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Public transport trends in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: An investigation of the influence of bio-security concerns on trip behaviour

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  • Beck, Matthew J.
  • Hensher, David A.
  • Nelson, John D.

Abstract

This paper draws on findings from an Australia-wide survey with data collected in three waves throughout 2020 to explore the impact of COVID-19 on public transport trends in metropolitan areas of Australia. Following consideration of the public transport sector response to the pandemic and the emerging literature context, we explore three principal questions: (i) How has weekly travel composition changed across the waves? (ii) How has level of concern with using public transport changed over the course of the pandemic given new bio-security concerns? and (iii) How has attitudes to risk been associated with the changes in PT use? A key finding is that concerns over bio-security issues around public transport are enduring, that concern about hygiene is significantly negatively related to public transport use and that those with higher concern about the hygiene of public transport also held higher concern about COVID-19 at work. Even as COVID-19 restrictions are eased, both concern about crowds and hygiene have a significant and negative correlation with public transport use. Concluding remarks are offered on what might need to happen for public transport patronage to start returning.

Suggested Citation

  • Beck, Matthew J. & Hensher, David A. & Nelson, John D., 2021. "Public transport trends in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: An investigation of the influence of bio-security concerns on trip behaviour," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:96:y:2021:i:c:s0966692321002209
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103167
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Beck, Matthew J. & Rose, John M., 2016. "The best of times and the worst of times: A new best–worst measure of attitudes toward public transport experiences," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 108-123.
    2. Eisenmann, Christine & Nobis, Claudia & Kolarova, Viktoriya & Lenz, Barbara & Winkler, Christian, 2021. "Transport mode use during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Germany: The car became more important, public transport lost ground," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 60-67.
    3. Beck, Matthew J. & Hensher, David A., 2020. "Insights into the impact of COVID-19 on household travel and activities in Australia – The early days of easing restrictions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 95-119.
    4. Michał Wielechowski & Katarzyna Czech & Łukasz Grzęda, 2020. "Decline in Mobility: Public Transport in Poland in the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Economies, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-24, September.
    5. Beck, Matthew J. & Hensher, David A., 2020. "Insights into the impact of COVID-19 on household travel and activities in Australia – The early days under restrictions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 76-93.
    6. Hensher, David A., 2017. "Future bus transport contracts under a mobility as a service (MaaS) regime in the digital age: Are they likely to change?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 86-96.
    7. Dong, Hongming & Ma, Shoufeng & Jia, Ning & Tian, Junfang, 2021. "Understanding public transport satisfaction in post COVID-19 pandemic," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 81-88.
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    3. Ali El Zein & Adrien Beziat & Pascal Pochet & Olivier Klein & Stephanie Vincent, 2022. "What drives the changes in public transport use in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic? Highlights from Lyon metropolitan area," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(S1), pages 122-141, November.
    4. Wojciech Kazimierz Szczepanek & Maciej Kruszyna, 2022. "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Choice of Transport Means in Journeys to Work Based on the Selected Example from Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-9, June.
    5. Sara McLafferty & Valerie Preston, 2023. "Geographies of Frontline Workers: Gender, Race, and Commuting in New York City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-17, February.
    6. Faber, R.M. & de Haas, M.C. & Molin, E.J.E. & Kroesen, M., 2024. "Investigating changes in within-person effects between attitudes and travel behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    7. Balbontin, Camila & Hensher, David A. & Beck, Matthew J., 2022. "Advanced modelling of commuter choice model and work from home during COVID-19 restrictions in Australia," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    8. Sarthak Sahu & Saket Shanker & Aditya Kamat & Akhilesh Barve, 2023. "India’s public transportation system: the repercussions of COVID-19," Public Transport, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 435-478, June.
    9. Chen, Tiantian & Fu, Xiaowen & Hensher, David A. & Li, Zhi-Chun & Sze, N.N., 2024. "Effects of proactive and reactive health control measures on public transport preferences of passengers – A stated preference study during the COVID-19 pandemic," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 175-192.
    10. Cho, Jung-Hoon & Kim, Dong-Kyu & Kim, Eui-Jin, 2022. "Multi-scale causality analysis between COVID-19 cases and mobility level using ensemble empirical mode decomposition and causal decomposition," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 600(C).
    11. Armando Cartenì & Luigi Di Francesco & Ilaria Henke & Teresa Valentina Marino & Antonella Falanga, 2021. "The Role of Public Transport during the Second COVID-19 Wave in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, October.
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