Current and Future Impacts of Covid19 on the Transportation Industry
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction
The COVID 19 pandemic has had significant effects on the transportation industry globally. The rate at which these effects have been felt is considerable as global airlines, bus systems, local subway, and national railways experience declines in customers (Ridgely, 2020). Disruptions in public transportation come as a result of various efforts and policies to curb the pandemic. For instance, people are now working from home, as a means to contain the spread of the virus. COVID 19 has resulted in many deaths worldwide, thereby affecting critical sectors of the economy. The rate at which the pandemic continues to influence these sectors remains a subject of concern. This article takes a look at the current and future impacts of COVID 19 on transportation.
Impacts of COVID 19 on transport
The decline in public transport
One of the significant impacts of the pandemic is the widespread reduction in passenger transport demand. The crisis has had considerable effects on all transport modes, from planes, cars, buses, and trains. Such a situation comes about due to the various government lockdowns put in place to contain the spread of the virus. Similarly, there have been fears of contracting the virus, which rapidly spreads through the usage of mass transport models. With many people fearing for their lives, there has been a limited movement of people in major cities.
Global restrictions on flight travel
The spread of the coronavirus to most parts of the world led to global restrictions on flight travel. The ban on flight travel was implemented by most countries, starting on air travel to Wuhan China, the epicenter of the virus. The prevalence of the infection led to the ban on all flight travels, making it possible to travel overseas. For instance, the US issued its global travel advisory on March 19 (Sau-Sanchez et al., 2020). The warning required all US citizens to remain grounded or return home with immediate effect. The disruption of air transport globally translated to significant losses by major airlines worldwide. Some of the measures to contain the pandemic’s spread include the closure of airports and suspension of all the incoming and outgoing flights.
A significant concern on air travel is that business travel might take a considerable amount of time to resume. For more prominent airlines, business travel accounts for a substantial amount of the airline’s revenue. Business travelers account for 50% of the airline’s income, despite only making up 15-20% of their traffic (Sau-Sanchez et al. 2020). Specialists warn that it may take up to five years for significant airlines worldwide to recover back to the levels of demand and flying of 2019.
The shift in traffic patterns
The coronavirus’s prevalence has resulted in the limited movement of people to their various places of work. Such comes as a result of quarantine and lockdown policies issued by the government to curb the virus. Due to such, many people are now working from home in response to the various COVID 19 measures. The increased quarantine and lockdown measures led to a significant reduction in traffic across major cities worldwide. In major Asian cities, the curbs on commerce and closure of schools led to a free flow of traffic not seen in a very long time. Such a situation is a follow up to the closure of entertainment spots and people’s overall limited movement to significant towns. As some organizations may decide to let all their employees work from home, the number of commuters on the roads may drop significantly due to these measures.
The reduced traffic during the quarantine periods has helped to reduce air pollution across significant cities and towns. The most polluted cities in Europe, such as Madrid and Milan, are now enjoying the clean and fresh air. The reduced air pollution is primarily due to the strict COVID 19 measures in these areas, which were the virus’s epicenters. The high death toll in Italy, for instance, explains the reasons for the clear streets that eventually led to clean and breathable skies. In this regard, many individuals within Europe are using bicycles to move around the cities, as it stands out as one of the efforts to keep the towns clean.
Growth in e-commerce deliveries
The demand for e-commerce deliveries was high even before the COVID 19 pandemic and has increased drastically following the crisis. This situation comes from the closure of shopping malls and stores in major cities, as part of the measures to control the virus’s spread. Instacart and amazon, for instance, require approximately 400,000 individuals to meet the growing demand for online deliveries (Hasanat et al. 2020). As such, there are many ride-hailing services, most of which have shifted from carrying people to their various destinations, to making home deliveries of various essential commodities.
Due to the prolonged lockdown and quarantine measures, many people rely on online shopping and local food platforms. Some areas respond by allocating extra space at the curb for these deliveries services, while also adhering to the stringent COVID 19 measures such as social distancing. It is unclear how these services will carry on in the future, but such allocations will set the framework for more space management later in life. The growth in e-commerce means that online businesses reap significant profits amid the crisis (Hasanat et al., 2020). Local food avenues need to take advantage of the high demand for food deliveries and deliver essential services to its clients.
Shared mobility
There has been a decrease in demand for micro-mobility and ride-hailing services as people are avoiding public transport. Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft continue to lose customers in some areas. As coronavirus cases continue to grow overnight, ride-hailing services are being asked to withdraw their transport services. Before the pandemic, ride-hailing services enjoyed significant returns from their services, as one could easily book a ride to the desired destination.
The coronavirus similarly affected micro-mobility companies. Due to the limited movement of people in various cities, the companies have registered significant losses. Such losses are due to the limited demand for scooters and other forms of micro-mobility. Companies such as Bird and Lime have been forced to lay off a significant number of its workforce to keep up with the struggles of COVID 19.
The prevalence of the COVID 19 pandemic has resulted in a significant demand for micro-mobility services. Micro mobility denotes the range of lightweight and small devices that generally operate at speeds below 45km/hr (“Institute for Transport & Development Policy”, n.d). Such include skateboards, scooters, bicycles, and cargo bikes. The continued growth of urban populations requires the presence of flexible and effective mobility services. Following the pandemic, many individuals in modern cities are using bicycles as a means of transport in such areas. For instance, a significant number of people in China have turned to the large scale use of micro-mobility. As micro-mobility continues to grow, cities around the world need to support this mode of transport. Micro mobility is projected to become the safest and low carbon means of transport even after the COVID 19 pandemic.
