Public transportation for essentials or essential public transportation? Pospandemic transportation and urban mobility prospects

Abstract

The COVID19 pandemic affected daily life, two positions emerging in contrasting ways: one that affirms that we will be able to return to our “normal” life and another that raises the emergence of a “new normal”. This raises questions about life in cities and, particularly, mobility. With the pandemic, global mobility fell precipitously, as it is considered a vector for the spread of the virus. The reactivation of activities has brought with it the problem of how to move around avoiding contagion. Therefore, Argentina generated a series of restrictions on the use of public transport, only for essential workers. But how does it affect urban mobility? The present work aims to analyze urban mobility in pandemic and the use of public transport, taking the city of La Plata as a case study and reflecting on the change in user behavior. The research is based on data collected by Google Mobility and on an ad hoc survey that reveals mobility situations during the isolation period and future trends. The first results show a critical mobility pattern of majority use of the private car, followed by walking and cycling. This pattern produces a territorial and socioeconomic bias that accentuates social inequalities in the population. Public transport fulfills a social role that must be considered in the application of policies. The post-pandemic future will not be without inequalities; therefore we must consider the needs of the entire population, with an efficient transportation system, with freedom of choice and guaranteeing the safety of all.