Exploring the changes in the interrelation between public transit mode share and accessibility across income groups in major Canadian cities in the post-pandemic era

Bibliographic Data

ID12296304
AuthorsHisham Negm (0000-0002-1464-2640, McGill University), Ahmed El-Geneidy (0000-0002-0942-4016, McGill University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume115
Pages103792-103792
Publication date2024-01-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Transport Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0966-6923 • E-ISSN: 1873-1236
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2024.103792
OpenAlexW4390848072
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited39

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the travel behaviour of urban residents in an unprecedented manner, especially public transit (PT) users. PT has experienced a decline in ridership around the world early in the pandemic and has been struggling to rebound again to the pre-pandemic levels, whereas other modes have reached their pre-pandemic levels. PT agencies have been trying to attract users back through service improvements and other policies; nevertheless, the impacts of policies that were effective prior to the pandemic are not guaranteed in the post-pandemic world due to the lasting effects of the pandemic on travel behaviour. This study compares the changes in the impacts of accessibility, the ease of reaching destinations, to jobs by PT on commute mode share pre- and post-pandemic (2016 and 2021) with an equity lens in the three largest metropolitan regions in Canada: Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Results show that planning for accessibility is still an impactful tool to increase PT mode share in the post-pandemic era, yet the magnitude of the impact has declined by almost 50% in Toronto and Montreal and 30% in Vancouver for low-income groups. In the post-pandemic era, the impact of accessibility on PT mode share remains higher for the low-income compared to other-income groups, which is similar to the pre-pandemic times. Understanding the changing effects of accessibility, a major land use and transport planning tool, on travel behaviour is important as PT agencies are developing strategies to restore pre-pandemic levels of ridership and increase it to reach their sustainability goals

Business · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Demographic economics · Destinations · Economic growth · Economics · Equity (law · Geography · Metropolitan area · Pandemic · Political science · Public transport · Tourism · Transport engineering · Engineering · Medicine · Traffic and Road Safety · Transportation Planning and Optimization · Urban Transport and Accessibility

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