Pandemic waves and the time after Covid-19 - Consequences for the transport sector

Werner Rothengatter; Junyi Zhang; Yoshitsugu Hayashi; Anastasiia Nosach; Kun Wang; Tae Hoon Oum

doi:10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.06.003

Pandemic waves and the time after Covid-19 - Consequences for the transport sector

Transp Policy (Oxf). 2021 Sep:110:225-237. doi: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.06.003. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Authors

Werner Rothengatter¹, Junyi Zhang², Yoshitsugu Hayashi³, Anastasiia Nosach⁴, Kun Wang⁵, Tae Hoon Oum⁶

Affiliations

¹ Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Kaiserstrasse 12, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.
² Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi Hiroshima, Japan.
³ Chubu University, Institute for Advanced Studies, 1200 Matsumotocho, Kasugai, Aichi, 487-8501, Japan.
⁴ University of British Columbia, Vancouver School of Economics, 6000 Iona Dr, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1L4, Canada.
⁵ University of International Business and Economics, School of International Trade and Economics, Beijing, China.
⁶ University of Columbia, Sauder School of Business, 137 - 2053 Main Mail, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada.

Abstract

This paper discusses the dual role of the transport sector in the Covid-19 pandemic: spreading the virus around the world and being most negatively impacted by the pandemic. This paper describes and analyzes the following: (a) actions taken by the governments and international community in order to control the spreading and to alleviate negative economic impacts including massive fiscal and monetary stimulus funding; (b) detailed discussions on the impacts of the pandemic on air transport, rail and bus transport, and urban transit, and major countries' responses to reduce the negative effects; (c) discussions on the positive effects of the pandemic on the environment and climate change by suggesting policy measures in order to make it sustainable over the long term. Finally, the paper addresses social acceptance issue of the behavioral changes necessary in the post-pandemic world, in particular reflecting historical experience of the Spanish flu case. We end the paper with some observations and discussion of the normative issues for a sustainable development of the transport sector.

Keywords: Air and rail intercity transport; Covid-19 pandemic; Environmental effects; Policy intervention and stimulus funding; Post pandemic development; Transport sector; Urban transport.