Mobility in cities amid coronavirus crisis 2021

On June 1, 2021, the number of trips planned by pedestrians and mobility services users in the city of New York was 45 percent of the 'usual activity' during the four weeks between January 6 and February 2, 2020. The change in mobility likely comes as a result of measures taken to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries were forced to place extensive restrictions on travel in order to contain the virus. When restrictions were lifted, mobility began to rise among urbanites, and so did the number of new cases worldwide per day. When new waves of infections hit, several regions went back into lockdown. More information regarding the pandemic can be found here.

How the pandemic affects remote work

Since the first lockdown between early and mid-2020, many states have adopted various approaches to curb the spread of the virus. Governments have eased or tightened restrictions, and curfews and localized lockdowns have come and gone. As a result, remote work has become a reality for many employees since the outbreak of the virus, with almost two out of three employers stating that some share of their workforce will remain permanently remote post coronavirus. People commuting via public transport during the pandemic have generally represented, for the most part, essential workers.

How the pandemic affects public transport

There is no doubt that people are more reluctant to risk their health by using public transport. Whoever can, works remotely or uses individual modes of travel. Survey respondents in the United States overwhelmingly named their own car as the preferred choice of personal mobility during the pandemic and thereafter. In Europe, the pandemic has resulted in a significant drop in revenue for mobility services for 2020, as demand for flights, buses, trains, and ridesharing has plummeted considerably. Mobility at transit stations in both regions slumped in March 2020.