50% commuters to shun public transport in Bengaluru: Survey

BENGALURU: Thousands of people are slowly returning to work in the city after more lockdown curbs were loosened on Tuesday, but anxieties about coronavirus are heavily influencing commuting choices.
Fifty per cent of commuters, who relied on public transport before the lockdown, are unlikely to use these systems for at least three months, according to an online survey. Other respondents also said that they were in no hurry to hop on a bus or Metro, whose services remain suspended.
“Twenty-two per cent of public-transport users in Bengaluru will use it after one month. Twenty-eight per cent of the users will use it in a week,” said the survey conducted by NGO Bangalore Political Action Committee, or B.PAC. The study, which involved 1,072 respondents, is titled ‘Safer Public Transport Systems Post-Covid-19 Lockdown’.
Transport agencies are taking precautions — such as screening passengers for fever, requiring them to wear masks and follow social distancing, and carrying fewer people at a time — but it’s too soon to say if these will allay concerns or will be even implemented efficiently. More people, especially office-goers, might consider using private or hired vehicles as they look to move in smaller groups and avoid crowds.
About 70 per cent of the respondents in the survey said they commuted for recreation but won’t use public transport in the next three months. “Around 58% of respondents who commute within 5km will consider using public transport as against only 49% of those who commute more than 5km,” the study said.
The respondents strongly favoured safety measures such as mandatory use of masks (91 per cent), social distancing (91 per cent), regular disinfection of vehicles (84 per cent), contactless ticketing and payment system (82 per cent) and provision of hand sanitisers (76 per cent). Other popular steps: screening with help of infrared thermometer (70 per cent), deployment of only non-AC buses (49 per cent), fewer stops (47 per cent) and medical support at inter-modal stations (45%).
“We urge operators like BMTC, BMRCL and SWR to take all necessary measures for the safety of commuters and also include demand reduction and capacity enhancement strategies. They must start communication campaigns to educate and sensitise citizens using public-transport services,” said Revathy Ashok, managing trustee and CEO, B.PAC.
Seventy-one per cent of the respondents were public-transport users. “About 55 per cent of those aged above 30 won’t consider using public transport for the next three months. Further, 40 per cent won’t consider using public transport anytime soon,” the survey said.