the actual service delivered, regardless of other practical factors. The time to use the SST is perceived to be of a larger amount than the alternative in this case, and thereby the commuter might not see a point in changing his or her behaviour.

Even though most of the non-user respondents did not see enough value in the website or WAPsite to use it, one of the respondents thought that WAP sounded like a very good idea. “I think it sounds very smooth to use, it’s just that I don’t use it...seeing I don’t really need it”, this illustrates the opinions of Edvardsson (1997) who says that there has to be a demand in order for a service to be used. However as both Edvardsson (1997), and a non-user respondent recognizes, a demand for this kind of service can be created “...I think you have to use it first to recognize that you have a need for it, that it is somehow easier to look through the mobile phone.” The respondent indicates that it is hard to see the real value of the service and in order to really appreciate it; you have to try it first. As we describe in Appendix 2 the use of WAP in Sweden is not very widespread, though growing at a steady pace, one respondent recognize this as a reason to why the WAPsite service is not used widely and says that this might still change in the future when more people use WAP in general "then when everybody has it (WAP), then I think it will be more widely used".

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One of the respondents did not see the value of the WAPsite, in comparison to other alternative delivery processes and supporting service. He illustrates well the fact that these compete with each other:

“.... if we discuss the mobile phone, then I question if it is such a good thing, because of the small numbers of people who knows about it, even it they did a massive advertising campaign, in TV commercials and everything, I doubt that they would get any more users... because you have the e-boards, and you know very well when the bus departs from the last bus stop, most often, from the last bus stop, so you get a good sense when the bus departures, plus, you have the website and the paperback timetable.”

In the next part of the analysis of the results we expand the content of Live to include e-boards in addition to the website and WAP site. Because the same information is delivered to all these interfaces what is illustrated with quotes concerning e-board information also apply to respondents who in addition to e-boards use the website and WAPsite. All respondents in this study use the e-boards because, as we have explained earlier, this interface does not demand any further effort by the commuter other than looking at the e-board when they are at the bus stop.

4.2.2 Service QualityTo the high-tech supporting service presenting real-time information we apply the dimensions used by Zeithaml et al. (1990) to see how the commuters relate to the service quality dimensions. Even though these dimensions were developed from face-to-face encounters we show that they can be applied to technology encounters because there is a transfer of information from the service provider to the customer. Live is a supporting service to the core service transport and the respondents relate to the entire service offering as explained by Grönroos (2000), and thus include the bus in their explanations and assessment of the service quality.

As Zeithaml and colleagues (1990) stress it is important for service providers to be able to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. In all of the focus groups interviewed the dimension named Reliability was discussed. The commuters had experienced that the bus did not show up, even though the Live schedule had shown that the bus was due to leave. One respondent explained a situation which occur quite often when looking at the e-boards, namely that the minutes to departure proceed its countdown and stays at zero and the bus is still not there

”there is a star * and then zero, zero, zero and there is no bus coming. And then it’s hard to know if the bus left or if it has not arrived.”

Another respondent had had a similar experience and told a story about when he was on his way to a meeting and after a while the zero disappeared and he had not seen any bus

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”It was early in the morning, I was taking the line 15 bus and it (the e-board) said 3 2 1 0 and then it said 0 for four minutes....I looked at my watch for about four minutes and I thought the bus was not coming, but then eventually it showed up”.

The aspect of reliability is shown both by the fact that the information delivered by Live is inaccurate, and also that the bus ride - the core service- is not delivered as promised. This commuter is not getting what was promised by the service provider and thereby the perceived quality of both the core service and the supporting service is affected. In this case the infusion of technology has affected the customer perception of the service offering because it enables the commuter to know when the bus was supposed to leave in real time, thus create higher expectations. Without Live this would instead have been a delay compared to the static timetable, of course also creating expectations, but not to the same level of accuracy.

In Karlstad the bus in most cases run on time according to the respondents. They say that they are quite sure that a bus will show up within reasonable time without any major difference compared to the original bus schedule. They can predict that a bus will come, and in this way rely on the service provider to deliver the core service, and therefore they do not see the need of the web/WAP based part of Live.

“I don’t really feel that I have had any need for it (website/WAPsite Live) either, because, well, where I live, or if I am at school I take the 54. Then I know a bus will probably leave within five minutes, so I just go down there…”

Another respondent agrees to this, much because the bus stop used is very near the start of the line and thus the risk of delay is further reduced

“I actually don’t see that I have such a big need for it since I go from the city square and almost to the last bus stop...”, “… you just go out and a bus comes within a few minutes…”

The respondents perceive the delivery of the core service to be reliable, and at the same time they question the reliability of the supporting high-tech service. This turns out to be a dilemma which the commuters address by constantly memorizing the actual original paperback timetable, which they believe to be more relevant for their routine travels than the high-tech option. Respondents who only use the e-boards express this when they explain why they do not use the Live website or WAPsite.“I never look at the timetable, simply because I know when the bus leaves”. However when the e-board option is withdrawn they get confused as one respondent puts it

“It happens that the e-boards don’t always work, they can be all black sometimes, and then you are all like Oops!”

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Even though they know that a bus is probably on the way they appreciate the possibility to see which bus, and when. They are not hundred percent sure that the information is correct; it seems they would rather have it, and sometimes have it wrong, than not be able to see the information at all.

What seems to be of great importance to the commuters is the physical elements that present this high-tech service. This relate to the dimension named Tangibles by Zeithaml et al. (1990), which account for the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel and communication materials, which customers relate to and evaluate in order to decide what they think of the provided service. In the case of Live we perceive the presentation of information that is intangible in nature to be a part of the tangible element communication material.

One of the biggest perceived benefits that this high-tech service has given the respondents is the ease of comparing alternatives. Because Live shows all the buses that are due to leave the stop when requested on the web-site and the WAPsite, or at the e-boards by the stops, it is easy for the commuter to calculate which of the options available that fits their time margins. However this is dependent on the commuters' knowledge regarding which bus passes their exact destination. This indicate that the service provider expect the commuter to have some advance knowledge of the bus-line network. The commuters value the time and energy saved by not having to look through numerous timetables

“...you have a much better overview now”; “it saves a lot of time compared to looking at every single timetable”; ”you have more alternatives, then you can check which is the best”; “it allows thinking if it is worth waiting two minutes and take a bus that takes a longer time, and such...”

Respondents also like the fact that the e-boards are very big in most cases and can be seen from distance, thus further enhance the perceived quality of Live, and the use of technology in this case has made the core service more attractive to the customer. This is illustrated by one respondent

“I think it is very good with the e-boards because then you don’t have to read the small text on the little notes... so when you are standing a few meters away you can still see that you have five minutes left, I think this is very comfortable”.

The respondents do not think their behaviour has been much affected because of Live because they still know the timetable by heart “...usually you know when the bus is due to leave”. Still they admit that they use the Live information to make use of their time differently. Instead of standing at the bus stop waiting they use the time that was formerly used to wait to do other things, because now they know the actual amount of minutes before the bus depart

“...if one is sitting at a pavement café by the city square you can see that it is five minutes left and then you can stay a couple of minutes longer...it can be you run into the store and buy something just because you know you have the time to do so”

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During the focused group discussions the respondents time and time again return to subjects that are of seemingly greater importance to them than new technological features as part of the service offering. The commuters are very concerned about the feeling of insecurity and comfort when riding the bus. It is important to notice the extent to which the commuters put emphasis on the experience of the bus ride even though the questions at hand are concerned with Live. One of the dimensions according to which customers evaluate quality of services according to Zeithaml and colleagues (1990) is assurance. This dimension includes elements that can also be related to the discussion of reliability above, such as credibility, trustworthiness and believability. However this dimension includes elements which concern the safety of customers, and their perception to be free of danger. In our study the respondents express that they are afraid when riding the bus because these are too full and sometimes a lot of passengers have to stand

”the buses are totally full”; ”how many are allowed to ride actually?...they go at least 80-90km/h what if something happens...being scared sometimes”

or that the driver is handling the bus in a bad way, as other respondent explain

”they break very abrupt”; ”some should never have been bus drivers”; ”it is very jerky, and they live by the thought of 'I am the largest' driving out right in front of cars and honking...”

The potential benefit that these respondents receive from Live is in their eyes overshadowed by the encounter when the core service is delivered. Even though the discussion is supposed to be about the technological aspect through the supporting service, the respondents do not see this as a separate part, instead they evaluate it as part of the service offering and start to discuss the drivers instead.

One part of the quality dimension Assurance as Zeithaml et al. (1990) describe, is the honesty of the service provider. The respondents illustrate this by giving examples of instances when buses leave stops before the time for departure according to the e-boards “he was driving really fast...and then when nobody wanted to get off at Kronoparken Centrum...there was an e-board saying it was five minutes left but the bus just drove by”. Many of the respondents blame the driver because he or she should notice that they should wait and still they do not stop. This places the commuter in a situation where there are in fact two “faces” of the service provider in the service encounter; the e-board that communicate the information consumed by the customer, and also the driver who actually drives the bus. It is hard for the commuter to know which of these “faces” are honest. It seems however that they in this case believe Live to be the main guideline, still, as expressed above in the discussion of reliability, they are sceptical about the information. But they do not see that they can question the information because it is supposed to be true, as one respondent puts it “Because it is the reality that is up there, on the e-boards”.

