IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v110y2021icp215-224.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Extent to which COVID-19 will affect future use of the train in Israel

Author

Listed:
  • Elias, Wafa
  • Zatmeh-Kanj, Sunbola

Abstract

Many countries have taken a variety of measures to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 infections. Among the most important of these involve using social distancing to prevent contact. Restricted social contacts have important effects on activity participation and on travel demand. The current study examined an array of less-studied factors, such as attitudes and beliefs toward train use, including risk perception of flu-type infection, alongside more traditional factors, which together affect decisions whether to continue using the train. Data was collected using an internet survey application. The study was based on two surveys that were conducted approximately seven months apart, the first completed by 237 participants and the second by 149. We developed a structural equation model to better understand the influence of various factors on decisions whether to continue to use the train. We found a correlation between perception of the risk of infection and the decision to continue train travel. Study results also demonstrate the relation between trip purpose and the decision to use public transportation. The study results highlight the importance of many attributes favorably associated with train travel, including saving time, reliability, and comfort. Therefore, in contrast to the existing situation where the railway company makes its own decisions to decrease trip frequencies and to cancel some lines, government policy makers and the railway company should maintain a strong frequency schedule and increase the number of lines in order to accommodate social distancing. In addition, we found that the most effective measures for encouraging people to keep traveling by train required mask use, preventing people with flu-like symptoms from traveling by train, and fining those who do not comply. In order to sustain the train use as a viable alternative to using private vehicles it is important to decrease the risk perception of being infected by coronavirus and other kinds of infected diseases while traveling by train. This can be addressed by creating a clean and reasonably sterile environment. These results highlight the need for serious intervention by decision-makers in order to sustain the train use as a viable alternative to using private vehicles.

