IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/transp/v51y2024i2d10.1007_s11116-022-10344-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Facing the future of transit ridership: shifting attitudes towards public transit and auto ownership among transit riders during COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Matthew Palm

    (University of Toronto Scarborough)

  • Jeff Allen

    (University of Toronto)

  • Yixue Zhang

    (University of Toronto)

  • Ignacio Tiznado-Aitken

    (University of Toronto Scarborough)

  • Brice Batomen

    (University of Toronto)

  • Steven Farber

    (University of Toronto Scarborough)

  • Michael Widener

    (University of Toronto)

Abstract

Public transit agencies face a transformed landscape of rider demand and political support as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes. We explore people’s motivations for returning to or avoiding public transit a year into the pandemic. We draw on a March 2021 follow-up survey of over 1,900 people who rode transit regularly prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, and who took part in a prior survey on the topic in May 2020. We investigate how transit demand changes associated with the pandemic relate to changes in automobile ownership and its desirability. We find that pre-COVID frequent transit users between the ages of 18–29, a part of the so-called “Gen Z,” and recent immigrants are more attracted to driving due to the pandemic, with the latter group more likely to have actually purchased a vehicle. Getting COVID-19 or living with someone who did is also a strong and positive predictor of buying a car and anticipating less transit use after the pandemic. Our results suggest that COVID-19 may have increased the attractiveness of auto ownership among transit riders likely to eventually purchase cars anyway (immigrants, twentysomethings), at least in the North American context. We also conclude that getting COVID-19 or living with someone who did is a positive predictor of having bought a car. Future research should consider how having COVID-19 transformed some travelers’ views, values, and behaviour.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Palm & Jeff Allen & Yixue Zhang & Ignacio Tiznado-Aitken & Brice Batomen & Steven Farber & Michael Widener, 2024. "Facing the future of transit ridership: shifting attitudes towards public transit and auto ownership among transit riders during COVID-19," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 645-671, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:transp:v:51:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11116-022-10344-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11116-022-10344-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11116-022-10344-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11116-022-10344-2?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. Diab, Ehab & Kasraian, Dena & Miller, Eric J. & Shalaby, Amer, 2020. "The rise and fall of transit ridership across Canada: Understanding the determinants," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 101-112.
    2. Deborah Salon & Matthew Wigginton Conway & Denise Capasso da Silva & Rishabh Singh Chauhan & Sybil Derrible & Abolfazl (Kouros) Mohammadian & Sara Khoeini & Nathan Parker & Laura Mirtich & Ali Shamshi, 2021. "The potential stickiness of pandemic-induced behavior changes in the United States," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118(27), pages 2106499118-, July.
    3. Delbosc, Alexa & McCarthy, Laura, 2021. "Pushed back, pulled forward: Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on young adults’ life plans and future mobility," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 43-51.
    4. Luyu Liu & Harvey J Miller & Jonathan Scheff, 2020. "The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on public transit demand in the United States," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(11), pages 1-22, November.
    5. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2019. "A measure of competitive access to destinations for comparing across multiple study regions," SocArXiv 8yf7q, Center for Open Science.
    6. Parker, Madeleine E.G. & Li, Meiqing & Bouzaghrane, Mohamed Amine & Obeid, Hassan & Hayes, Drake & Frick, Karen Trapenberg & Rodríguez, Daniel A. & Sengupta, Raja & Walker, Joan & Chatman, Daniel G., 2021. "Public transit use in the United States in the era of COVID-19: Transit riders’ travel behavior in the COVID-19 impact and recovery period," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 53-62.
    7. Ralph Buehler & John Pucher, 2021. "COVID-19 Impacts on Cycling, 2019–2020," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(4), pages 393-400, July.
    8. Farber, Steven & Mifsud, Anika & Allen, Jeff & Widener, Michael J. & Newbold, K. Bruce & Moniruzzaman, Md, 2018. "Transportation barriers to Syrian newcomer participation and settlement in Durham Region," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 181-192.
    9. 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.
