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Opinions on Monday, October 26, 2020
Columnist: Nonso Onwuzulike
2020-10-26
Nonso Onwuzulike, is the Ghana Country Manager for Bolt, a shared transportation platform.
COVID-19, beyond its tragic trail of destruction in the world, presents opportunities for the transportation industry as well as for the pharmaceutical, technology and consumer industries.
In Ghana, as in many countries around the world, COVID -19 has brought the most drastic instabilities to the economy more than anything else the country has seen and the world of mobility has not been spared.
The terrible situation has been compounded by the need for social distancing and the reluctance of citizens to travel by public transport for fear of infection.
However, beyond the devastation of life and property, will most players in the transport sector see this crisis as a turning point to revolutionize mobility as we know it in Ghana or will they remain in the status quo? ? At Bolt, we believe the former should be the case.
Like the proverbial phoenix, the transportation sector must emerge from the ruin of COVID-19 with new and innovative solutions to not only strengthen the mobility ecosystem, but also the economy as a whole.
While the pandemic has changed the world, including the ways of working, with many companies offering work-from-home options, not all sectors could do the same. People and businesses will now seek a sustainable and safe mode of transport. Herein lies our call to action as industry players.
But how do we identify and take advantage of the inherent opportunities that this crisis has brought us in conflictual ways?
Technological boost
Technology has been helpful during this crisis, and from e-commerce, communications to business operations, technology has been the champion of the world.
Although the momentum gained by innovators prior to COVID -19 to implement cutting-edge technologies to drive change in the world was abruptly interrupted, we are gradually recovering from the disruption.
Although in the short term COVID -19 has caused delays in our quest to ride on the back of technology for development, in the long term this crisis presents us with a good opportunity to develop technological solutions that support micro-mobility and physical distancing solutions. .
Customer demand for these types of solutions could undoubtedly grow once the initial crisis subsides. Therefore, in a post-COVID-19 Ghana, we can expect more technology-driven solutions in the daily lives of citizens, including the transport sector.
Gradual change
Changes in consumer behavior and preferences could change the modal mix. As the pandemic has shown us, social distancing has become the norm and this will significantly affect the behavior and mobility preferences of most people.
Ghanaians, as our data has shown, will switch to modes of transport that minimize the risk of infection, or private transport services are the main option available. While Ghanaians have traditionally used the public transportation system, including ‘trotros’ and public buses as their primary mode of transportation, COVID -19 is solidifying a new trend in transportation that is likely to lead people to dependence on the car.
Social distancing in public transport not only denies transport owners much-needed income, it also denies passengers access to public transport and thus more people are likely to be dependent on transport services private or own their cars.
Our available data shows an increase in first-time users of our shared ride service since the outbreak of the pandemic and we are likely to see more people adopting private ride services in a post-COVID world.
Again, people who own private vehicles will use them more and more, while those who previously relied on public transport could switch to other modes, such as biking or walking. In fact, evidence from several Chinese cities has shown that private cars, walking and cycling have gained traction since the pandemic began, while public transportation systems such as bus transit and subway systems have. Been on the downside. For obvious reasons, mass transit of people increases the rate of spread of the infection, and studies completed in other jurisdictions indicate that people using public transportation were roughly six times more likely to become infected with COVID-19.
Where are we drifting?
As the world grapples with the twin crises of a global pandemic and the possibility of a severe and prolonged economic crisis, leaders in the mobility ecosystem cannot sit back and wait to see how it all unfolds.
Although the situation remains fluid, it is quite clear that COVID-19 will be with us a little longer and the best we can do is look for the opportunities in this crisis to build a better world for all. The mobility landscape has changed and a new paradigm will evolve after this pandemic. The imminent emergence of a new technology-driven mobility ecosystem looks certain and we must be ready and prepared to move forward.
The author, Nonso Onwuzulike, is the Country Manager in Ghana for Bolt, a transportation platform.
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