Exploring the changes in travel behavior in a developing country amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from Metro Cebu, Philippines

Abstract

This article investigates changes in travel behavior from selected urban cities in Metro Cebu, Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic a year after the first lockdown. Different categories of community quarantine and granular lockdowns have since been imposed to curb the spread of the virus. An online survey was distributed to analyze socio-demographic characteristics and reasons for traveling in relation to weekly trip frequency before and during pandemic. These are presented and analyzed through data visualization and multinomial logistic regression. Results show that the major reason for traveling before pandemic was work-related but has since shifted to buying essentials or for leisure or recreation. Weekly trip frequencies were lesser when compared before pandemic, but several socio-demographic groups have shown otherwise. There is statistical significance for those less likely to travel when commuters are employed, self-employed or students compared to unemployed, earning PHP 10,000 or less compared to those earning above PHP 50,000, in a household size of 10 compared to all other household sizes, and those with college degree against elementary or no formal education. By determining the travel behavior of commuters when they have ample time to adjust to the new normal, their mobility needs can be best understood and consequently satisfied. Interventions in fulfilling the travel needs for those belonging to socio-demographic groups that are highly affected by the pandemic, such as the working class, blue-collar workers, and have limited financial capabilities, can also be developed when a similar outbreak in the future is imminent.

Understanding the perceived behavior of public utility bus passengers during the era of COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines: Application of social exchange theory and theory of planned behavior

“…Aside from the public transportation system, past researchers also evaluated the behavior of passengers during the COVID-19. Mayo et al (2021) evaluated the travel behavior of Cebuanos around the cities of Metro Cebu, Philippines. They found that individuals frequently traveled to work pre-pandemic but shifted to buying necessities a year after the onset of the pandemic.…”

“…Public transport services were not permitted to operate at the onset of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Philippines. Most importantly, the governing bodies had only permitted private cars and specific company automobiles to use the road ( Mayo, Maglasang, Moridpour, & Taboada, 2021 ; Vallejo & Ong, 2020 ). Additionally, people could not leave their homes except for healthcare workers and other essential workers ( Gregorio, 2020 ; Parrocha & Dela Cruz, 2020 ).…”

“…Specifically, the studies investigated PUB ( Guillen, Ishida, & Okamoto, 2013 ; Mayo & Taboada, 2020 ), public utility jeepney (PUJ) ( Guillen et al, 2013 ; Mateo-Babiano, Recio, Ashmore, Guillen, & Gaspay, 2020 ; Mayo & Taboada, 2020 ; Tiglao et al, 2020 ), taxi ( Guillen et al, 2013 ; Mayo & Taboada, 2020 ), motorcycle ( Mayo & Taboada, 2020 ), tricycle ( Guillen et al, 2013 ; Mayo & Taboada, 2020 ), pedicab ( Guillen et al, 2013 ), and Metro Manila's Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) ( Lu, Mateo-Babiano, & Sorupia, 2019 ). Moreover, Mayo et al (2021) focused on Cebuanos' (one of the largest Filipino ethnic groups) travel behavior despite the pandemic and Chuenyindee, Ong, Ramos, et al (2022) evaluated public utility vehicles and passenger satisfaction during the era of COVID-19. Since this current study aims to identify the PUB passengers' behavior, the inclusion of specific public transportation (PUB) and travel behavior changes introduce the novelty compared to the past studies.…”

Service contracting as a policy response for public transport recovery during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A preliminary evaluation

“…This is the measure implemented, for example, in the Philippines, Indonesia and Colombia (e.g. Mayo et al, 2021 , Khoirunurrofik et al, 2021 , Guzman et al, 2021 ). Besides lockdowns, other non-pharmaceutical interventions – which may be less drastic – include containment strategies such as the declaration of general holidays; closure of educational institutions, markets and malls; and restriction on religious gatherings, as was done in Bangladesh (Zafri et al, 2021).…”

“… Kim, 2021 ). Focusing on papers from the Global South, these studies include: establishing the risk factors contributing to Covid (Rahman et al, 2021; Kartal et al, 2021 ); examining the changes due to the pandemic on travel behavior, mode use, mobility patterns in Bangladesh ( Anwari et al, 2021 ; Zannat et al, 2021), India ( Bhaduri et al, 2020 , Pawar et al, 2020 ; Zannat et al, 2021), Nigeria ( Mogaji, 2020 , Ajide et al, 2020 ), Dominican Republic ( La Paix, 2021 ), Philippines ( Mayo et al, 2021 ) and China ( Yang et al, 2021 ); and finally, assessing the effectiveness of policies and interventions on mobility restrictions or virus transmission (e.g. Khoirunurrofik et al, 2021 ).…”