Suggested Citation

  • Elias, Wafa & Zatmeh-Kanj, Sunbola, 2021. "Extent to which COVID-19 will affect future use of the train in Israel," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 215-224.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:110:y:2021:i:c:p:215-224
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.06.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X2100189X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.06.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Md Hadiuzzaman & Nahid Parvez Farazi & Sanjana Hossain & Saurav Barua & Farzana Rahman, 2019. "Structural equation approach to investigate trip-chaining and mode choice relationships in the context of developing countries," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(4), pages 391-415, May.
    2. Vredin Johansson, Maria & Heldt, Tobias & Johansson, Per, 2006. "The effects of attitudes and personality traits on mode choice," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 507-525, July.
    3. Golob, Thomas F., 2003. "Structural equation modeling for travel behavior research," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 1-25, January.
    4. Paulley, Neil & Balcombe, Richard & Mackett, Roger & Titheridge, Helena & Preston, John & Wardman, Mark & Shires, Jeremy & White, Peter, 2006. "The demand for public transport: The effects of fares, quality of service, income and car ownership," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 295-306, July.
    5. Ettema, Dick & Friman, Margareta & Gärling, Tommy & Olsson, Lars E. & Fujii, Satoshi, 2012. "How in-vehicle activities affect work commuters’ satisfaction with public transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 215-222.
    6. Md Hadiuzzaman & Nahid Parvez Farazi & Sanjana Hossain & D. M. Ghius Malik, 2019. "An exploratory analysis of observed and latent variables affecting intercity train service quality in developing countries," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(4), pages 1447-1466, August.
    7. Joseph Berechman & Dilruba Ozmen & Kaan Ozbay, 2006. "Empirical analysis of transportation investment and economic development at state, county and municipality levels," Transportation, Springer, vol. 33(6), pages 537-551, November.
    8. Elias, Wafa & Shiftan, Yoram, 2012. "The influence of individual’s risk perception and attitudes on travel behavior," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(8), pages 1241-1251.
    9. Oded Cats & Yusak O. Susilo & Triin Reimal, 2017. "The prospects of fare-free public transport: evidence from Tallinn," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(5), pages 1083-1104, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Elif Bozkaya & Levent Eriskin & Mumtaz Karatas, 2023. "Data analytics during pandemics: a transportation and location planning perspective," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 328(1), pages 193-244, September.
    2. Mashrur, Sk.Md. & Wang, Kaili & Habib, Khandker Nurul, 2022. "Will COVID-19 be the end for the public transit? Investigating the impacts of public health crisis on transit mode choice," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 352-378.
    3. Hensher, David A. & Beck, Matthew J. & Balbontin, Camila, 2023. "Working from home 22 months on from the beginning of COVID-19: What have we learned for the future provision of transport services?," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Urbanek, Anna, 2021. "Potential of modal shift from private cars to public transport: A survey on the commuters’ attitudes and willingness to switch – A case study of Silesia Province, Poland," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    2. Petschnig, Martin & Heidenreich, Sven & Spieth, Patrick, 2014. "Innovative alternatives take action – Investigating determinants of alternative fuel vehicle adoption," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 68-83.
    3. Krzysztof Grzelec & Aleksander Jagiełło, 2020. "The Effects of the Selective Enlargement of Fare-Free Public Transport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-18, August.
    4. Varghese, Varun & Moniruzzaman, Md. & Chikaraishi, Makoto, 2023. "Environmental sustainability or equity in welfare? Analysing passenger flows of a mass rapid transit system with heterogeneous demand," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    5. Xuemei Fu & Zhicai Juan, 2017. "An integrated framework to jointly model decisions of activity time allocation and work-related travel," Transportation Planning and Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(6), pages 689-705, August.
    6. Long Chen & Chenglu Yang & Peng Jing & Qifen Zha & Xingyue Wang & Weichao Wang, 2023. "Are they willing to switch from non-driving to driving? An exploratory study among Chinese older people," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 1125-1163, August.
    7. Yan Han & Wanying Li & Shanshan Wei & Tiantian Zhang, 2018. "Research on Passenger’s Travel Mode Choice Behavior Waiting at Bus Station Based on SEM-Logit Integration Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-23, June.
    8. Yun Wang & Xuedong Yan & Yu Zhou & Qingwan Xue, 2017. "Influencing Mechanism of Potential Factors on Passengers’ Long-Distance Travel Mode Choices Based on Structural Equation Modeling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-22, October.
    9. Bouscasse, H. & Bonnel, P., 2016. "Socio-psychological determinants of mode choice habits," Working Papers 2016-05, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    10. Audronė Minelgaitė & Renata Dagiliūtė & Genovaitė Liobikienė, 2020. "The Usage of Public Transport and Impact of Satisfaction in the European Union," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-13, November.
    11. Haghani, Milad & Bliemer, Michiel C.J. & Hensher, David A., 2021. "The landscape of econometric discrete choice modelling research," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    12. Adnan, Muhammad & Nahmias Biran, Bat-hen & Baburajan, Vishnu & Basak, Kakali & Ben-Akiva, Moshe, 2020. "Examining impacts of time-based pricing strategies in public transportation: A study of Singapore," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 127-141.
    13. Jonas De Vos, 2019. "Analysing the effect of trip satisfaction on satisfaction with the leisure activity at the destination of the trip, in relationship with life satisfaction," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 623-645, June.
    14. Kamargianni, Maria & Dubey, Subodh & Polydoropoulou, Amalia & Bhat, Chandra, 2015. "Investigating the subjective and objective factors influencing teenagers’ school travel mode choice – An integrated choice and latent variable model," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 473-488.
    15. F. Atiyya Shaw & Aliaksandr Malokin & Patricia L. Mokhtarian & Giovanni Circella, 2021. "Who doesn’t mind waiting? Examining the relationships between waiting attitudes and person- and travel-related attributes," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 395-429, February.
    16. Sun, Fan & Jin, Minjie & Zhang, Tao & Huang, Wencheng, 2022. "Satisfaction differences in bus traveling among low-income individuals before and after COVID-19," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 311-332.
    17. Yao, Di & Xu, Liqun & Zhang, Chunqin & Li, Jinpei, 2021. "Revisiting the interactions between bus service quality, car ownership and mode use: A case study in Changzhou, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 329-344.
    18. Yuanyuan Guo & Linchuan Yang & Wenke Huang & Yi Guo, 2020. "Traffic Safety Perception, Attitude, and Feeder Mode Choice of Metro Commute: Evidence from Shenzhen," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-20, December.
    19. Rafiq, Rezwana & McNally, Michael G., 2022. "A structural analysis of the work tour behavior of transit commuters," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 61-79.
    20. Zhao, Pengjun & Zhang, Yixue, 2018. "Travel behaviour and life course: Examining changes in car use after residential relocation in Beijing," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 41-53.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:110:y:2021:i:c:p:215-224. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.