[ad_1]
A survey by the public transportation industry shows that passengers are very afraid of becoming infected with the coronavirus in crowded trains and buses. Do you need cheaper tickets for those who stayed at the home office?
As long as there is no effective vaccine or medication, the coronavirus must buffer public transport for a long time.
Returns? Do travelers return to SBB trains, take a seat at the PostBus and wait again at the tram stop when the crown crisis ends? Those responsible for public transport are racking their brains on this issue.
In recent weeks, when 80 to 90 percent of passengers stayed away, a hole opened. 500 million francs were lost in revenue each month. The well-developed Swiss public transport system cannot be financed in the long term.
Loyal users of public transport stay away
Uncertainty is great. So big that a public transport company has commissioned a survey to feel the pulse of customers. A Zurich market research institute has surveyed nearly 1,300 people from all regions online in recent days. The results are available for this newspaper. You are not optimistic
To date, almost one in four public transport users wants to travel less by train, bus and tram, and almost one in ten, even significantly less. The number of intensive users who travel with SBB and company more often than average is even higher, at 36 percent. The newspaper says:
“The more intense the use was before the crisis, the greater the probability that it will decrease in the future.”
The results surprised the industry. Ueli Stückelberger, director of the Public Transport Association (VöV), says, for example, that he does not expect the situation to continue: “Now it is more important to regain confidence.”
Great fear of infection on trams and buses.
The survey shows that those who take the virus seriously want to turn their backs on public transportation. Those who now want to use the car more frequently than public transport consider that the corona virus is more dangerous than those who do not want to change their behavior. These people have also become more restricted due to the virus.
However, all respondents are very afraid of being infected by public transport: three out of four assume that there is a “fairly high” probability of infection in heavily used trains. At 78 percent, this value is slightly higher for buses and trams. When visiting the train station, one in ten assumes a high probability of infection, while every sixth when shopping at the station.
SBB spokesperson: “Welcome back!”
The authors have resolved what expectations people in the public transport industry have. For this, disinfection and intensive cleaning of trains and stations, communication of measures, guarantee of distance rules and limitation of the number of passengers per car are essential. However, such is not planned, says SBB. A spokesperson says:
“Public transportation is an open system and should remain so.”
The concept of protection developed by the industry is based on personal responsibility and solidarity. The survey results were not surprising to SBB: “There were many restrictions during the shutdown and unnecessary public transportation was also discouraged.”
Now you are entering a new phase. Those who follow the recommendations of the federal government and the concept of protection, which recommends wearing a mask if the two-meter distance cannot be maintained, travel safely. “Our message to customers is: Welcome back!” Said the train spokesman.
There is little recovery without a vaccine.
The survey also shows that the crown crisis not only damages public transport, but also opens up opportunities. 41 percent of respondents stated that they would like to spend more vacations in Switzerland in the near future, trips that could be made by public transport.
In addition, almost one in four respondents want to use the least active hours more frequently, a behavior that the industry has long been promoting with fairly limited success. Because the more uniform the use in public transport, the greater the degree of cost recovery, says the director of VöV, Ueli Stückelberger.
However, the sector can do nothing about what is perhaps the most important criterion. “The resumption of public transport depends largely on the availability of a vaccine,” says the survey. Respondents agreed on this. Thomas Sauter-Servaes agrees. He directs the Transport Systems course at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). He says:
“As long as the crisis is simmering and there is no highly effective vaccine and medication, public transportation will decline.”
And also: “Anyone who has the opportunity to change to a car or bicycle will do so.”
Does the crisis come at the right time?
Public transport can benefit from the crisis if it breaks free from old thinking. “In everyday life, our mobility is strongly determined by routines, which are now interrupted by the order to stay home.” After the crisis, many could reorient themselves because they would have had positive experiences with alternatives, such as meeting online instead of flying. “The crisis is a challenge for public transportation, but it may also come at the right time to break out of old ways of thinking and help open up new creative offerings.”
Everyone’s central office could help. The public transit user survey shows that 39 percent of respondents want to work more from home in the future. Public transportation may react to this, says Sauter-Servaes. “There is a demand for offers with attractive prices that tempt you to try a new mobility. Why not experiment now with monthly public transportation tickets, which are only valid after 12 p.m. in three business days? ».
In this way, you could choose those who will combine office work and home office in the future. “Let’s make the combination of home office and public transportation as convenient and attractive as possible,” suggests Sauter-Servaes. For a short time there is now a window for such possibilities, “before people return to their old behavior.”
