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Riders Who Avoided Public Transit During COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Matthew Palm
  • Jeff Allen
  • Bochu Liu
  • Yixue Zhang
  • Michael Widener
  • Steven Farber

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findingsMillions of North Americans stopped riding public transit in response to COVID-19. We treat this crisis as a natural experiment to illustrate the importance of public transit in riders’ abilities to access essential destinations. We measured the impacts of riders forgoing transit through a survey of transportation barriers completed by more than 4,000 transit riders in Toronto and Vancouver (Canada). We used Heckman selection models to predict six dimensions of transport disadvantage and transport-related social exclusions captured in our survey. We then complemented model results with an analysis of survey comments describing barriers that individuals faced. Lack of access to alternative modes is the strongest predictor of a former rider experiencing transport disadvantage, particularly neighborhood walkability and vehicle ownership. Groups at risk of transport disadvantage before COVID-19, particularly women and people in poorer health, were also more likely to report difficulties while avoiding public transit. Barriers described by respondents included former supports no longer offering rides, gendered household car use dynamics, and lack of culturally specific or specialized amenities within walking distance.Takeaway for practicePolicymakers should plan for a level of redundancy in transportation systems that enables residents to access essential destinations when unexpected service losses occur. Designing communities that enable residents to walk to those essential destinations will help reduce the burdens faced by transit riders during crises that render transit unfeasible. At the same time, planners championing active travel as an alternative to transit during such crises also need to devise solutions for former transit riders for whom active travel is ill suited, for example, due to physical challenges with carrying groceries or needing to chaperone children.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Palm & Jeff Allen & Bochu Liu & Yixue Zhang & Michael Widener & Steven Farber, 2021. "Riders Who Avoided Public Transit During COVID-19," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 87(4), pages 455-469, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rjpaxx:v:87:y:2021:i:4:p:455-469
    DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2021.1886974
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Tianxing Dai & Brian D. Taylor, 2023. "Three’s a crowd? Examining evolving public transit crowding standards amidst the COVID-19 pandemic," Public Transport, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 321-341, June.
    2. Schouten, Andrew & Kawano, Yoh, 2024. "COVID-19 and the demand for transit access: Residential real estate prices in the Tokyo metropolitan area," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    3. Negm, Hisham & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2024. "Exploring the changes in the interrelation between public transit mode share and accessibility across income groups in major Canadian cities in the post-pandemic era," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    4. Francesco Filippi, 2022. "A Paradigm Shift for a Transition to Sustainable Urban Transport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-27, March.
    5. Klein, Nicholas J. & Brown, Anne & Howell, Amanda & Smart, Michael J., 2024. "Invisible Rides: How Car-Less Americans Access Cars," SocArXiv 4ngtr, Center for Open Science.
    6. 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.
    7. Chenghe Guan & Junjie Tan & Brian Hall & Chao Liu & Ying Li & Zhichang Cai, 2022. "The Effect of the Built Environment on the COVID-19 Pandemic at the Initial Stage: A County-Level Study of the USA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-17, March.
    8. 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).
    9. Soheil Sohrabi & Fang Shu & Anika Gupta & Morteza Hossein Sabbaghian & Amirarsalan Mehrara Molan & Soheil Sajjadi, 2023. "Health Impacts of COVID-19 through the Changes in Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-20, February.
    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. Lindsey G Smith & Maggie Yifei Ma & Michael J Widener & Steven Farber, 2023. "Geographies of grocery shopping in major Canadian cities: Evidence from large-scale mobile app data," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(3), pages 723-739, March.
    13. Butler, Luke & Yigitcanlar, Tan & Paz, Alexander & Areed, Wala, 2022. "How can smart mobility bridge the first/last mile gap? Empirical evidence on public attitudes from Australia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    14. Wang, Sicheng & Huang, Xiao & Shen, Qing, 2024. "Disparities in resilience and recovery of ridesourcing usage during COVID-19," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).

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