The Covid-19 pandemic has hit public transport hard. Passenger numbers on New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the London Underground initially fell by around 95 per cent and have only recovered to around a third of levels . And while numbers have recovered, ridership is likely to be lower in the short to medium term.
But that's not worrying experts. As cities around the world face financial problems due to the pandemic, governments may try to reduce funding for transportation because its use has declined.
The next few years will be critical as it becomes clear that many people will continue to work from home or use private transport and as governments come under pressure to make spending cuts that could cause problems for public transport in the coming years.
Public transport is rarely profitable, but it is essential to the functioning of major cities, said Richard Anderson, co-director of the Centre for Transport Strategy at Imperial College London.
Lessons from Asia
Transport networks in countries where cases have remained relatively low – such as Taiwan and South Korea – can offer clues about the shape of the transition to normality after the COVID-19 pandemic and advice on how passengers can move around.
The drop in revenue is unlikely to be sustainable for most networks , given that it will take months to develop Covid-19 vaccines and even longer to ease travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, Taipei Metro, whose October ridership was about 15 percent lower than in 2019, has launched a high-profile disinfection drive, hiring hundreds of employees and mobilizing volunteers to scan passengers’ temperatures. In Seoul, authorities have made congestion levels on public transportation available onlineso passengers can plan their trips to avoid crowds and an app can report passengers not wearing masks.
But there are differences in Asia from other regions. Its cities are generally densely populated, making alternatives to public transportation (such as driving or working from home) difficult. The continent has also experienced other pandemics in recent years, such as SARS, and is more accustomed to using masks and maintaining social distancing.
Emotional appeal
In the West, it remains unclear how many passengers will ultimately return to public transportation. A French survey in September put the figure at 69 percent, while another poll of Americans in the northeastern U.S. in April and May found that 92 percent said they would return.
Public transportation during the pandemic is a lifesaver for lower-income workers, many of whom cannot work from home or buy their own cars.
The reduction in transportation funding will also disproportionately hit women and ethnic minorities. A US survey found that public transit users during the pandemic are “overwhelmingly women and minorities” and that healthcare and food service are among the top occupations for riders.
Source of information: nbcnews.com
