The Impact of COVID-19 on the Choice of Transport Means in Journeys to Work Based on the Selected Example from Poland

In recent years, the problem of overusing cars has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand this problem, we analyzed the results of a survey dedicated to mobility patterns of employees of the Wroclaw University of Sciences and Technology conducted in June and July 2021. Consideration was given to the share of different means of transport and their changes in pre-, through and post-COVID-19 periods and factors such as the distance, population and public transport standards specific for various journeys. Overall, we found that the pandemic strongly influenced the choice of transport means. We did not identify any significant influence of the distance or population on the share of transport means between various periods. However, regardless of the period, dependencies between the public transport standards and the share of transport means were evident.

Automated summary

In recent years, the issue of excessive car usage has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To better understand this problem, we analyzed a survey conducted in June and July 2021, which focused on the mobility patterns of employees at Wroclaw University of Sciences and Technology. The survey examined the distribution of different transportation modes and how they changed during the pre-COVID-19, COVID-19, and post-COVID-19 periods, taking into account factors such as distance, population, and specific public transport standards for different journeys. Overall, we found that the pandemic had a significant impact on the choice of transportation mode. While we did not observe a significant influence of distance or population on the share of transportation modes between different periods, there were evident dependencies between public transport standards and the distribution of transportation modes.