Live should in its capacity as a supporting service, as Grönroos (1990;2000) describes be of second rank when the service offering is assessed by the commuter. The above mentioned example however shows that this is not always true. On the other hand when we ask the respondents about a memory related to buses that stand out in their mind as particularly strong

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none of them mention supporting services. All respondents describe memories related to the core service, most often related to the driver. Some of these memories are positive and also show how the aspect of feeling secure, as previously discussed, can be an element that make the commuter more positive towards the service quality of the offering. They describe how nice and comfortable it is to go by bus if you have the right driver.

“...actually how pleasant it can be to ride the bus if you have the right bus driver. There was an old man that drove the bus a couple of years ago, you never felt that you were riding a bus, you were just transported from one place to another really. No panic starts or panic stops and he kept to the rhythm of the traffic in the most wonderful way”

One respondent also emphasise that if the driver is in a wonderful mood, so will the commuter be.

“...it was a bus driver, he was in a wonderful mood so he guided the whole trip for us telling about this and that....we sat there and laughed all the way”

The way in which technology is part of the service offering has, as we have seen, placed the commuter in a new situation and have made them act and think in new terms. Much like Parasuraman (2000) has explained this situation is embraced differently by customers, and in the following chapter we discuss how this is shown by the respondents in this study. Furthermore these aspects are related to the Scandinavian culture.

4.3 Technology-readinessThe respondents say that they are positive to the development involving technology ”it is fun when new things happen, moving forward. It usually makes things easier”, ”technology makes everyday life easier”. Both in the groups of non-users and users the general opinion is that a technological development is a positive thing. However the respondents are not sure that all the technology is needed and discuss negative affects of technological innovations ”...it is possible that you can get a bit lazy because of the new technology all the time”. Moreover they present the aspect that adoption of the new solutions often is a question about being ”in”, about being like everybody else ”...people buy it even though they are not going to use it in the end, because you have to have it, maybe because it is a new thing that everybody else has and then you buy, even though you might not ever understand what it is for” it seems as if just having the possibility of use is enough.

Some of the respondents found out about Live website/WAPsite service by themselves on the Karlstadsbuss homepage and the Live website. One says ”I found it at internet, at Karlstadsbuss” another respondent explaining in the terms:

”...and then when I was in to check on Live...on the Internet when the bus leaves, there has been an advertisement saying 'you see it in your mobile phone' it says in one of those squares, so I just clicked there and in that way I got it in my mobile.”

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These quotes are also related to the level of technology readiness these commuters have by suggesting that the users of Live website/WAPsite show innovativeness, and tries out new things. There were however non-users that knew that the service existed but either felt that they did not have enough information about this to develop the use further

”...I don’t think I have received enough information about , about how it can be reached, how it works....I just know that it exists...via mobile and internet...but not how to reach it, how it works”

or, as one respondent said:

”I actually looked at this when the ads about it came out, and I got that I was supposed to go to their website and then I was supposed to download something in my mobile phone, I never got it to work and then I thought, well no.”

It seems as though the technological nature of the service Live via website/WAPsite is not something that is discouraging to the customer, they recognize that it is interesting but still the majority do not use it. The attitude shown could be reflecting the culture in Sweden too, described by Bjerke (1998) as being willing to try new things and taking initiative to discuss technology. It seems however that as long as the perceived outcome of the service is not worth the extra effort of learning more about the high-tech part, the commuters do not engage in the use.

Opposing the issue of being ready for technology is the fact that among the commuters there is a degree of insecurity about how well this technology-based service really works. Illustrating this one respondent says that ”if you really need to go to point B from point A and it is an important errand, then I look at the old (paperback) timetable, not Live”. The respondent is not sure whether the technological solution will work properly, hence relying on more traditional sources for information (such as the paperback timetable) when faced with a situation that is regarded as being of great importance to the person. Insecurity grows as the commuter time and time again experiences the inaccuracy of the information shown on the e-board ”...it just disappears then no bus arrive, and then you don’t have a clue if. When is the bus arriving really?”

Many non-users also thought that Live website/WAPsite was unnecessary because they travel with the same bus most of the time, and because of this they remember the departures, and believe that the bus will come as always “yes, well, you count on the bus to be there on time!”. In Sweden punctuality is of high value to people (Bjerke 1998). The customers as well as the bus drivers know the importance of on time departure, and because the bus mostly run on time, or within a few minutes of schedule it is possible to rely on the static time-table to a great extent. Because the commuters can memorize and rely on the static timetable to be relatively correct they see this as a reason not to use Live WAP/web. “....the system (the bus line network) here is built quite good....it is easy to learn the times.” Another respondent argues that as long as the paperback timetable exists there is no definitive need for Live

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“...but it is the same really, so as long as they don’t replace the paperback in some way, that instead of looking at that you would have to use the computer to see how much time is left...”

Even though they see the benefits of the service they seem to mean that their social reality is not complex enough to make them benefit from the service.

We asked the focus group participants what they thought about the future of this service and they all agreed on the fact that the e-boards had to stay “...they can't take them down now, at least not the e-boards...”, and that these should be further spread across the city “they should put up more e-boards, particularly big ones”, “yes, and small ones”. The importance of the e-boards to the commuter is very clear. As long as there is no need for extra engagement from the commuters the high-tech supporting service Live is very much appreciated. But as one respondent puts it “yes, well, it depends on how the usage will look in the future... mobile phones and Internet...” is not only an issue about what is perceived as good today” the need for this kind of service might grow in the future along with the growth of the use of such interfaces as WAP and internet.

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5. Conclusions and future research directionsIn this chapter we discuss our findings and reflections of this study connected to the theoretical perspectives. We also answer the research question and discuss the managerial implications found as a result of this study. The chapter finishes with proposals for future research.

To remind the reader of the purpose and research question are presented once more in this chapter. The purpose of this study was to investigate how customers perceive the introduction of new high-tech supporting services in traditionally low-tech industries. This was investigated through the service Live by Karlstadsbuss. Our research question was therefore as follows:

How does the service Live contribute to customer’s perception of the service offering by Karlstadsbuss?

In this study we have seen that a high-tech supporting service affects the service offering in many ways. As Live is a supporting service used prior to the core service, and gives the commuter real-time information, it will strengthen the customers’ trust that the core service will be delivered as promised, and in the end, affect the customers’ perception of the service offering. We present our conclusions in two parts. First we present the positive ways in which this high-tech service has contributed to the service offering, and then continue to describe possible negative effects.

The introduction of this high-tech service in a low-tech context is seen as positive first and foremost when it comes to the following two factors:

ConvenienceMost respondents consider Live, particularly the e-boards, to facilitate the bus ride. It gives them a better overview because they do not have to look through numerous timetables to find the right bus. The the summarized presentation of departure times is the most important, not that Live delivers real-time information. Swedes are very punctual and demands services to be delivered on time, this makes the real-time information less important because the respondents count on the bus to departure according to the timetable.

Solves intensified needsFor some commuters the self-service part of Live (website and WAPsite) solves intensified needs. These commuters often travel from less crowded bus stops with no e-boards or they travel at irregular times. The WAPsite (which is the more used of the two) solves basically the same need as the e-boards does. This means that there is competition between the different delivery processes of Live and that the e-boards are eliminating the need for the website and WAPsite on more crowded bus stops.

We could see no connections between technology-readiness and Live usage. According to Gong et al. (2007), Swedes are innovative and not afraid to discuss technology, in our study the service's reliability was a heavily discussed subject, all respondents had noticed and commented that Live seldom corresponded to the actual departure time. No one expressed anxiety about technology in general, but instead felt technology would be a bit overwhelming because of the constant introduction of new technology products and services. Several of the

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non-user respondents knew a lot about the service but did not utilize it because they felt no need for it.

Just like the supporting service can affect the service offering in a positive manner, they can affect the same service offering in a negative manner. In our study we found three major factors:

DemandAs Edvardsson (1997) emphasizes, technology is not a goal in itself, there must be a demand for a service, alternatively a problem with the current service to legitimate a new service. Live through Internet and WAP is used to a relatively small extent. The respondents who use it, travel from less operated bus stops that are not equipped with an e-board, or they travel on irregular times. Most customers do not see departure times an area of problem, this is why Live does not satisfy a need and this is one reason why commuter's use Live to a small extent. This demand can be created (Edvardsson, 1997), which is also stressed by one of the respondents. If people found out more about the service, they might use the service to a greater extent. The e-boards has in fact already changed people perception of this service.

Ease of useIt is very important that the customer do not perceive the service to be time-consuming and hard to use. The e-boards are appreciated more because the commuters do not have to spend any time or effort to receive the desired service. The e-boards shows that it is possible to deliver this kind of service without putting any responsibility on the commuter.