Disruption of maritime transport
The Mediterranean region accounts for nearly 25% of the worldwide traffic volume in international trade (Ridgley, 2020). A significant amount of global trading activities are carried out by commercial shipping, with a considerable portion of such events in the intra-Mediterranean region. The maritime industry plays a significant role in responding to the coronavirus pandemic by enhancing the transport of medical supplies and other essential goods. Despite the global epidemic, many of these ports have remained in operation, thereby facilitating cargo operations. However, a significant amount of these ports remain closed due to passenger traffic.
The maritime fishing sector stands out as a significant supplier of food and animal protein. The industry similarly creates employment for many individuals, earning them a substantial amount of income to cater to their families. The COVID 19 pandemic has resulted in plenty of fishing vessels not leaving port, thereby reducing the demand for a wide range of seafood commodities (Ridgley, 2020). The pandemic similarly affects the health of fishers and seafarers, together with their working conditions. This situation primarily affects their ability to perform their essential role in enhancing sea transport, harvesting seafood, and serving a wide range of passengers.
The COVID 19 pandemic has also resulted in the forceful quarantine of cruise whose passengers have tested positive of the virus. Such ships are banned from entering the ports of many countries to contain the spread of the pandemic. Furthermore, many fishing vessel owners and fishers face similar problems, including the inability to make crew changes, and inaccessibility to shore side medical care.
Repercussions on railway systems
The coronavirus pandemic is having a profound impact on railway transport connectivity in significant regions across Europe. A significant trend emerging during this COVID 19 period is the increase in the number of freight trains between Europe and China. The ministry of commerce of china reports a 15% increase in the name of freight trains between China and Europe (“United Nations ESCAP,” n.d). Similarly, there has been an increase in the number of transported containers during the first three months of the year. The presence of fewer quarantine checks in railway transport than other modes explains such an increase. Furthermore, a single freight train can carry up to 50 times the cargo transported by lorry, and in a more secure and safer environment.
Traffic management at any given railway checkpoint is much easier than compared to any particular roadblock. As such, railway transport has the minimal potential of spreading the COVID 19 pandemic. Similarly, railway transport uses less workforce over a seemingly longer distance than other modes of transportation. The transport method is currently being used to address the pandemic’s challenges by providing a basis for the large scale movement of medical supplies to a large number of European countries. The regional railways are also adhering to the stringent measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.
The current situation on railway transport means that railways will always have unique advantages over other transportation modes. Such benefits are during the acute phase of COVID 19 and the new normal (“United Nations ESCAP,” n.d). Electric trains’ ability to quickly and securely transport medical supplies makes it more appealing to other modes. The minimal usage of railway transport can lead to the collapse of urban transportation.
Impact on logistics
The COVID 19 pandemic has directly affected a significant number of logistic firms. Such organizations are involved in the movement of commodities to their respective destinations. Logistic firms form a critical part of the supply chain, as they foster organizations’ ability to get their products to customers (Quieiroz et al. 2020). Furthermore, such firms facilitate commerce and a wide range of trading activities. China plays an integral role in global manufacturing and is also a chief consumer of global commodities. As a result of the pandemic, huge cargo loads stuck at the port due to disruptions in maritime transport.
The wide range of travel restrictions resulted in an acute shortage of truck drivers to collect the essential commodities. The prolonged lack of products from China greatly affected manufacturing activities in most countries across Europe. Similarly, the resulting lockdowns and border closures had adverse consequences on commodities’ movement across countries globally. The disruption of standard modes of transport, such as roads and water, is a threat to the full range of logistic operations.
Conclusion
The COVID 19 pandemic has had considerable impacts on the transportation industry globally. Such influences have significantly had notable effects on other sectors of the economy in general. During its acute stages, the pandemic cut down the movement of people across major cities worldwide. This situation resulted in the disruption of public transportation across all modes of transport. The limited movement of people comes from the various lockdown and quarantine measures put in place to contain the pandemic. However, COVID 19 has had its positive outcomes on transport. The prevalence of the virus has led to the increased use of railway transport due to the railway’s advantages over other means. The widespread usage of electric trains to transport medical supplies and equipment is a notable positive effect of the pandemic on transport.
References
As the Impacts of Coronavirus Grow, Micro mobility Fills in the Gaps. Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. (2020, April 16). https://www.itdp.org/2020/03/24/as-the-impacts-of-coronavirus-grow-micromobility-fills-in-the-gaps/
COVID-19 pandemic: international freight trains lead the way into the future. https://www.unescap.org/blog/covid-19-pandemic-international-freight-trains-lead-way-future.
Hasanat, M. W., Hoque, A., Shikha, F. A., Anwar, M., Hamid, A. B. A. & Tat, H. H. (2020). The Impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) on E-Business in Malaysia. Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 3(1), 85-90.
Suau-Sanchez, P., Voltes-Dorta, A., & Cugueró-Escofet, N. (2020). An early assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on air transport: Just another crisis or the end of aviation as we know it?. Journal of Transport Geography.
Written By Becky Ridgley March 19. How does COVID-19 impact urban Transportation? HERE Mobility Blog. https://blog.mobility.here.com/coronavirus-covid-19-impacts-urban-transportation.
Queiroz, M. M., Ivanov, D., Dolgui, A., & Wamba, S. F. (2020). Impacts of epidemic outbreaks on supply chains: mapping a research agenda amid the COVID-19 pandemic through a structured literature review. Annals of Operations Research, 1-38.