New research by Transport Focus concludes that operators need to keep up additional Covid-19 measures and communications to reassure passengers
Wearing a face mask is the key safety measure for more nervous passengers
Although restrictions have eased and passenger volumes continue to recover, public transport operators have been warned not to “rush back to normal”.
New research by transport user watchdog Transport Focus, for which Passenger Transport was given an exclusive preview, reveals that while many people are ready to ‘move on’ others remain concerned about using public transport.
Beyond social distancing: building confidence in public transport was produced following online and other discussions this summer. It concludes that operators need to keep up additional Covid-19 measures and communications to reassure passengers and help
them feel safe.
Some people have been travelling throughout without batting an eyelid, others are really, really nervous, they don’t want to go back … Therefore, what the operators need to do is to keep up the safe message
“Some people have been travelling throughout without batting an eyelid, others are really, really nervous, they don’t want to go back [to using public transport] … Therefore, what the operators need to do is to keep up the safe message,” said Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith.
Space for social distancing is still important, but people appreciate that it won’t often be practical on public transport. People are focussed instead on what they can control. For now, wearing a face mask is the key safety measure for more nervous passengers.
Transport Focus found that one in two say they won’t use public transport unless passengers are required to wear face coverings.
Smith urged operators to display signs or make announcements that reinforce guidance on mask use and inform about cleaning rotas to provide reassurance.
Smith believes that it will be neccessary to maintain this approach throughout the winter and into spring 2022.
Encouragingly, confidence in public transport appears to be growing. In January 2021 three in 10 said they weren’t using public transport because they don’t feel safe, which has decreased to less than two in 10 now. This confidence is expected to increase over time. Around three in 10 are as comfortable now using public transport as they were before Covid. A further two in 10 say they will be as comfortable as before within the next six months.
However, it’s not just safety concerns that are preventing people from returning to public transport. Smith points out that many people were effectively given a pay rise in March 2020 when they were no longer required to pay for a public transport season ticket in order to commute to work. Persuading them to forgo that financial windfall, especially given the lack of enticing part-time travel options, will be a challenge.
I need a good reason to want to spend £25 to go to work and back when the other option is to spend nothing and work from home
Illustrating the problem, one former commuter told Transport Focus: “I need a good reason to want to spend £25 to go to work and back when the other option is to spend nothing and work from home.”
Smith said that this underlined the need to make the travel experience as pleasant and affordable as possible.
Transport Focus highlighted the need to get people to try public transport again. For the most Covid-cautious, only time and a reduced number of Covid cases will be enough for them to feel safe to do so. Others may find that one good experience could be all it takes to reassure them.
This is supported by the fact that around nine in 10 passengers told Transport Focus that they felt safe when they travelled by train or bus in the last seven days.
However, of those that were regular public transport users before the pandemic, four in 10 do not feel enough is being done to ensure coronavirus safety on public transport.
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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