Among the sectors hit the hardest by the pandemic as well as subsequent lockdowns has been public transport. As researchers put it, it has brought a significant change in travel patterns and behaviour. A paper by researchers from the Centre for Society and Policy (CSP), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) examines the inevitable longer-term impact on transportation behaviour and recommends a scientific way of addressing demand, maintaining hygiene and affordability.
“Public transport has been hard-hit since the outbreak, with dramatic reductions in ridership. The impact has resulted in a decrease of fare-box revenues and brought along additional costs for disinfecting and implementing physical distancing measures. Major transport authorities around the world have reported up to a 95% reduction in users which not only shows the magnitude of the problem we face today but puts the future of these businesses and services in uncertainty,’‘ said the authors, in the paper, ‘Public transport strategy and epidemic prevention framework in the Context of COVID-19,’ published in Transport Policy, an international journal published by Elsevier.
For the study, perceptions of service quality for intercity bus transport are captured from passengers travelling between Bengaluru to other cities/towns/villages such as Mysuru, Tumakuru, Mangaluru and Hubballi. The researchers–Naveen B.R., former postdoctoral research fellow and data science professional, and Anjula Gurtoo, chairman and professor from CSP–conducted a literature review of transport service quality, safety, cleanliness and service provision attributes for COVID-19, among other things.
