Bian Jiahe Jane, Zhong Sinan, Towne Samuel D, Lee Chanam, Ory Marcia G, Li Wei
Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
School of Global Health Management and Informatics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA.
J Transp Health. 2022 Dec;27:101491. doi: 10.1016/j.jth.2022.101491. Epub 2022 Aug 29.
COVID-19 has led to public transportation ridership plummeting and thus created fiscal crises and operational difficulties for transit operators. Although transit services remain essential for people with limited access to alternative transportation modes, the unfavorable public view keeps potential riders from transit. The public transportation industry is in dire need of restoring trust and recovering ridership.
In July 2020, we conducted an online survey in El Paso, Texas, to investigate COVID-19 risk perceptions related to transit use. A total of 712 valid responses, consisting of 613 English and 99 Spanish responses, were included in the analyses.
Descriptive and bivariate analyses showed many choice transit riders changed their mobility patterns by abandoning public transportation. Survey participants reported that social distancing and cleaning services were very important in encouraging them to return to transit. The free fare policy was also a stimulus for the existing riders to continue their transit use during the pandemic. The multivariable analysis results highlighted that public knowledge plays a vital role in COVID-19 risk perceptions and transit use decisions. Major opportunities exist in terms of public awareness campaigns that inform the public about the COVID-19 related safety measures transit operators are implementing. We further suggest some practical strategies to enhance public communication and help transit operators recover from COVID-19. This study offers timely insights for public policy stakeholders, including transit agencies, to better utilize their resources to protect public health, regain public confidence, and bring passengers back.
新冠疫情导致公共交通客流量锐减，给公交运营商带来了财政危机和运营困难。尽管对于那些可选择的交通方式有限的人来说，公交服务仍然至关重要，但公众的负面看法使潜在乘客不愿乘坐公交。公共交通行业迫切需要恢复信任并恢复客流量。
2020年7月，我们在得克萨斯州埃尔帕索市进行了一项在线调查，以调查与乘坐公交相关的新冠疫情风险认知。分析中纳入了总共712份有效回复，其中包括613份英文回复和99份西班牙文回复。
描述性分析和双变量分析表明，许多选择公交出行的乘客改变了出行方式，不再乘坐公共交通工具。调查参与者表示，保持社交距离和清洁服务对于鼓励他们重返公交非常重要。免费乘车政策也是促使现有乘客在疫情期间继续乘坐公交的一个刺激因素。多变量分析结果突出表明，公众认知在新冠疫情风险认知和公交使用决策中起着至关重要的作用。在开展公众宣传活动方面存在重大机遇，这些活动可让公众了解公交运营商正在实施的与新冠疫情相关的安全措施。我们进一步提出了一些切实可行的策略，以加强公众沟通并帮助公交运营商从新冠疫情中恢复过来。本研究为包括公交机构在内的公共政策利益相关者提供了及时的见解，以便他们更好地利用资源来保护公众健康、重拾公众信心并吸引乘客回归。
