Public Transport COVID-19-Safe: New Barriers and Policies to Implement Effective Countermeasures under User’s Safety Perspective

Shanna Trichês Lucchesi, Virginia Bergamaschi Tavares, Miriam Karla Rocha and Ana Margarita Larranaga
Additional contact information
Shanna Trichês Lucchesi: Industrial and Transportation Engineering Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90035-190, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Virginia Bergamaschi Tavares: WRI Brasil, Porto Alegre 90035-077, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Miriam Karla Rocha: Engineering Center, Federal University of Semi-Árido, Mossoró 59625-900, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Ana Margarita Larranaga: Industrial and Transportation Engineering Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90035-190, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: The COVID-19 emergency forced cities worldwide to adopt measures to restrict travel and implement new urban public transport solutions. The discontinuity and reduction of services made users recognize public transport systems as contamination vectors, and the decrease in the number of passengers can already be seen in several places. Thus, this study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban public transport. We used hybrid choice models (HCMs) to identify the new barriers and potential solutions to increase users’ perception of safety, considering preexistent perceptions of public transportation quality. We used data from an online survey with users of public transportation in a metropolitan area in southern Brazil. We identified that the main barriers to using public transport during virus transmission are related to the system characteristics that force constant interaction with other passengers. Crowded vehicles and crowded stops/stations were considered the most detrimental factor in feeling safe while riding in the COVID-19 outbreak. Countermeasures that reduce the contact with other passengers—directly (limit the number of passengers in vehicles) or indirectly (operate with large vehicles)—and increase offers are possible solutions to make users feel safe while riding. The results of this research might help reduce passenger evasion and migration to more unsustainable transport modes.

Keywords: COVID-19; public transport; hybrid discrete choice models; infection prevention policies (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 (4)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/5/2945/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/5/2945/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:5:p:2945-:d:763095

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().