TrustworthinessOne of the most discussed issues in the focus groups were the trustworthiness of Karlstadsbuss and Live. This is the most explicit evidence that a supporting service affect the service offering. Live gives the commuters more possibilities to control how well Karlstadsbuss keeps its promises. If a bus does not departure according to the departure time given by Live, the respondents blame the bus driver not to deliver a reliable service. We believe that the quote “Because it is the reality that is up there, on the e-boards” illustrates this perfectly and shows that it can be difficult to separate supporting services from core services. To avoid this problem, it is important to synchronize all services in the service offering.

Finally, a great supporting service can never compensate a poorly performed core service. A supporting service is satisfying a secondary need and will always contribute less to the service offering then the core service. In our study, the bus driver was discussed by all focus groups, this indicates that the respondents perceive the bus driver to be the main carrier of the service quality.

5.1 Managerial implicationsFor Live to be more valuable to the customers three main issues must be considered. First, the most important problem that was raised, and one of the reasons that the respondents did not utilize the service more, is that they do not trust the service. The respondents feels that the information given by Live seldom correspond to the actual departures. This makes the respondents anxious and disbelief of the entire service offer. Karlstadsbuss should prioritize to make the service more accurate.

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Secondly, the respondents do not see Karlstad as a big city, the bus lines are few and simple enough to learn by heart. Karlstadsbuss' punctuality is a key element, the respondents know more or less when the bus is supposed to departure and they trust them to be there on time. It is at the same time clear that the respondents takes some precautions and arrive to the bus stop a few minutes in advance, just in case the bus would leave too early. Live could be the solution to this problem, if they could trust the information given by Live.

The last issue that should be addressed is that the respondents do not know that the information on the boards is accessible though Internet and WAP. This way of delivering bus departure time is completely new which makes it hard for commuters to evaluate the service. One way to overcome this problem is to demonstrate the service to the customers.

What if Live only provide a slightly more facilitated journey for most of the commuters, is this reason strong enough, to make other bus companies invest in a service like Live? Yes, we think so because the respondents strongly agree that the loss of Live would mean large changeovers and several respondents wants more e-boards around Karlstad. It is as if the respondents have gotten dependent of the service. There are also a few indirect benefits for both the commuters and the company. Live is a small part of a large traffic supervision system, used by Karlstadsbuss in order to increase the service value to the commuter. Furthermore, Karlstadsbuss can, with the help of this service, show that they are a company who cares about its commuters and that they use the latest edge technology to improve their images among commuters and the general public, although their core service is relatively unchanged since its introduction.

5.2 Future ResearchIn this thesis we have had a customer perspective on the introduction of high-tech supporting services in low-tech industries. Our research has shown that the most important quality issue in city bus transportation is the behaviour of the bus driver. An interesting study would be how service personnel perceive new technology development in low-tech services.

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Appendix 1Vi inleder med att:-Berätta vad vi gör och varför-Berättar att och varför vi bandar samtalet, och att alla är anonyma i uppsatsen-Förklarar att den som antecknar gör detta som stöd till bandningen, bara där som "sekreterare"-Berätta att detta inte är på Karlstadsbuss uppdrag, ett samarbete med Karlstadsbuss.-Berättar att vi beräknar diskussionen till ca.1 timme

Frågor:

Öppningsfrågor: Vad heter du? Hur ofta åker du buss? Ditt starkaste bussminne?

Introduktionsfrågor:Hur tar du reda på när bussen går? Vad tycker ni om Karlstadsbuss generellt?

Vad är Live?

Hur använder du Live!?Hur fick du reda på att Live finns? Vet du att det finns?Använder du online tabellen, eller enbart WAP? I vilka situationer väljer du att använda respektive tjänst? (användare)Hur ofta (ggr/vecka) använder du Live WAP och Live internet? (användare)Hur kom du igång med WAP (generellt) och Live WAP (användare)?

Nyckelfrågor:- Teknikmognad (användare och icke användare):Hur mycket använder du internet? Är du intresserad av teknik? Undviker ni teknikbaserade produkter eller tjänster?

Har du lätt för att ta till dig ny teknik? Hur känner du inför ny teknik? (hur känns det inombords när jag säger ny teknik)

Värdering av Live (användare):Varför använder du Live?Behöver vi Live?

I vilka situationer använder du Live? Berätta vilket värde du tycker att Live tillför dig som resenär?

Är det enkelt att använda Live?Hur spenderar du din tid på bussen? (ex. läser, jobbar, sover) Ger bussresan dig något mer än bara transport från a till b?

Litar du på den informationen som Live! ger?

Hur skulle systemet kunna ändras för att du skulle få en upplevelse av ökat värde för dig?

Appendix 1

- Live!s påverkan på resemönstret (användare):På vilket sätt anser du att användandet av Live har påverkat dina resevanor/resebeteende?

- Väntar du längre innan du går ut till hållplatsen etc? Om Live skulle försvinna, skulle du åka mindre buss då? /skulle det påverka ditt bussresande?

Är det "lättare" att ta bussen efter att Live introducerades? Åker du mera buss nu? Har användandet av Live förändrat din upplevelse av att "ta bussen"?

- Tröskel (icke användare):Varför använder du dig inte av Live idag?

Skulle man kunna säga att det finns någon "tröskel" som hindrar dig i att använda tjänsten? Hur ser tröskeln ut?/Hur skulle du beskriva den?

Vad skulle kunna få dig att prova på tjänsten?Berätta hur du anser att tjänsten skulle kunna "ta sig hela vägen" till dig? Hur kan den förmedlas till dig på bästa sätt? ex.genom demonstration hjälp på torget, eller telefonhjälp,etc

Avrundningsfrågor:Skulle du utnyttja dig av en tjänst som kan visa tidtabellen i mobilen?

Nämn en förändring som skulle förbättra Live/öka värdet av tjänsten?Hur skulle systemet kunna förmedlas för att nå flera nya användare?

Avsluta med att-Säga att om de kommer på något mer, eller undrar om något så kontakta oss!

-Tacka så mycket för alla synpunkter och all hjälp och deras medverkande.

-Säga att om de vill ta del av resultaten av undersökningen, så kommer den att finnas i

bibliotekskatalogen via www.bib.kau.se när den är klar...

´ Appendix 2

In this appendix we briefly explain how the traffic supervision system used by Karlstadsbuss work. We also describe the the extent WAP usage in Sweden.

Live

How Live worksKarlstadsbuss uses an extensive system to follow the positions of buses in real time. This is possible through a travel computer which constantly monitors the position of the bus and the speed of the bus via GPS. The computer can also count passengers and is equipped with an assault alarm. Because the bus knows its position it can automatically announce the next stop and control destination signs shown on both the inside and outside of the bus. Through the computer display the driver can get information directly from the traffic control office, and the driver can see the position in time compared to timetable. Knowing where all buses are makes things easier for all parts involved. The driver no longer has to call out names of bus stops or change signs, all that is demanded is that he or she log on to the travel computer. The real time information on departure times is also available to the commuters. There are boards placed at the more crowded bus stops showing how much time is left before the next bus is due to leave, several departing buses are listed. The commuters do not have to look at the original timetable to know if the bus is coming. The real time schedule can also be found through a website and through WAP1.

Karlstadsbuss WebsiteAt the Karlstadsbuss website you can reach the Live-website, read the scanned-in version of the original timetable, and search departures through Kollplatsen (further explained below). To reach the Live-website the visitors choose a bus stop in scroll down menu, or at a map (www.karlstad.se/buss/).

Karlstadsbuss WAPsite The WAPsite is a simplified version of the Live-website. The user types the whole name or part of the name of the bus stop from which he/she wishes to depart, a list appears with possible names of stops that match the search, the user chooses a bus stop and all buses departing from this stop within an hour is listed (www.service.karlstad.se/live/).

KollplatsenKollplatsen is a service delivered through the cooperation between Karlstadsbuss and Värmlandstrafik AB, the company running the traffic in the rest of the administrative province Värmland in which Karlstad is situated. Kollplatsen is a generic term including a website (www.kollplatsen.com) and a call-centre for bus- and train departures in Värmland. The city buses in Karlstad are also included, resulting in a situation where Live and Kollplatsen serves the same need by the customer, the need to know when the bus departs. However the difference between the two is that at Kollplatsen the user types a search stating both departure and arrival destination, instead of just the departure which is the case at Live. Moreover at Kollplatsen you cannot see the departures in real-time, but on the other hand it is possible to see the departures stretching more than an hour into the future (www.kollplatsen).

The use of WAP in SwedenIn order to understand the minor frequency of use of Live WAP we need to see to what extent WAP is used at all in Sweden. There were 9 222 000 mobile phone subscriptions in Sweden

1 Interview with personell responsible for Live 26 may 2007

´ Appendix 2

during the first half of year 2006, 7 458 000 being private subscriptions and 1 764 000 being corporate (Öst et al., 2006). Sweden had in the year 2006 a total of 9 100 000 inhabitants (www.landguiden.se). It is safe to say that there is a wide use of mobile phones among Swedes.

During the second half of the year 2006 mobile data communication had been used at least once by 3,3million mobile phones. In total an amount of 45 000GB were sent during this period of time, the corporate subscriptions accounting for about 73%. Compared to 2005 when only 13 000GB was sent, there has been a tremendous increase2. In average every mobile data communicator has used 2,5MB per month, most of which originating from the corporate users (Öst et al., 2006).

