Exploring the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on modality profiles for non-mandatory trips in the Greater Toronto Area

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered daily life in cities across the world. To slow the spread of COVID-19, many countries have introduced mobility restrictions, ordered the temporary closure of businesses, and encouraged social distancing. These policies have directly and indirectly influenced travel behaviour, particularly modal preferences. The purpose of this paper to explore modality profiles for non-mandatory trips and analyze how they have changed in response to the pandemic and pandemic-related public health policies. The data used for this study were collected from web-based surveys conducted in the Greater Toronto Area. Modality profiles were identified through the application of latent class cluster analysis, with six modality profiles being identified for both the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The results indicate that the importance of public transit has declined during the pandemic, while the roles of private vehicles and active modes have become more prominent. However, individuals’ changes in modal preferences vary based on their pre-pandemic modality profile. In particular, it appears that pre-pandemic transit users with access to a private vehicle have substituted public transit for travel by private vehicle, while those without private vehicle access are continuing to use public transit for non-mandatory trips. Consequently, pandemic-related transportation policies should consider those who do not have access to a private vehicle and aim to help those making non-mandatory trips using transit or active modes comply with local public health guidelines while travelling. The results highlight how the changes in modal preferences that occurred due to the pandemic differ among different segments of the population.

Facing the future of transit ridership: which riders bought a car; who is planning on riding less?

“…Vehicle ownership strongly predicted changes in transit usage in both the U.S. and Canada (8,18). In Toronto specifically, travelers that could be classified primarily as transit users pre-pandemic fell into one of three alternative mobility patterns: traveling strictly as drivers, mostly walking and occasionally driving, or as continued transit users who made more trips on foot (4). The study authors summarize these findings by stating that "among pre-pandemic transit users, those with alternative options for making non-mandatory trips are primarily turning to private vehicles and walking for their non-mandatory trips" (4).…”

“…After decades of attempting to attract higher income, car owning 'choice riders' (1) and millennials (2), North American transit agencies are serving a decimated ridership of mostly transit-dependent travelers due to COVID-19. The popularity of telecommuting and suppressed discretionary trip-making signal long term difficulties for transit agencies seeking to attract former riders (3,4). This presents a major crisis for transit agencies in countries like Canada, where over half of operating costs are traditionally covered by fares (5), leading advocates to call for new means of transit finance to minimize service loss if ridership does not recover (6).…”

“…Second, it allows us to compare differences between socio-demographic groups on how they have continued to adapt to the crisis, and how they envision traveling in a postpandemic future. Unlike broader surveys (3,4), we focus exclusively on formerly regular transit users and their shifting attitudes about transit and vehicle ownership, as a switch to vehicle ownership could have negative implications for sustainability (14).…”

Adaptive Travel Behaviors to Cope with COVID-19: A Swedish Qualitative Study Focusing on Everyday Leisure Trips

“…Our definition of leisure trips included, but was not limited to, visiting family and friends, going to restaurants and cafés, entertainment and culture, outdoor activities, exercise/training/sports, other hobbies or club activities, shopping for fun, and participating in or accompanying children in their leisure activities. In the literature, such nonmandatory activities are sometimes referred to as discretionary and separated from nonmandatory maintenance activities such as shopping and service trips [25]. This type of trips has previously been proven harder to affect than trips associated with basic needs or compulsion [50,51].…”

“…However, qualitative studies of the effects on travel behavior of COVID-19 are so far rare, and more research is needed to obtain a deepened understanding of how people perceive their changes, since it provides important lessons in relation to the needed transition to more sustainable transport and mobility. In this context, focusing specifically on everyday leisure trips for social and recreational purposes are of special interest since they are often seen as nonmandatory, and that individuals therefore have greater control of, for example, the timing of these trips compared to mandatory trips [25]. However, such literature is also rare.…”