    10. Brian Taylor & Eric Morris, 2015. "Public transportation objectives and rider demographics: are transit’s priorities poor public policy?," Transportation, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 347-367, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Bagdatli, Muhammed Emin Cihangir & Ipek, Fatima, 2022. "Transport mode preferences of university students in post-COVID-19 pandemic," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 20-32.
    2. Nie, Qifan & Qian, Xinwu & Guo, Shuocheng & Jones, Steven & Doustmohammadi, Mehrnaz & Anderson, Michael D., 2022. "Impact of COVID-19 on paratransit operators and riders: A case study of central Alabama," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 48-67.
    3. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2020. "Planning transport for social inclusion: An accessibility-activity participation approach," SocArXiv ap7wh, Center for Open Science.
    4. Fan, Huiying & Lu, Hongyu & Guin, Angshuman & Watkins, Kari E & Guensler, Randall, 2022. "Combined Effect of Changes in Transit Service and Changes in Occupancy on Per-Passenger Energy Consumption," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt2x1320p5, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    5. Long, Alfie & Carney, Ffion & Kandt, Jens, 2023. "Who is returning to public transport for non-work trips after COVID-19? Evidence from older citizens' smart cards in the UK's second largest city region," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    6. Chen, Ruoyu & Zhang, Min & Zhou, Jiangping, 2023. "Jobs-housing relationships before and amid COVID-19: An excess-commuting approach," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    7. Julene Paul & Brian D. Taylor, 2024. "Pandemic transit: examining transit use changes and equity implications in Boston, Houston, and Los Angeles," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 615-643, April.
    8. Christidis, Panayotis & Navajas Cawood, Elena & Fiorello, Davide, 2022. "Challenges for urban transport policy after the Covid-19 pandemic: Main findings from a survey in 20 European cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 105-116.
    9. Yaiza Montero-Lamas & Alfonso Orro & Margarita Novales & Francisco-Alberto Varela-García, 2022. "Analysis of the Relationship between the Characteristics of the Areas of Influence of Bus Stops and the Decrease in Ridership during COVID-19 Lockdowns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, April.
    10. Sreten Simović & Tijana Ivanišević & Bojana Bradić & Svetlana Čičević & Aleksandar Trifunović, 2021. "What Causes Changes in Passenger Behavior in South-East Europe during the COVID-19 Pandemic?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-11, July.
    11. Panayotis Christidis & Aris Christodoulou & Elena Navajas-Cawood & Biagio Ciuffo, 2021. "The Post-Pandemic Recovery of Transport Activity: Emerging Mobility Patterns and Repercussions on Future Evolution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, June.
    12. Palm, Matthew & Allen, Jeff & Zhang, Yixue & Aitken, Ignacio Tiznado & BATOMEN, BRICE & Farber, Steven & Widener, Michael, 2022. "Facing the future of transit ridership: which riders bought a car; who is planning on riding less?," OSF Preprints xrk2p, Center for Open Science.
    13. Xin, Mengwei & Shalaby, Amer & Feng, Shumin & Zhao, Hu, 2021. "Impacts of COVID-19 on urban rail transit ridership using the Synthetic Control Method," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 1-16.
    14. Xi, Haoning & Li, Qin & Hensher, David A. & Nelson, John D. & Ho, Chinh, 2023. "Quantifying the impact of COVID-19 on travel behavior in different socio-economic segments," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 98-112.
    15. Jiang, Shixiong & Cai, Canhuang, 2022. "Unraveling the dynamic impacts of COVID-19 on metro ridership: An empirical analysis of Beijing and Shanghai, China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 158-170.
    16. Goh, Hyewon & Choi, Gahyun & Song, Yena, 2023. "How the COVID-19 pandemic changed travel behaviour? A case study on public bikes in Seoul," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    17. Linovski, Orly & Manaugh, Kevin & Baker, Dwayne Marshall, 2022. "The route not taken: Equity and transparency in unfunded transit proposals," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 77-84.
    18. Despoina Tsavdari & Vasileia Klimi & Georgios Georgiadis & Grigorios Fountas & Socrates Basbas, 2022. "The Anticipated Use of Public Transport in the Post-Pandemic Era: Insights from an Academic Community in Thessaloniki, Greece," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-23, September.
    19. Soria, Jason & Edward, Deirdre & Stathopoulos, Amanda, 2023. "Requiem for transit ridership? An examination of who abandoned, who will return, and who will ride more with mobility as a service," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 139-154.
    20. Patni, Sagar & Srinivasan, Sivaramakrishnan & Suarez, Juan, 2023. "The impact of COVID-19 on route-level changes in transit demand an analysis of five transit agencies in Florida, USA," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).

    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:kap:transp:v:51:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11116-022-10344-2. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.