What is it about?
This study looked at how people feel about using public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turin, Italy. The researchers surveyed 448 people who use public transport about how safe they feel, and how satisfied they are with their travel experience. They compared people's answers from before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and what they think will happen after the pandemic ends. They found that people, especially women, feel more at risk of getting sick while using public transport than they did before the pandemic. They also found that people are less satisfied with their travel experience during the pandemic, and they expect their satisfaction to improve after the pandemic ends. Younger people are less satisfied with public transport than older people. The study shows that people's concerns about getting sick are affecting their use and satisfaction with public transport.
Featured Image
Photo by Ayelt van Veen on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This study is important because it provides insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people's risk perception and travel satisfaction related to the use of public transport. These perceptions were compared for three time scenarios: before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and in the future at the end of the pandemic emergency. Understanding these perceptions is crucial for policymakers and transportation providers in order to develop effective strategies to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic on public transport use and to encourage its recovery. The study highlights that health-related perceived risk has become a key determinant of PT use, and that different dimensions of travel satisfaction have been impacted differently by the pandemic, both now and in the future. The results also suggest that there are differences in risk perception and travel satisfaction among different age and gender groups, which should be taken into account when designing policies and interventions to support public transport use.
Perspectives
The findings of this study could be useful for transportation providers and policymakers in understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected people's travel behavior and satisfaction, and what measures could be taken to increase public transport use and improve travel experiences. It is also significant that the study examines the impact of the pandemic on risk perception and travel satisfaction among different age and gender groups, as this information could be used to tailor interventions that address the specific needs and concerns of different segments of the population. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected public transport use and travel satisfaction, and provides valuable insights for designing effective policies and interventions to support public transport recovery.
martina gnerre
università cattolica del sacro cuore
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Risk perception and travel satisfaction associated with the use of public transport in the time of COVID-19. The case of Turin, Italy, PLoS ONE, March 2022, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265245.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
