E-Dialogues | Dialogues 19.0
Need for better & safe Public Transport in times of COVID-19 All India Institute of Local Self-Government, in collaboration with United Cities and Local Governments – Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) and Urban Update, organised a webinar in the month of November as part of its E-Dialogues series. The theme of the discussion was shift of people’s transit preferences from public transport to private vehicles. The pandemic has significantly affected transit choices of people due to serious health challenges. Data shows that public transport has seen a major slump in the usage even after the ‘Unlockdown’ began. A range of daunting questions about contemporary urban issues were asked and efforts were made to find answers
T
he COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected people’s transportation preferences. They have started shifting from public transport towards private vehicles in order to avoid any health associated risk. To discuss this shift in transportation, Urban Update invited Prof Geetam Tiwari, Chair Professor, Transportation Research and
Injury Prevention Program (TRIPP), Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; Dr RS Minhas, Deputy Chief General Manager, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC); Dr Sewa Ram, Professor, Department of Transport Planning, School ofPlanning and Architecture, Delhi; and Faraz Ahmed, Senior Research Associate (Transport Planning), Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). Abhishek Pandey, Editor, Urban
E-Dialogue 19.0| Changing Transit Preferences-From Public to Private
40 November 2020 | www.urbanupdate.in
Update, moderated the event. Pandey began by saying that despite various innovations in public transit, data shows that usage of public transportation has decreased across the world. It is high time that the authorities and administration revive public transport in a way that makes people confident of using it. Prof Tiwari began her part by talking about situations that were prevalent during previous pandemics which were much fatal than what the world is facing currently. She said, “Past pandemics also had severe effects on demand for public transportation and there is no reason to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has put a permanent scar on its face.” In many countries, unlike India, public travel was not halted completely during lockdowns. Infact, public transit was made available in reduced capacity while following proper precautions. Public transportation is a derived demand which means that people travel because they need to go to offices or their places of work. However, during lockdown in India, travel was completely restricted which affected the demand severely, Prof Tiwari added. The people employed in the services sector have been one of the most prominent users of metros in cities but due to the new work-from-home routine followed by most organisations, this demand was extinguished completely. Prof Tiwari added that travelling by buses has become difficult in the post-pandemic period because of the regulations put in place by the government allowing only 20 people to board a bus at a time. Thus, people have to stand in long lines at bus stops, waiting for a bus to arrive that might have an empty seat for them to occupy. In addition to this, no new innovative policies have been implemented for buses despite the
