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Public transport use has drastically declined during the COVID-19 pandemic because the virus spreads through close contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces, especially in closed-environments. Evidence suggests that following the necessary safety guidelines can limit the spread of the virus, however, non-compliance to precautionary measures has been reported widely. Ignoring the precautionary measures may lead to quick transmission of the virus since public transport vehicles generally resemble closed-environments. This study explores people’s intentions to use public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic while adhering to precautionary measures. For this purpose, a total of 1516 useable responses were collected through a questionnaire survey conducted in Lahore, Pakistan. Regression models were developed to model the intentions to use public transport during the pandemic, to adhere to the precautionary measures while using public transport during the pandemic, and to use public transport while suffering from COVID-19 disease. The results of this study will help in understanding the intentions of the public transport users during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also provide insights for policymakers and public transport operators about further necessary actions to promote safe public transport use during the current and any possible future pandemics. As public transport use declined during the pandemic, policy implications for alternative mobility options such as demand-responsive-transport (DRT) are also presented. Considering the study results, a policy interventions framework is proposed to promote the safe use of various public transport modes, particularly in developing regions.

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This study aims to identify the travelers’ attitudes and preferences towards the use of public transport during COVID-19 through the Norm-Activation Model (NAM). A questionnaire survey was designed to assess the traveler’s awareness, sense of responsibility, and moral obligations to comply with safety norms or guidelines while using public transport in Lahore, Pakistan. The Structural Equation Modeling method was applied to analyze the collected 1516 complete responses. The survey results and measurement equations confirmed the association between observed and corresponding latent variables. The results of SEM revealed that the travelers’ Awareness of Consequences (AC) and Ascription of Responsibility (AR) are positively correlated with Personal Norms (PN), whereas attitudes towards public transport are negatively related to the PN. The perceived behavioral control (PBC) and PN have negative structural correlations with public transport use. However, the attitudes towards public transport are strong predictors of travelers’ behavior towards public transport. The current motorcycle users and high-income people have low preferences, whereas current users of public transport modes and middle-income people have high preferences to choose public transport during a pandemic. The travelers’ perceived difficulty of complying with safety guidelines while traveling, such as wearing a facemask, use of sanitizers, and maintaining a social distance, have a significant impact on their public transport use. The travelers’ better awareness, responsibility, and trust in using public transport may have a strong influence on their preferences towards public transport during a pandemic situation.