The Impact of COVID-19 on Travel Mode Choice Behavior in Terms of Shared Mobility: A Case Study in Beijing, China

Abstract

Shared mobility is growing rapidly and changing the mobility landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated travel mode choice behavior in terms of shared mobility, but the evidence on this impact is limited. To fill this gap, this paper first designs a stated preference survey to collect mode choice data before and during the pandemic. Different shared mobility services are considered, including ride hailing, ride sharing, car sharing, and bike sharing. Then, latent class analysis is used to divide the population in terms of their attitudes toward shared mobility. Nested logit models are applied to compare travel mode choice behavior during the two periods. The results suggest that shared mobility has the potential to avoid the high transmission risk of public transport and alleviate the intensity of private car use in the COVID-19 context, but this is limited by anxiety about shared spaces. As the perceived severity of the pandemic increases, preference for ride hailing and ride sharing decreases, and a price discount for ride hailing is more effective than that for ride sharing at maintaining the ridership despite the impact of COVID-19. These findings contribute to understanding the change in travel demand and developing appropriate strategies for shared mobility services to adapt to the pandemic.

Post-pandemic shared mobility and active travel in Alabama: A machine learning analysis of COVID-19 survey data

“… Wali and Frank (2021) King County Washington, US Multi-source √ Using active travel as the commute mode is negatively related to COVID-19 hospitalizations. Zhang et al (2022) Beijing, China Survey data √ 1. Shared mobility is limited by anxiety about shared spaces; 2.…”

“…The literature about shared mobility in COVID-19 is enriched. Existing studies major focused on how shared mobility affect by COVID-19 during ( del Alonso-Almeida, 2022 , Bucsky, 2020 , Garaus and Garaus, 2021 , Kamargianni et al, 2022 , Menon et al, 2020 , Rahimi et al, 2021 , Shokouhyar et al, 2021 , Turoń et al, 2021 , Zhang et al, 2022 ) and after the pandemic ( Awad-Núñez et al, 2021 , Gragera, 2021 , Hensher, 2020 , Menon et al, 2020 , Shokouhyar et al, 2021 , Tsvetkova et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Regarding the changes in shared mobility services during the pandemic, the usage of shared mobility is the most mentioned topic by researchers. In general, shared mobility usage and mode sharing declined but not so much during the pandemic ( Bucsky, 2020 , Heineke et al, 2020 , Menon et al, 2020 , Shokouhyar et al, 2021 , Zhang et al, 2022 ). For example, Bucsky (2020) reported that bike sharing became more popular because of rapid measures, and other shared mobility services usage dropped slower than traditional travel modes (e.g., transit).…”

“…Some researchers also reported that the usage of some kinds of shared mobility services did not decrease or even grow due to the pandemic ( Bucsky, 2020 , Shokouhyar et al, 2021 ). Bike sharing performed well during the pandemic ( Bucsky, 2020 , Shokouhyar et al, 2021 , Zhang et al, 2022 ). On the contrary, the pandemic seriously affected car-sharing services ( Menon et al, 2020 , Zhang et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Bike sharing performed well during the pandemic ( Bucsky, 2020 , Shokouhyar et al, 2021 , Zhang et al, 2022 ). On the contrary, the pandemic seriously affected car-sharing services ( Menon et al, 2020 , Zhang et al, 2022 ). Moreover, the strategies of shared mobility services providers are also well-discussed by researchers.…”