8 research outputs found
Building back better: The COVID-19 pandemic and transport policy implications for a developing megacity
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected human mobility via lockdowns, social distancing rules, home quarantines,
and the full or partial suspension of transportation. Evidence-based policy recommendations are urgently needed
to ensure that transport systems have resilience to future pandemic outbreaks, particularly within Global South
megacities where demand for public transport is high and reduced access can exacerbate socio-economic inequalities. This study focuses on Metro Manila â a characteristic megacity that experienced one of the most
stringent lockdowns worldwide. It analyzes aggregated cell phone and GPS data from Google and Apple that
provide a comprehensive representation of mobility behavior before and during the lockdown. While significant
decreases are observed for all transport modes, public transport experienced the largest drop (â 74.5 %, on
average). The study demonstrates that: (i) those most reliant on public transport were disproportionately affected
by lockdowns; (ii) public transport was unable to fulfil its role as public service; and, (iii) this drove a paradigm
shift towards active mobility. Moving forwards, in the short-term policymakers must promote active mobility and
prioritize public transport to reduce unequal access to transport. Longer-term, policymakers must leverage the
increased active transport to encourage modal shift via infrastructure investment, and better utilize big data to
support decision-making