Mobility Patterns and Mode Choice Preferences during the COVID-19 Situation

Hector Monterde-i-Bort, Matus Sucha, Ralf Risser and Tatiana Kochetova
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Hector Monterde-i-Bort: Psychonomy Research Unit, Department of Methodology of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia, 46010 València, Spain
Matus Sucha: Department of Psychology, Palacky University in Olomouc, 771 47 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Ralf Risser: Department of Psychology, Palacky University in Olomouc, 771 47 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Tatiana Kochetova: Faculty of Social Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, 127051 Moscow, Russia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: The empirical research on the COVID-19 epidemic’s consequences suggests a major drop in human mobility and a significant shift in travel patterns across all forms of transportation. We can observe a shift from public transport and an increase in car use, and in some cases also increase of cycling and (less often) walking. Furthermore, it seems that micromobility and, more generally, environmentally friendly and comanaged mobility (including shared services), are gaining ground. In previous research, much attention was paid to the mode choice preferences during lockdown, or early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 situation. The blind spot, and aim of this work, is how long observed changes in mode choice last and when or if we can expect the mode choice to shift back to the situation before the SARS-CoV-2 episodes. The research sample consisted of 636 cases; in total, 10 countries contributed to the sample examined in this study. The data were collected in two phases: the first in the spring of 2020 and the second in the fall of the same year. Results showed that respondents reduced mobility by car, local public transport and walking, but not bicycling during the lockdown, compared to the time before the pandemic started. When the easing came, respondents assessed their own use of the car and walking as almost back to normal. They also reported an increase in the use of public transport, but not reaching the level prior the pandemic by far. It seems that cycling was affected least by the pandemic; use of a bicycle hardly changed at all. As for the implication of our study, it is evident that special attention and actions will be needed to bring citizens back to public transport, as it seems that the impact of the pandemic on public transport use will last much longer than the pandemic itself.

Keywords: mobility; traffic psychology; COVID-19; mode choice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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