2 During 2005 the market introduced 3G modems for laptops which is assumed to affect the large increase in data communication

Appendix 3

Sammandrag fokusgrupp, testgrupp, en av respondenterna använder websida, ingen använder WAP.Datum: 26 februari 2007

En moderator och en sekreterare som antecknar. Gruppen består av tre respondenter, varav två kvinnor och en man. Respondenterna fyller i en enkät. Samtalet inleds med att alla berättar vad de heter, hur ofta de åker buss (anges i tur&retur resor per vecka) och vad deras starkaste bussminne är:1: ca.5ggr/vecka. Minns när en gubbe “tuppade av” på bussen och de fick vänta på ambulans.2: ca. 2ggr/vecka. Minns en resa i utlandet på en mycket guppig väg och huvudet slog i taket.3: minst 1ggr/vecka. Minns en resa med en överfull buss som tvärstannade vilket fick som resultat att respondenten flyger genom halva bussen, något som sedan kommer på tal fyra år senare i ett möte med en för respondenten okänd person som visar sig varit med på samma buss.

Moderatorn frågar hur respondenterna tar reda på när bussen går. En använder den inscannade tidtabellen på Karlstadsbuss hemsida eftersom denne inte anser sig ha fått tillräcklig information om hur man kan få tag i och använder Live på internet och i mobilen. En använder både fast tabell och Live websida beroende på hur lång tid denne har på sig att klicka sig fram. En bor nära hållplatsen Stora Torget och använder då skyltarna som står där, samt minnet av tiderna i tidtabellen eftersom denne oftast åker samma linje.

Samtalet går vidare kring hur respondenterna fått information om vad Live är, samt varför man använder eller inte använder Live via web eller WAP. Respondenterna är ense om att de inte fått särskilt mycket information från Karlstadsbuss sida om vad Live är, en har istället klickat sig fram själv, medan en annan då inte heller har brytt sig om att ta reda på hur det används mycket på grund av att det fungerar bra att hitta tiderna på annat sätt. Den tredje respondenten hade registrerat skyltarna som det stod Live på och att det handlade om realtid, men detta fick räcka.

Moderatorn frågar hur respondenterna ser på skyltarna. En respondent svarar omedelbart att dom är bra eftersom man ser ungefär när bussen ska gå så man vet om man ska gå in och vänta eller stå kvar. De andra två respondenterna kontrar då och säger att dessa inte fungerar som de ska, utan att de räknar ner men sen står det kvar “noll” i flera minuter, och ibland kommer inte ens bussen. De säger även att om man kommer precis när det står “noll” så är det svårt att veta om bussen redan har åkt förbi eller om den faktiskt är på väg. Denna problematik är alla tre ense om att de stöter på relativt ofta.

Vidare går moderatorn över till att fråga om respondenternas inställning till teknik i allmännhet. En respondent säger att teknik underlättar vardagen, och ger samtidigt exempel på universalfjärrkontrollen som ett undantag. Vidare uttrycker två av respondenterna även att det finns en risk att människan blir latare. De stor också att man ibland köper tekniska prylar bara för att alla andra har, men att man inte alltid använder dem eller förstår vad de är till för. Den tredje respondenten förhåller sig tyst i frågan.

Ingen av deltagarna svarar ja när moderatorn frågar om de använder WAP, och han går då över till att fråga webside användaren kring användandet av denna.Vidare frågas hur det skulle kunna bli lättare att använda Live via internet och respondenterna svarar då att det i första hand är viktigt att det förmedlas kunskap kring att tjänsten finns och hur man använder den, bl.a ges förslag på att information kan ges till studenter på universitetets recentiorsdagar. Hur tjänsten är utformad rent tekniskt ses inte som prioriterat av respondenterna. Vidare

Appendix 3

frågas webanvändaren om dennes beteende har ändrats pga detta, men det har det inte, respondenten har fortfarande den fasta tabellen i backup och går ut tidigare ändå eftersom bussen ibland kommer tidigare. Nu hakar även de andra två på i diskussionen då dessa också har upplevt att bussen åker tidigare än vad tavlan visar. De är dock eniga om att det måste vara den mänskliga faktorn som spelar in och att det är chauffören som åker förbi. Vidare säger de också att man idag inte får känslan av att det är realtid som visas på tavlan och att man inte riktigt litar på den tidsinformation som visas. Två av respondenterna har även några gånger upplevt att bussen aldrig kommer fast den funnits med på tavlan och sedan bara försvunnit från den.

Moderatorn går nu vidare till att fråga vad som skulle kunna få icke-användare av web/WAP att börja använda dessa. Frågan om okunskap tas då återigen upp som en orsak till varför man ej använder tjänsten. En av respondenterna säger att det inte finns något som skulle få denne att börja använda eftersom det skulle ta längre tid att t.ex sätta på datorn än att springa ner till hållplatsen, samt att denne inte har brytt sig om att lära sig WAP eftersom det ansågs för omständigt.

På förfrågan från moderatorn sammanfattar nu sekreteraren det som blivit sagt hittils och denna avslutas med en fråga till respondenten som uttryckt att man kan använda väntetiden på ett annat sätt nu när skyltarna finns. Frågan gällde om detta “ger” något mer till bussresandet, t ex i form av ökad glädje. Respondenten svarar att det inte direkt ger glädje, men att det är bra att man kan se hur många minuter som är kvar så att man kanske hinner göra saker som man inte hunnit annars. Den andra icke-användaren säger då att denne på ett vis blivit mera positivt inställd eftersom de stora skyltarna har gjort det möjligt att stå på avstånd, eventuellt inomhus vid kyla, och fortfarande se när bussen ska gå, om inte detta varit möjligt så hade man varit tvungen att titta och leta i alla små tabeller. Denne fortsätter med att hävda att det faktiskt underlättar bussåkandet, men att det inte gör att man åker mera buss, däremot blir man mindre negativt inställd till bussåkandet över lag. Moderatorn frågar då vad respondenterna skulle tycka om Live försvann helt. Respondenterna är då eniga om att tavlorna inte får plockas bort eftersom man nu vant sig vid att ha dem, och att de är bekväma. De uttrycker att det blir mycket lättare att gå och titta när bussen går, och att de syns på avstånd så att man kan springa sista biten om det är bråttom eller ta det lugnt om man har god tid, innan sprang man mera på måfå och missade fler bussar eftersom det inte stämde med den tidtabell man trodde sig ha i huvudet då. En av respondenterna säger att man förhåller sig annorlunda till tiden nu, och får medhåll från de andra.

Moderatorn återgår nu till temat att de inte litar på tavelinformationen och undrar då i vilken grad de inte litar på den, om de går och tittar i tabellerna som sitter vid hållplatserna även om skylten finns. Respondenterna säger då att det gör de inte eftersom det, som en deltagare uttrycker det “nej, för det är verkligheten som är där uppe, tavlorna”. De förklarar detta agerande med att tidtabellen ju ändå är förstörd även om det är ett problem att det står “noll” hela tiden. Vidare säger respondenten att det som är det stora jobbet för Karlstadsbuss faktiskt är att se till att Livesystemet faktiskt blir live, och att det på något vis måste justeras när en buss faktiskt är försenad, att den får hoppa neråt i listan eller något sådant.

Vidare uttrycks även att det är oklart vad tiden som visas på tavlan faktiskt står för, det är oklart om det anger bussens avresa eller ankomst till hållplatsen, och att detta borde framgå tydligare.

Moderatorn frågar vidare om respondenterna blir mer irriterade nu om de vet vilken tid bussen ska gå enligt tidtabellen och att bussen är försenad med två minuter, eftersom denna

Appendix 3

tid ej stämmer med tiden som kan räknas ut genom klockan och minutantalet som visas på tavlan. En av respondenterna hävdar att då denne inte har koll på tidtabellen så är två minuter bara två minuter, inget mer med det. Och en annan säger att två minuter inte är så viktigt, det kan man ha överseende med trots allt.

Moderatorn tackar för hjälpen. Ingen av respondenterna anser sig ha påverkats av att samtalet spelats in då de frågas om detta.

Appendix 3

Sammandrag fokusgrupp ingen av respondenterna använder websida eller wapsida.Datum: 8 mars 2007 morgongruppen

En moderator och en sekreterare som antecknar. Gruppen består av fyra respondenter, varav två kvinnor och två män. Respondenterna fyller i en liten enkät. Fika pågår samtidigt med diskussion. Samtalet inleds med att alla berättar vad de heter, hur ofta de åker buss (anges i antal tur&retur resor per vecka) och vad deras starkaste bussminne är:1: 10ggr/vecka. Minns en väldigt LÅNG bussresa.2: 6ggr/vecka. Minns en skolresa då bussen gick sönder och de fick vänta i vägen flera timmar.3: 1ggr/vecka. Minns små vägar i alperna.4: förr var det mycket bussresande, nu någon gång i veckan. Minns när busschauffören körde över en pojkes fot.

