Gender differences in the user satisfaction and service quality improvement priority of public transit bus system in Porto Alegre and Fortaleza, Brazil

•We examine gender differences in user satisfaction and service improvement priority.•The QualiÔnibus rider satisfaction survey data in Porto Alegre and Fortaleza is analyzed.•The random forest method is applied to determine the attribute importance.•Gender difference exists in both the importance type and priority of the service attributes.•Findings could help transit agencies develop gender-oriented actions for service improvements.