Metro Magazine, November 2020

METRO MAGAZINE COM NOVEMBER 2020 TRANSIT BUSINESSgood news for transit operators New research shows the risk of so called superspreader events is low The New York Times recently surveyed transportation agencies across the U S and found that subways commuter railways and buses may not be a significant source of transmission as long as riders wear masks and train cars or buses never become crowded In Paris public health authorities conducting contact tracing found that none of the 386 infection clusters identified between early May and mid July were linked to the citys public transportation In Austria a study of coronavirus clusters in April and May did not link any cases to public transit And in Tokyo no virus clusters have been linked to the citys rail lines Ridership numbers are rising slowly but steadily particularly outside the U S including Beijing Subway ridership is now at 59 of pre pandemic levels Tokyo Metro ridership has increased to 63 Berlin Ridership on buses and subways is between 60 to 70 of normal rates Paris Ridership on the Metro has returned to 45 of usual levels After the pandemic struck mass confusion reigned Health officials and government agencies couldnt seem to agree on what measures to take to prevent the spread of the virus There were debates over whether wearing masks provided adequate protection which businesses were essential and could therefore remain open what the impact of closing cities would have on local and national economies and whether social distancing should include avoiding mass transit systems ridesharing services and flying in airplanes Today we know the answers to many of those questions and at least one thing is clear for mass transit operators shutting down service entirely is not an effective short or long term solution Be Forward Looking Of course that was the first reaction among many operators and it made sense Reducing service by taking buses out of service etc would prevent a superspreader event But RATPDev works with mass transit operators around the world and we have seen firsthand how taking the opposite approach can help lessen the pandemics impact Some operators were able to keep ridership levels from falling of the proverbial cliff by increasing the number of buses in service It is understandably difficult for public transit officials and operators to look optimistically to a pandemic free future The spread of the coronavirus has had a devastating impact on mass transit systems all over the world particularly in large cities like New York City Paris and Tokyo And ridership levels will not immediately return to normal after the pandemic finally fades away However there are reasons for optimism Throughout Europe Asia and in some U S cities transit system operators have had success in bringing riders back to buses trains and subways They are preparing for whatever the new normal may be whenever that time finally arrives and can serve as models to emulate Where we are today Simply stated the pandemics impact on public transit systems has been unprecedented Entire cities were effectively shut down in March and April and even today many downtowns more closely resemble ghost towns instead of busy metropolises There are few commuters as office buildings remain closed and people have grown accustomed to working from home Businesses remain closed some for good as tourists have stayed away New York City was one of the worlds hardest hit cities during the early days of the pandemic After the World Health Organization declared the spread of the coronavirus a global pandemic and businesses began closing over 90 of the subways 55 million weekday riders abandoned the system Today the infection rate continues to fall and businesses are re opening yet ridership is still just 20 of pre pandemic levels Fear lingers among riders but there is some PREPARE TODAY FOR A PANDEMIC FREE FUTURE BY ARNAUD LEGRAND One thing that is clear for mass transit operators shutting down service entirely is not an effective short or long term solution 26 Getty Images Gargonia