Moderatorn frågar vad Live är och får svar ”det är skyltarna fast på Internet, tid kvar tills bussen går alltså”. Gruppen har hört talas om att det finns på Internet och telefon. Moderatorn säger att det stämmer. Vidare frågas kring respondenternas Internet användande i övrigt. Internet används av alla för att ladda ner saker och surfa.Frågorna går över till att handla om ny teknik och hur respondenterna ställer sig till detta. Männen svarar att de är positiva, en av dem medger dock att han ej är pionjär och gärna väntar tills tekniken blir erkänd.

Moderatorn ställer frågor kring varför de ej använder Live. De ser sig ej ha behov antingen eftersom de bor vid tät trafikerad hållplats, eller helt enkelt vet när bussen går, eller ej har Internet hemma/i telefonen, eller tror att man måste börja använda för att se behovet, eller inte tycker sig åka buss nog ofta för att använda tjänsten.

Moderatorn ställer frågan vad som skulle till för att de skulle börja använda tjänsten. De anger: att man åker olika linjer varje dag och därmed ej kan lära sig turerna, eller att pappersformatet skulle försvinna. Respondenterna tycker inte att det är något som behövs förbättras eftersom de inte ser ett behov av att använda den, eller att Internet i telefonen inte är så vida känt än, men att det låter väldigt smidigt. En av respondenterna påpekar att det är dumt att det inte går att se långt fram om man vill planera sin resa om några timmar.

Diskussionen går över till att handla om att ev. använda denna tjänst för länstrafiken. En av respondenterna undrar om man vågar lita på Internet som visar en tio minuters försening om man ska åka en tvåtimmars bussresa och bussen går en gång i timmen. Moderatorn undrar om respondenterna litar på de tider som står på skyltarna. Respondenterna säger att det är ofta att tiderna ej stämmer från centrum, samt att bussen ofta åker förbi tavlor på vägen som säger att den ska åka om två minuter, men då åker den bara förbi, att den inte stannar och väntar in tiden. Det uttrycks att man är orolig för att någon ska komma springande och tro att bussen inte kommit fast den ju redan har åkt.

Moderatorn frågar sekreteraren om denne har något att tillägga. Frågan blir vad respondenterna tycker generellt om stadstrafiken. De uttrycker önskemål om helgtrafik och kvällstrafik med tätare turer från ytterområdet kring universitetet. De önskar även att trafiken ska gå längre ut på natten utan luckor som i rådande situation med en lucka mellan klockan ett till tre. Annars är trafiken generellt bra. En av respondenterna börjar berätta om en busschaufför som körde väldigt sakta. Detta hade resulterat i ett samtal till företaget som sedan bytt ut chauffören. Samma respondent tycker att turerna är ganska täta och börjar berätta exakt vilka linjer som går förbi denna väg och med hur stora mellanrum.

Appendix 3

Respondenterna frågas om hur de ser på busstrafiken i Karlstad gentemot andra länder och städer. En kan ej svara eftersom denne säger sig ha åkt för sällan. En annan säger att jämfört med utlandet där det är väldigt mycket människor och allt, så är det lugnare i Sverige, här kan tidtabellen hållas bättre. Diskussionen går över till att beröra punktlighet. Det uttrycks att man räknar med att bussen ska komma i tid. En av respondenterna säger att det finns avvikelser där bussen lämnar första hållplatsen innan avsatt tid, detta gällde specifikt fredag kvällar, men detta lade nu respondenten in i planerna och gick till hållplatsen tidigare. Anledningen till säkerheten kring avvikandet var att det gick att jämföra den egna klockan med klockan på busskort-avläsaren inne i bussen. Nu återgår diskussionen till att jämföra Karlstad med en annan stad i Sverige där en av respondenterna åkt mycket buss, men där det ej fanns realtidssystem. Denne säger då att det bara var att gå och ställa sig vid hållplatsen och att det är bra när man kan se hur många minuter som är kvar eftersom man vet om man missat bussen eller ej, och då slipper stå och ”hoppas på det bästa”. Denne respondent svarar även att denne generellt väntade längre då det ej fanns tavlor.

Efter en kortare tystnad frågas respondenterna om (eftersom de ej använder Internet och wap) deras beteende har ändrats sedan tavlorna kom in i bilden. Exempel ges av respondenterna på att man nu kan sitta kvar längre på uteserveringar eftersom man ser på avstånd hur länge det är kvar, samt att man hinner se i tid och börja springa, eller att man kan springa in i affären bara för att man vet att man har tid på sig. Det uttrycks även att man sparar tid eftersom man slipper titta på alla tabeller. Och alla nickar när de frågas om de tittar mindre på tidtabellerna nu.

Samtalet går över till att handla om var det finns skyltar i staden, en respondent vet om tre ytterområden som har skylt förutom centrum. Frågan ställs om hur respondenterna skulle påverkas om skyltarna togs bort, samt om de eventuellt skulle åka mindre buss. Deltagarna är eniga kring att de skulle missa fler bussar, vara tvungna att titta mer i tabeller, känna sig mera osäker medan man väntar, samt sakna möjligheten att snabbt jämföra busslinje alternativ. De är dock osäkra på om de skulle åka mindre buss. En av respondenterna uttrycker att den största fördelen med Live är att man kan jämföra alla linjealternativ väldigt lätt, samt avgöra om det är värt att vänta två minuter eller ta en längre linje, etc.

Det är nu liten muntlig aktivitet i gruppen och moderatorn säger att respondenterna kan berätta om vad som helst som har med bussar att göra, att det inte måste vara om Live. Tystnad. En av respondenterna undrar om bussbolaget kommer att få ta del av allt som sägs. Detta besvaras med att sekreteraren säger att den information som anses vara av relevans, både positivt och negativt kommer att framföras till bussbolaget efter att arbetet med undersökningen är färdigställt.

Samtalet rör vidare helgtrafiken. En av respondenterna återger tre linjer som går på helgen och deras huvudsakliga färdväg och problemet med att dessa åker mycket samma väg samtidigt, att detta borde göras om. Denne respondent måste gå en bit för att kunna åka med två av linjerna, men denne hävdar att bussen oftast går när den ska gå efter att ha tittat i tidtabellen. Respondenten reagerar när sekreteraren försöker fråga om att eventuellt använda Live då, och denne säger att det är som det ska vara, men grejen är att linjerna går samtidigt samma väg och det fortfarande blir en timme att vänta.

En av respondenterna tar nu upp betalningssystemet. Denne tycker att det är fel att man inte kan använda de sista kronorna på kortet och komplettera med de kronor som fattas för att kunna köpa en biljett, utan att man MÅSTE fylla på med minst hundra kronor, vilket man kanske inte alltid har. En annan säger då att det borde gå att betala med betalkort.

Appendix 3

Respondenterna frågas om de kommer att använda tjänsten i framtiden efter dagens diskussion. Det tror två bestämt inte, en kanske och en förhåller sig tyst. Frågan ställs om var de eventuellt har hört om Internet eller WAP möjligheten om de visste vad det var. En har vetat länge och kan ej säga hur, men tror sig ha sett någon använda det. De frågas vidare hur de tror att budskapet som Live skulle kunna nå flera och svarar då: reklamskylt på bussen, text som rullar längst ner på Live tavlorna med ”vi finns också på Internet”, skylt i busskurarna. Respondenterna tror inte att det skulle hjälpa om bussbolaget ställde sig och demonstrerade tjänsten eftersom man antagligen bara skulle gå förbi, samt att det inte anses vara en jätteavancerad tjänst att förstå heller. Men de säger dock att en liten ”hur gör man” -broschyr kanske skulle vara en idé.

Moderatorn tackar och meddelar att respondenterna får ett respass som tack. Ingen av respondenterna anser sig ha påverkats av att samtalet spelats in då de frågas om detta.

Appendix 3

Sammandrag fokusgrupp samtliga respondenter använder antingen websida eller wapsida.Datum: 8 mars 2007 eftermiddagsgruppen

En moderator och en sekreterare som antecknar. Gruppen består av tre respondenter, varav en kvinna och två män. Respondenterna fyller i en liten enkät. Fika pågår samtidigt med diskussion. Samtalet inleds med att alla berättar vad de heter, hur ofta de åker buss (anges i antal tur&retur resor per vecka ) och vad deras starkaste bussminne är:1: Åker varje veckodag till och från jobb. Har inget minne att dela med sig av. 2: Åker varje veckodag till och från universitetet, resan innefattar bussbyte på 8 minuter. Lyssnar på mp3 på bussen och har därför inget speciellt minne.3: Åker varje veckodag till och från universitetet samt någon gång under helger. Minns en resa i föregående vecka då busschauffören körde som en galning och det var väldigt halt ute, detta är den enda gång respondenten har varit riktigt rädd sittande i ett fordon, och en mamma med barnvagn hade glidit bakåt i varje kurva för att han körde så snabbt.

Moderatorn ber respondenterna definiera Live. De säger då att det är en väldigt smidig och bra tjänst, att det är lätt att se hur länge det är tills bussen ska avgå, och därmed hur länge man får stå och vänta. Vidare frågas på vilket sätt respondenterna använder Live, i vilka syften, tidpunkter, vad man använder mest av websidan eller WAPsidan. En av respondenterna säger då att denne använder den mest i början och att man sen i stort sett lär sig när bussen ska gå, eftersom denne i princip aldrig har använt vanlig tabell.

