COURTESY HT MAY 29

Pvt vehicle use may rise, Metro and bus usage to dip: Study
Soumya Pillai

soumya.pillai@htlive.com

New Delhi : Public transport usage is likely to see a sharp fall over the next six months, while, concurrently, the use of personal vehicles is expected to surge, analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) shows.

The analysis, based only on the commuting patterns and preferences of over 400 middle and upper middle-class commuters, shows that before the lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 came into effect from March 25, as much as 37% of Delhi’s commuter traffic was carried by the Metro, 28% commuters made use of personal vehicles and 7% commuters used public buses.

In the next six months, the ridership of Delhi Metro is expected to fall from 37% to 16%. Commuter traffic in public buses is expected to fall from 7% to just 1%. The dependence on private vehicles, on the other hand, will increase significantly, from 28% to as much as 38%.

The findings also show that ‘low contact’ modes of travel, such as walking and cycling are likely to emerge as preferred modes among residents to cover shorter distances. Before the lockdown, 4% commuters walked or cycled, a figure that is expected to grow to 12% in the coming months.

Reseachers said the shift in preferences can be attributed to people’s health concerns.