Could Coronavirus be the turning point of how we commute?
We recently conducted a survey to understand how a commuter’s preferences will change post-lockdown and got some interesting results. Read on.
As the nation-wide lockdown begins to ease, people now face a new challenge – Maintaining social distance while commuting.
Can you imagine maintaining a 6 ft distance on a bus in Bangalore or while travelling in Delhi metro? Probably not.
The prominently crowded public transportation system in most of our cities has left commuters searching for better ways to commute without compromising their safety.
What commuters are moving towards:
Given the inevitable social aspect, choosing a commute option post lockdown will be given a greater deal of thought than ever before.
We conducted a survey to understand how people’s commuting preferences may differ post coronavirus and here’s what we found.
- 50.6% respondents preferred personal vehicles before lockdown, now this commute option has witnessed a big jump as 70.6% now prefer commuting via personal vehicles post lockdown
- 15% respondents preferred shared cabs, carpool before lockdown, now this commute option has witnessed a massive drop as only 4.8% now prefer commuting via this medium post lockdown
- 23.4% were preferring shared two-wheeler platforms before lockdown, now this commute option still remains stable as 21.8% still prefer commuting via this medium post lockdown
Clearly, when asked about their commute choices post-lockdown, the results revealed a considerable increase in people opting for personal vehicles, as opposed to public transport. Below is the percentage of difference observed in each of the choices:
- Respondents opting for personal vehicles increased by 19.8%
- Public transport saw a staggering drop of 24.6%
- Cab-hailing/ auto rickshaws saw a drop of 8.6%
- Shared cabs/carpool saw a massive drop of 10.2%
- Shared Two-wheeler platforms saw a drop of only 1.6%
What are the contributing factors?
To validate our reasoning for this shift, we also asked the respondents to prioritize the factors that might affect their post-lockdown commuting preferences.
Here’s how the respondents prioritized their reasons:
Therefore, as expected, people will prioritize their health and safety above all other criteria and go for services that offer them the benefits of social distancing and sanitization.
How Coronavirus is shaping commute choices globally:
Stats from around the world are indicating that commuters are deserting public transport and moving towards safe, contactless commuting. For instance, China’s Transport Department has reported a 4.5% increase in personal vehicles on highways post the lockdown (during the same period as compared to 2019), which suggests that people are prioritizing their safety above all.
But, are personal vehicles really the need of the hour? No, not really. This step assumably will increase our dependence on CO2 emitting vehicles, which are also the primary cause of air pollution in our country.
Additionally, owing to the insufficient road density and city infrastructure, Indian cities wouldn’t be able to accommodate the rising number of personal vehicles on the road. With the world’s most traffic-congested cities, the majority of commuters in India prefer two-wheelers over four-wheeler vehicles for their daily commute.
Due to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, personal vehicle purchase also does not befit the Indian commute scenario. People lost their jobs, had pay cuts, or had to shut down their businesses altogether. Therefore, even purchasing a vehicle in these times is going to be almost impossible for many after the lockdown. Shared mobility services like Yulu offer affordable and eco-friendly rides to citizens eliminating the need to purchase a personal vehicle.
But then, what can be done?
Transit experts believe that this pandemic could actually be the turning point of how we commute. Cities like New York, Brussels, and Budapest have already started converting their road space into cycling lanes to offer more eco-friendly and safe commute options. Cities like Milan have also started re-inventing themselves to tackle the inevitable challenge of the rising number of personal vehicles on the road. After the lockdown, Milan has planned to dedicate about 35 KM road space to bikes and pedestrians.
These examples are indicative of how the world is slowly moving towards more sustainable ways of commute. Clearly, encouraging the use of electrically powered vehicles and shared two-wheeler platforms could bridge the gap between a prospering economy and a flourishing environment.
So, if we take this opportunity to rebuild our cities more sustainably and encourage eco-friendly commuting, we’ll be able to create a better future for ourselves.
Stay tuned for more insights!