Moderatorn frågar vidare hur respondenterna fick reda på att Live web/WAP finns, varpå två av respondenterna säger att de fått informationen via kompisar och den tredje säger sig ha hittat det på Karlstadsbuss hemsida. Vidare förklarar en av respondenterna att denne använder WAP eftersom denne ej har internet hemma, en annan använder websidan ca fem ggr per vecka och visste inte att WAP fanns. En tredje respondent använder WAP varje eftermiddag då denne ska hem från jobb eftersom bussens tid för avresa ofta pendlar på denna hållplats. Moderatorn undrar då om WAPen stämmer för resenären, och det gör den enligt resenären, bussen kommer när det står “noll” i telefonen.

Moderatorn går då vidare och frågar de andra respondenterna om de också upplever att det stämmer. En av dem säger då att det ibland händer att det står fel, att det står att det är en minut kvar i flera minuter, i nästan tjugo minuter, men att denne inte riktigt vet vad detta beror på. Respondenten medger att bussen då kommit till slut, men att det är oklart om detta var den “usprungliga” bussen, eller den som är nästa enligt tabellen. Den tredje har inte tänkt på det när det gäller websidan, men när moderatorn frågar hur de upplever detta i förhållande till skyltarna, så medger respondenten att det händer att det står “noll” fast det inte kommer någon buss, att dom inte riktigt “ligger i fas”. En annan bryter då in och hävdar att skyltarna vid Stora Torget inte stämmer, att det står “noll” fast ingen buss kommer, vidare säger denne att det då står “noll” i ungefär en kvart och sen försvinner den från tavlan. Moderatorn frågar då om det händer ofta att bussen försvinner från tavlan och alla respondenter säger att det hänt flera gånger och påpekar att man då inte har en aning om när, eller om bussen egentligen kommer. En av respondenterna berättar då om ett sådant tillfälle som gällde WAP, att bussen inte kommit.

Respondenterna frågas nu om de litar på att det fungerar trots att det ibland inte stämmer, detta gör respondenterna eftersom, som en av dem säger “det måste man göra”. Respondenterna lägger till lite marginal när de ska gå ut till bussen och springer inte bara när rätt antal minuter kvar visas. Den av respondenterna som bott i Karlstad redan innan införandet av Live anser sig inte ha påverkats beteendemässigt eftersom denne var ute i god

Appendix 3

tid förut. Två av respondenterna använder till olika stor grad websidan. Alla tre deltagare använder Internet i andra avseenden.

Alla respondenter ser sig som positivt inställda till teknik. Moderatorn frågar hur mycket respondenterna använder Live. En använder den på kvällstid som en bekräftelse på när bussen ska gå eftersom på morgonen vet man när den går. Denne respondent har skylt vid sin hållplats, men använder WAP vid osäkerhet kring avgångstider.

Moderatorn undrar vidare vad som skulle göra tjänsten mera värdefull enligt respondenterna. Dessa efterfrågar då en information om att bussen är sen, att detta skall indikeras i Live, och även information om när nästa buss då eventuellt kommer. Respondenterna vill också kunna se om en buss är inställd, då detta nu tydligen ej går. En av respondenterna berättar om en incident när bussen inte kom och denne fick gå en mil hem, Live WAP visade bussen och räknade ner, men den kom inte ändå och det visade sig senare att den varit inställd.

Samtalet går vidare till att handla om Karlstadsbuss generellt. Respondenterna är över lag nöjda, men ser gärna att kortläsarna i bussen flyttas, eller att båda dörrarna öppnas så att den som har kort inte behöver stå i samma långa kö som de som ska betala kontant när man ska på bussen, de tror även att bussbolaget skulle vinna på detta eftersom det tar en del tid när man måste köa.

På frågan om hur de skulle reagera om Live togs bort svarar respondenterna att tjänsten är smidig, men att man skulle klara sig ändå eftersom papperstabellen finns och även är tillgänglig på hemsidan. (av samtalet att förstå omtalas här enbart websidan och WAPsidan för Live, ej skyltarna). Vidare diskuteras huruvida denna tjänst skulle vara mera använd om den applicerades på länstrafiken. Respondenterna är osäkra angående detta, men att det i så fall är information om försening som är intressant, för om bussen inte kommer så står man handfallen eftersom det går färre bussar än i stadstrafiken. Moderatorn frågar nu om man skulle vara intresserad av att kunna se tidtabeller med fasta tider i mobilen. De anger då möjligt användande om man antingen ska åka linjer man normalt ej åker, eller om man ska planera längre fram än en timme. Samtalet går nu över till att handla om hur man skulle kunna nå ut till flera när det gäller Live websida och WAPsida. Respondenterna anger information på bussen, något tryck på Respassen (busskorten) eftersom de flesta använder dessa, och dessa kort används även på länstrafiken.

Moderatorn frågar nu om övriga bra eller dåliga erfarenheter av Live. Respondenterna återgår då till att diskutera kring frågan att det visas fel minutindikationer både i WAP och på tavlorna. På frågan om de har sämre koll på tidtabellen nu än tidigare svarar de tvekande eftersom man kollar mest i början när man är ny inför tabellen och sedan håller man koll på tabellen ändå.

Sekreteraren kommer med en fråga om vad det var som gjorde att de började använda denna del av tjänsten. Respondenterna anger smidigheten med nedräkningen, att man slipper titta på klockan och helt enkelt får veta att det är X antal minuter kvar till avresa. Att de kan utnyttja denna tid bättre.

Moderatorn frågar vidare om det är lätt att ställa in Live i mobilen. Respondenterna svarar att det är ganska enkelt att ställa in WAP, och att det underlättar att man kan spara en busshållsplats som ett bokmärke så att man slipper skriva in hållplatsen varje gång och det enda man då behöver göra är att uppdatera. Respondenterna diskuterar nu kring hur sidan kan uppdateras, om man måste göra detta själv och att det ibland sker automatiskt.

Appendix 3

Sekreteraren undrar om respondenterna har sett någon information alls från Karlstadsbuss sida om detta eftersom de antingen fick veta om tjänsten av en bekant, eller hittat det själv. En svarar nej, men tillägger att det står någonting på baksidan av papperstabellen som denne då visar upp. En säger sig ha sett något längst ner på tavlorna på busshållsplatserna. Samtalet lider mot sitt slut och det avslutas med frågan om de känner flera som använder denna tjänst, men det gör man inte, en av respondenterna har försökt berätta för kompisar, men dessa har inte brytt sig alls. Den av respondenterna som använder websidan bor vid en starthållplats och medger att detta påverkar intresset. Samtalet avslutas. Ingen anser sig ha påverkats av inspelningen.

Appendix 3

Sammandrag fokusgrupp två respondenter använder antingen websida eller wapsida. Tre respondenter använder varken websida eller wapsida.Datum: 15 mars 2007

En moderator och en sekreterare som antecknar. Gruppen består av fem respondenter, varav tre kvinnor och två män. Respondenterna fyller i en liten enkät. Fika pågår samtidigt med diskussion. Samtalet inleds med att alla berättar vad de heter, hur ofta de åker buss (anges i antal tur&retur resor per vecka) och vad deras starkaste bussminne är:1: numera 1ggr/vecka pga samåk i bil, tidigare 5ggr/vecka. Minns hur skönt det kan vara att åka buss om man har rätt chaufför, att man aldrig kände att man åkte buss, bara transporterades från A till B, inga panikstopp eller panikstarter. Och att det inte tar längre tid att ta bussen. En annan respondent är väldigt oense i detta och beskriver en sträcka som tar 45min med buss och 10min med bil, och vidare att det ibland tar lika lång tid att transportera sig mellan två punkter inom Karlstad som det tar att åka ända till Karlskoga. Det borde finnas snabbussar från ena sidan av Karlstad till andra. Moderatorn påpekar att undersökningen inte görs för Karlstadsbuss räkning och att alla erfarenheter och åsikter är välkomna. 2: ca 1ggr/vecka, men väldigt olika. Minns en chaufför som var på strålande humör och guidade hela vägen.3: åker buss varje dag. Minns inget speciellt. 4: ca 1ggr/vecka. Minns de långa nattbussarna, och fullsatta bussar under nollningsveckorna. En av respondenterna lägger här till att det är skönt att det finns vakter på nattbussarna, ibland t o m två stycken, och att det känns bra ifall att något skulle hända.5: ca 2ggr/vecka. Två minnen, ett positivt om en trevlig busschaufför som var verkligen jättetrevlig, och ett negativt om en chaufför som talade illa om en person under en lång tid av resan.

