The Effect of Work Stress and Emotional Intelligence on Job Satisfaction of Trans Jatim Corridor 1 Bus Crew

Abstract

Bus crew members of TransJatim Corridor 1 face substantial operational demands, including dense trip frequency, short headways, and intensive passenger interaction, which may affect their job satisfaction. This study aims to examine the influence of work stress and emotional intelligence on the job satisfaction of the TransJatim Corridor 1 bus crew. A quantitative survey approach was applied to 92 operational crew members selected through saturated sampling. Data were collected using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4.0. The results show that work stress has a significant negative effect on job satisfaction, while emotional intelligence has a significant positive effect on job satisfaction, with both variables jointly explaining a moderate proportion of the variance in job satisfaction. Interpersonal demands arising from uncooperative passenger interactions emerged as the most salient source of pressure, while self-awareness was identified as the most decisive emotional capacity underlying job satisfaction. These findings indicate that strengthening crew emotional-management capacity should be prioritized alongside managing operational workload so that TransJatim can sustain both crew psychological well-being and continuous service quality.