Many of the world’s mass transit systems in the emerging world have seen demand nosedive as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdowns, social distance, and remote work – such as fears of an increased risk of infection in confined spaces – have led to dramatic reductions in passenger numbers, as well as innovative ideas for improving safety measures and generating new revenue streams.
In April, Mexico City’s metro system – the largest in Latin America – carried the lowest number of passengers since records began in 1983.
Elsewhere, the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system saw average daily ridership dive from 93,000 in December 2019 to 4,000-5,000 at the height of the crisis. By July, this had returned to about 22,000 daily passengers, or just under 25 percent of normal levels.
William Sabandar, president and CEO of Jakarta MRT, is confident that the system will recover. “We hope to return to at least 50-60 percent from our previous average in the near future, and this will help cover operating costs and restore the trust of our commercial partners,” he told OBG.
“But we also need to regain the trust of our passengers. We have set up very strict health protocols: you have to wear a mask and go through a body temperature scanner to enter a station while passengers are not talking, and hand sanitizers are provided throughout the network, ‘he added.
Increase protection, reduce crowd
This focus on health precautions has been shared by many public transportation systems and private operators worldwide.
Dubai, for example, was an early adopter of intensive sanitation of the public metro system, while a long-distance bus company in Myanmar has cars with private pods to reduce fears of infection.
High-tech approaches are also being investigated, such as the microbial-killing air filters currently being tested on the New York subway. Indeed, although good ventilation is the key to limiting the spread of Covid-19, it is harder to achieve in many underground transportation systems, where wagons have fewer windows and air quality is generally low.
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In parallel, social distance must be regulated. To this end, some governments have limited the capacity of public transport systems. In Colombia, for example, the system was limited to 35 percent of its full capacity in April. Another approach is to increase the number of services.
Increased digitization also offers a range of solutions to reduce the risk of infection. For example, replacing paper cards with multi-use subway cards means that passengers may have limited physical contact during their journey.
Similarly, some systems allow passengers to purchase a ticket through an app, and then simply present their smartphone to the ticket inspector or scan machine.
Meanwhile, an app introduced by a Danish railway operator shows the services and coaches that have the most available space, and offers a replicable solution to physical distancing challenges.
Disruptive options
Implementing such measures can, however, often put an additional financial burden on transport systems that are already facing a devastating drop-off in tariff revenues.
In light of this, authorities in many countries are also promoting alternative forms of mobility, such as encouraging cycling through initiatives such as pop-up bike lanes, as Bogotá and Mexico City have done.
The pandemic has also accelerated the worldwide spread of e-scooters, with the UK following the legal process behind its adoption nationwide rapidly.
Such measures could enable commuters to completely shift public transport, or come up with ‘blended’ approaches, allowing them to complete part of their journey on a bicycle, or switch daily between cycling and public transport.
Another way to reduce the burden on public transport is to try to make use of it throughout the day, with schools and offices being encouraged to open in shifts.
However, the space for mass transit may precede systemic shifts. If the coronavirus pandemic results in a permanent decline in passenger numbers, as some expect it will, then mass transit systems should start thinking outside the tunnel.
“We need to move away from relying on ridership and maximizing opportunities for non-ridership income,” Sabandar told OBG. “For example, we were able to convert rooms in stations into collaborative spaces.”
“We want the MRT stations to be the center of urban improvement, and to create an environment where it is safe for people to congregate, but where new revenue can be generated,” he added.
By Oxford Business Group
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