Moderatorn undrar hur användandet av Live websida och WAPsida ser ut gruppen. En använder regelbundet websidan hemma, WAP om ute på stan till exempel. En använder någon gång ibland websidan. De tre andra använder inte alls. Moderatorn frågar vidare om de andra visste att funktionerna fanns varpå en enbart visste om websidan, en annan inte alls och en tredje visste om båda. Den av respondenterna som använder båda funktionerna får frågan att förklara vad Live är, och förklarar att det nog är en tabell där det står ankomster och vart bussarna går och minuter kvar till den kommer, vilken linje, etc. ”ett slags program”. Moderatorn lägger till att det är antal minuter kvar till avresa. Respondenten frågar/påstår då ”men hur väl funkar det på alla små ställen?!”, och moderatorn säger att det är sådant som undersökningen ska ta reda på, och vidare undrar om alla ändå tittar på skyltarna trots att de använder web/WAP-tjänsten, detta instämmer gruppen med. Moderatorn undrar då om de litar på det skylten visar, om de stämmer. En av respondenterna säger då att det gör de oftast, att den är på ingående i alla fall. En annan svarar ”sådär” och att man litar på de större hållplatserna eftersom det är många som åker därifrån och att det är sådana platser bussarna anpassar sig efter och den tid de försöker hålla. Men är osäker på hur denne skulle lita på det på en hållplats där det inte ens finns skyltar.

Moderatorn frågar nu icke-användarna om de använder tidtabellen i papper. En svarar ja, en söker på kollplatsen, även den som nyss svarat ja använder kollplatsen. Denne respondenten säger då att det ofta inte stämmer med tiderna på skyltarna vid Stora Torget, och att denne inte riktigt vet om det är avgångstid eller ankomsttid som står på tavlorna. En annan respondent säger då att det är avgångstider. Samtalet blir nu ett resonemang mellan respondenterna kring vad tidsangivelsen visar. De enas om avgångstider, och att det ibland inte är säkert att bussarna kommer iväg till rätt tid. Vidare undrar moderatorn igen om de litar på tiderna. Och

Appendix 3

en av respondenterna säger att det beror på, på helger och när mycket folk ska med och man väntar. En annan respondent säger att bussen kan bli klar tidigare. En tredje bryter in och säger att denne i alla fall inte tror att bussen lämnar hållplatsen för tidigt, men blir motsagd av en annan deltagare som upplevt att bussen åkt förbi hållplatsen fast det stod fem minuter kvar på tavlan. Respondenten oroar sig då även för den som kommit när det stått tre minuter kvar och tror att bussen inte har kommit då. En av respondenterna som använder sig av Kollplatsen säger då att denna söktjänst upplyser om att tiden kan variera med någon minut. Diskussionen fortsätter kring vilken hållplats som åks förbi, samt om denna är en plats som bussen ska rätta sig efter.

Användare frågas vidare på vilket sätt de använder Live, om det är en back up t ex. Svar kommer från en av dem och denne har alltid den vanliga tabellen i väskan, vet ungefär när bussen ska komma och sen vid hållplatsen kollas skylten.

Nästa fråga gäller vad som skulle krävas för att man skulle börja använda websidan och WAPsidan, om de har testat alls, eller inte känner till det. En har aldrig testat och anger att brist på bredbandsuppkoppling kan vara en anledning. En annan säger sig ej ha behov eftersom denne åker från start till slut på linjen, vet när bussen går, och har täta turer nära boendet så det är bara att gå ut så kommer strax en buss med max tio minuters väntan. Den samme respondenten hade provat att ställa in WAP när reklamen om detta visades, men hade misslyckats och tänkt ”nej detta var inget för mig”. Moderatorn undrar då om de andra sett reklam. Två har sett, men kommer ej ihåg vart, en säger eventuellt lokal reklam på tv och den andra kommer på att det står något på skyltarna, en logga. En respondent har inte alls sett reklam, denne hade bara hört ordet men inte tänkt på det så mycket och ser inget behov eftersom denne inte åker så ofta. En fjärde har sett i fönstret på bussen, och har sett på Karlstadsbuss hemsida och på så vis kommit över WAP funktionen. Den av respondenterna som registrerat logotypen på skyltarna påpekar att skyltarna är väldigt bra eftersom man slipper läsa de små lapparna med tidtabellerna. Samt att man kan stå några meter ifrån och se att det är fem minuter kvar är bekvämt.

Moderatorn berättar om kundundersökningen som visat att endast några få känner till webside- och WAPside-funktionerna och undrar därför hur man skulle kunna få fler att använda dessa. De två som inte sett någon reklam uttrycker att de inte kopplat samman att skyltarna och websidan är samma sak. En tredje respondent instämmer i detta. En annan undrar om mobildelen är så bra eftersom ingen vet om den och folk ändå vet när bussen ska gå då man åker samma sträcka oftast, samt att man har tidtabellen i pappersformat och Internet, så det blir tveksamt om ens en massiv reklamkampanj skulle ändra på detta. Moderatorn frågar då om respondenterna tror tjänsten skulle passa bättre för busstrafik på längre sträckor. Respondenterna instämmer om än lite fundersamt. En av dem säger också att länstrafiken skulle vara en idé, t ex om man ska gå av eller på vid bara ett gatljus. Denne säger vidare att eftersom Karlstad inte är så stort så åker många samma linje ofta och tidtabellen följs ganska bra så behovet i stan är inte så stort. De andra instämmer. Moderatorn frågar då hur de skulle reagera om alla delar av Live togs bort. Respondenterna är eniga om att skyltarna är man så van vid att det skulle bli väldigt svårt om de togs bort. En exemplifierar med att man tittar på skyltarna för att avgöra om man ska göra något ytterligare på stan innan bussen går. En annan berättar om hur jobbigt det känns när skyltarna är ur funktion. En tredje säger då att de ofta är svarta vid Bergvik.

Moderatorn går nu över till att fråga kring Internet användandet i stort i gruppen. Det händer ibland att tre av respondenterna använder Internet i mobilen, men inte de andra. En av respondenterna vet inte om det fungerar på dennes mobil.

Appendix 3

Samtalet går tillbaka till Live och potentiella förbättringsmöjligheter. Respondenterna efterfrågar flera skyltar både stora och små. En respondent föreslår även en knapp på skyltarna så att synskadade kan utnyttja dem och istället höra informationen, idén gillas av de andra respondenterna. Flera är tveksamma till WAP funktionen, men samtidigt säger en av de som inte använder denna del av tjänsten att det beror på hur användandet av Internet i mobilen över lag kommer att se ut i framtiden. En av respondenterna uttrycker vidare att det borde finnas en sensor som registrerar när bussen åkt förbi så den inte står kvar i listan. Samtalet kommer tillbaka till temat att det står att bussen inte kommit men att den ändå inte kommer, skylten bara räknar till ”noll” och försvinner sedan. En av deltagarna säger att det enda man kan kolla är att en liten stjärna dyker upp när bussen är på ingång. Vidare undrar en respondent om tjänsten finns så att man kan titta på en karta vart bussen är, att det kunde vara intressant annars. Denne får svar att detta ej finns i dagsläget.

Moderatorn återkommer till utsagan tidigare om att man nu gör annat medan man väntar på bussen och undrar om respondenterna har ändrat beteende. En av de som bott i staden sedan innan införandet säger att denne gjorde samma jämförelse fast mot papperstabellen då, fast har numera inte papperstabellen i innerfickan. En annan som bott sedan starten tillägger då att det numera är mycket smidigare att göra jämförelsen nu och instämmer i att tabellen inte längre finns med.

En av respondenterna konstaterar att det finns ett problem med utropandet av hållplatser inne i bussen, att dessa inte alltid stämmer, att de ligger efter. De andra instämmer. Och säger att utropet ofta kommer precis när man åker förbi hållplatsen. Respondenterna funderar på om detta kan ha med GPS systemet att göra, och resonerar kring huruvida detta också kan påverka antalet minuter som står på skyltarna. De blir ense om att det är svårt när man inte känner till ett område när namnen ropas fel och om man då är utanför tätorten så kan det vara väldigt långt mellan hållplatserna.

Sekreteraren tillfrågas om denne har något att tillägga och denne undrar då om det faktum att tiderna hålls bra i Karlstad bidrar till ett minskat behov av websidan och WAPen, eller om det skulle lämpa sig för andra städer. En respondent säger då att i storstäder går bussar så ofta att man inte behöver det. Diskussionen rör sig nu kring hur ofta bussar avgår från olika delar av Karlstad. Respondenterna kommer över i åsikter om långa busslinjer på helgtrafiken, att det tar lång tid och bussarna är väldigt fulla. Säkerheten på bussarna ifrågasätts vidare och man undrar hur mycket folk en buss som åker på motorvägen egentligen får ha. En respondent säger då att skyltar om sådana bestämmelser finns längst fram i bussen. Respondenterna går vidare med att diskutera körbeteendet hos chaufförerna, att det ofta är svårt att stå upp vid kraftiga inbromsningar och accelerationer. Respondenterna ifrågasätter om chauffören kan säga nej till passagerare som står vid hållplatser och väntar, och att de plockar upp fler än de bör eftersom kunderna annars skulle bli missnöjda. Och att det i så fall skulle kunna sättas in extra bussar.

Moderatorn frågar nu om respondenterna är generellt nöjda med Karlstadsbuss. Ja, det är respondenterna. Respondenterna påpekar ändå att det finns vissa chaufförer som inte är speciellt trevliga, samt att en del av de som kör buss aldrig borde ha fått sitta bakom ratten, eftersom de kör ryckigt, kör ut framför bilar och genar i rondeller. Respondenterna säger dock att merparten av chaufförerna är trevliga trots allt, men inte alla. Moderatorn undrar om sekreteraren har något att tillägga, det har denne inte och intervjun avslutas.

