On the bumpy road to recovery: resilience of transit ridership during COVID-19 in 15 European cities

Abstract

COVID-19 had a dramatic impact on the use of transit. Most European cities report a decline in transit use during 2020 and 2021. Nevertheless, not all cities report similar decline patterns or comparable resilience paths. We investigate the resilience patterns of transit use during 2020 and 2021 in 15 European cities from 11 different countries using clustering and regression analysis of data from Google Mobility Reports. Results highlight the variety of resilience patterns of transit use in these 15 cities. These patterns vary in time and space. Transit use in some cities recovered faster and more significantly than in others. Findings also suggest that changes in retail and recreational routines have the highest impact on the resilience of transit use in most cities. Changes in workplace routines are also important, but to a lesser degree. The impact of policy stringency on transit use is significant, but less consistent between the 15 cities. JEL classification: 40, 41, 48