Qualidade dos serviços prestados pelo Núcleo de Transporte da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Abstract

In public administration, it is essential that the activities carried out are based and structured on the needs and expectations of the users and the society itself. For this, it is essential to understand how these agents evaluate the quality of the services provided by the public administration. In this sense, the present study sought, through the adaptation and application of an evaluation instrument, to conduct a research with the users of the transportation sector of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) and, consequently, to verify in which dimensions of the quality and in what aspects the industry must improve. Therefore, the general objective of the work was to identify the users' perception regarding the quality of services provided by the Nucleus of Transport of UFSM. Thus, this study was presented as a case study and was classified as a descriptive research with a qualitative-quantitative methodological approach. As a research tool, a questionnaire was used, based on the SERVPERF and QUALBUS scales. A total of 512 questionnaires were collected. The main results reveal the positive and critical points of the users' evaluation, noting that both the positive and the negative ones referred especially to the factors "Reliability and safety in travel" and "Travel empathy". It was also analyzed the evaluation differences according to the profile of the users, and six variables presented mean differences: type of link with UFSM, time of institution, managerial position, type of transportation use, level of difficulty of scheduling and transportation institution. A number of propositions have also been made about all the factors/categories surveyed, such as: implementing a computerized system for transport scheduling, investing in the training and professionalization of the secretary and drivers, improving the availability of drivers and vehicles of the institution, improving the mechanical conditions of the vehicles, to carry out satisfaction surveys/travel evaluations after the end of each trip and to carry out a study to verify the costs involved in the trips.