Appendix 4

Zusammenfassung

Während der letzten Jahrzehnte konnten Betriebe, durch innovative technische Errungenschaften, Kunden und andere Betriebe auf neuen Wegen erreichen. Diese Entwicklung hat nicht nur unsere Auffassung von Dienstleistung, sondern auch die Präsentation des Angebotes für die Kunden beeinflusst.

Der Dienstleistungssektor ist früher als eine „low-tech“ bzw. „high-touch“ Industrie gesehen worden, bei dem die Mitarbeiter an der Front der Schlüssel zum Erfolg waren. Heute besteht die Begegnung zwischen den Dienstleistungsunternehmern und den Kunden, oftmals aus der Interaktion zwischen dem Kunden und der Technik bzw. aus der Begegnung Kunde und Maschine.

Viele „low-tech“ Sektoren versuchen nun durch die Einführung von neuen „high-tech“ Zusatzleistungen, die Kundenzufriedenheit zu erhöhen und damit den Profit zu steigern. Der Stadtbusverkehr ist, traditioneller Weise, ein solcher „low-tech“ Sektor gewesen. Heute jedoch arbeiten einige der Verkehrs- und Transportunternehmen mit neuen technischen Errungenschaften.

In Karlstad zum Beispiel, haben die Reisenden jetzt die Möglichkeit, Abfahrtszeiten als Realzeit entweder auf der Webseite, WAP-Seite, oder an elektronischen Anzeigetafeln zu sehen. Diese Dienstleistung wird „Live“ genannt. „Live“ zeigen die aktuellen Abfahrten aller abfahrenden Busse dieser bestimmten Haltestelle in der laufenden Stunde an. Derzeit, benutzt nur ein kleiner Teil der Reisenden die Web- bzw. WAP-Seite.

Ziel unserer Untersuchung ist es zu ermitteln, wie Kunden auf die Einführung von neuen „high-tech“ Zusatzleistungen in traditionellen „low-tech“ Sektoren reagieren. Um dies zu erforschen, erarbeiten wir die Forschungsaufgabe an Hand eines Beispiels der Karlstadsbuss (verantwortliche Unternehmer der Stadtbusverkehr i Karlstad) im Hinblick auf „Live“. Unsere Forschungsfrage lautet: „Was trägt die Zusatzleistung „Live“ zur Meinungsbildung des Kunden in Bezug auf das Dienstleistungsangebote der Karlstadsbuss bei?“

Unsere Forschungsmethode ist qualitativ, da diese uns ermöglichen soll, ein tiefgreifenderes Verständnis des Phänomens zu erhalten und etwaige unerwartete Antworten herauszufiltern. Wir wählten die Methode des „Fokusgroup“, eine Art Gruppen-Interview, bei dem ein bestimmter Fall oder Phänomen erforscht wird. Insgesamt waren es 15 Befragte, welche in vier Gruppen gesplittert wurden. Eine Gruppe benutzte nur die elektronischen Anzeigetafeln, die zweite Gruppe benutzte die Web- oder WAP-Seite, die anderen zwei Gruppen wurden gemischt.

Das Interview war semi-strukturell aufgebaut, d.h. der Moderator benutzte ein Frageformular, lies aber auch Diskussionsthemen zu, welche von den Teilnehmern selber zur Sprache gebracht wurden. Die Antworten wurden transkribiert, in Themenbereiche sortiert, um diese an den theoretischen Bezugsrahmen anzuknüpfen.

Der Bezugsrahmen enthielt unter anderem Folgendes:

Appendix 4

Zuerst besprachen wir die Aspekte, welche die Haltung des Kunden gegen neue Techniken beeinflusst. Dies beinhaltete die Kategorien Optimismus, Innovationsverständnis, Unbehagen und Unsicherheit (Optimism, Innovativeness, Discomfort, Insecurity), welche als Charakteristika in Bezug auf das technische Verständnis der Kunden gelten (Parasuraman 2000) und auch die Kulturdimensionen von Hofstede, durch die Arbeit von Bjerke, in Bezug auf die Skandinavischen Ländern, appliziert (Bjerke 1998). Darüber hinaus wurde die Anschauungsweise der Kunden, in Bezug auf den Wert einer Dienstleitung, mit Hilfe der Definition von Heskett et al (1997) erörtert. Die Teile des Dienstleistungsangebotes wurde erklärt, um die Rolle der Zusatzdienste zu verstehen. Verschiedene Aspekte der wahrgenommenen Dienstleistungsqualität, sowie die Dimensionen von Zeithaml et al (1990) und Grönroos (2000) wurden ebenfalls eingeschlossen. Um den unterschiedlichen Anforderungen, welche durch die drei Arten von „Live“ an den Kunden gestellt wurden, gerecht zu werden, berücksichtigten wir auch die Ergebnisse von Meuter und Kollegen (2000) in Bezug auf Selbstbedienungstechnologien (Self-Service Technologies).

Unsere Ergebnisse teilten sich in zwei unterschiedliche Punkte: Zuerst wurde klar, dass die Vorstellung von „Live“ vom Unternehmen (Karlstadsbuss), den Reisenden und uns unterschiedlich aufgefasst wird. Das Unternehmen findet, dass „Live“ nur noch eine Art Fahrplan ist. Das System, welches hinter den „Live“ -Informationen steckt, wird auch für Verkehrskontrollen und Überwachungen benutzt und deswegen existierte diese Information auch früher. Diese Information wurde nur „umgepackt“, und den Reisenden als „Live“ unterbreitet. Der Reisende jedoch ist der Auffassung, dass „Live“ auch die Technologie umfasst, die dahinter steht und setzt alles in Relation zum ganzen Dienstleistungsangebot. Wir haben „Live“ aus einer „Service Management Perspektive“ untersucht und sind der Meinung, dass es eine Zusatzleistung ist, da es kein Muss ist, um das Kernangebot zu benutzen. Die verschiedenen Angebote von „Live“ und der Papierfahrplan konkurrieren miteinander weil sie dieselben Informationen präsentieren. Da die Web- oder WAP-Seite mehr Engagement erfordern werden den Reisenden diese auch anders schätzen.

Zum Zweiten fanden wir, dass die Einführung von ein „high-tech“ Zusatzleistungen in einem „low-tech“ Sektor, sowohl positive als auch negative Seiten aufzeigt und dies nicht nur für die Kunden, sondern auch für das Unternehmen selber. Die Befragten haben mehrere Aspekte von „Live“ diskutiert, die zu ihrer Meinungsbildung des Dienstleistungsangebotes der Karlstadtbusse beiträgt.

Die Befragten fanden, dass „Live“ -Insbesondere die elektronischen Anzeigetafeln– das Reisen vereinfacht: es zeigt alle Buslinien und die Abfahrtszeiten werden aktuell präsentiert. Dass die Informationen in Realzeit präsentiert wurden ist laut den Befragten von geringer Bedeutung. Da die Schweden sehr pünktlich sind, erwarten auch die Reisenden, dass der Bus genau nach Fahrplan fährt.

Darüber hinaus fanden wir heraus, dass diese „high-tech“ Dienstleistung für die Befragten wichtig war, weil es verschiedene Arten der Informationsbeschaffung aufzeigt. Es war möglich zwischen den verschiedenen Angeboten zu wählen und somit herauszufinden, welche Methode am geeignetsten für einen selber ist. Aus den Antworten ging hervor, dass für die Benutzung der Web- oder WAP-Seite ein besonders Problem, beziehungsweise erschwerte Umstände vorhanden sein mussten. Die Reisenden, welche dieses Angebot von „Live“

Appendix 4

nutzten, fuhren von Haltestellen, welche einen geringeren Busverkehr aufwiesen, oder an denen es keine elektronische Anzeigetafeln gab, oder fuhren zu unregelmäßigen Zeiten.

Die Befragten zeigten eine positive Einstellung gegenüber der Technik und fühlten sich wohl bei der Benutzung. Daher war es uns nicht möglich einen relevanten Zusammenhang zwischen dem technischen Verständnis der Kunden und der Benutzung von „Live“ Web/WAP zu finden. Viele der Befragten hatten umfassende Kenntnisse über „Live Web/WAP“, hatten jedoch keine Verwendung für diese Zusatzleistung. Sie fanden, dass das Angebot, im Vergleich zum Papierplan, oder der elektronischen Anzeigetafel, nicht schnell und einfach genug zu nutzen sei.

Es wurde auch klar, dass diese Zusatzleistung das gesamte Dienstleistungs-Angebot beeinflusst, da die Reisenden mehrere Möglichkeiten haben genauer zu kontrollieren, ob Karlstadsbuss hält was versprochen wird. Die Zuverlässigkeit und das Vertrauen des Dienstleistungsunternehmen wird von den Befragten in Frage gestellt, wenn die „high-tech“ Zusatzleistung die richtige Zeit präsentiert, aber die Busse nicht entsprechend fahren.

In diesem Fall, ist die Einführung von „high-tech“ Mitteln in „low-tech“ Bereiche, laut der Reisenden, weitestgehend positiv zu bewerten.