Public transport system amid COVID-19
COMMUTING has constantly been acknowledged as an infamous experience in the Philippines. In 2019, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) ranked Metro Manila as the most congested city in developing Asia. Now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, several alterations and difficulties occur in the public transport.
According to ADB’s Guidance Note on COVID-19 and Transport in Asia and the Pacific, mobility restrictions in response to the virus have caused drastic changes in travel behavior.
“The pandemic has forced all transport users to reassess the necessity of their trips and resulted in temporary new travel patterns. At this point, it is hard to predict the extent to which these new behaviors will be sustained,” ADB stated.
ADB said that even after lockdowns ended, the workfrom-home and e-learnings arrangements will continue, which could change travel behavior and patterns. It added that the current shift to retail purchases online and consolidating logistics networks in the longer term can help in reducing traffic.
As for the environment and road safety, ADB observed that the lessened travel demand produces some favorable outcomes. The transport sector made the largest contribution to COVID-19related carbon dioxide emission reductions. Meanwhile, the decrease in road travel in Asia has had a positive impact on road safety. As the lockdown relaxes, the results will expectedly rebound.
ADB also acknowledges the issues that the pandemic caused in the transport sector.
According to ADB, the COVID-19 restrictions severely hit the informal public transit modes or “paratransit” services, which commuters from developing Asia are mainly relying on.
“The operators of informal paratransit are at greater risk because of their small operating profits, limited financial literacy, lack of access to finance, and fragmented ownership structures,” it added.
The vulnerable groups, which include the elderly, low-income people, and underprivileged children, will also have a substantially reduced travel demand during a lockdown. But this suggests trouble in accessing their daily essentials.
“Transport plays an important role in keeping core infrastructure open to ensure necessities, health-care services, and aid reach vulnerable groups,” ADB said. “Advanced technology could be harnessed to monitor and coordinate responses to ensure the needs of these groups are met.”
Currently, the state of public transport still have strict protocols and limitations. To enhance the resilience of transport systems to reduce transmission when lockdown eases, the said Guidance Note of ADB shared some measures.
ADB said there’s a need for additional efforts to reassure the commuters of safety precautions and show that the public transport is clean and safe.
It added that “government policies and financial support will be essential to enable public transport operators to remain viable so they can continue to support the movement of passengers and goods to keep the economy going while ensuring longer-term sustainability.”
“Just as transport has played a central role in the spread of COVID-19, it can be designed to play an important role in promoting a more sustainable transport mode balance through more active promotion of clean vehicles; provision of quality travel alternatives in public transit; and encouragement of active modes of transport, such as walking and cycling, to enhance overall health and well-being,” ADB said.