Skip to main content

Moovit: global public transit use down ‘up to 90%’

Public transit usage round the world has fallen off a cliff since coronavirus pandemic lockdown measures took hold, according to new research.
By Adam Hill April 3, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Public transit usage is down nearly 90% in Turin, says Moovit (© Wirestock | Dreamstime.com)

Mobility as a Service specialist Moovit has released a report tracking the decrease - relative to typical usage - from 15 January, prior to Covid-19 taking hold outside its epicentre in China.

As of 2 April, usage has fallen by nearly 90% in Italian cities such as Milan, Turin and Rome and in the Spanish capital Madrid – the two European countries so far hit hardest by the virus. Figures from half a dozen French cities show a fall-offs between 83% (Paris and Marseille) and 85% (Bordeaux).

The Portuguese cities of Porto (83%) and Lisbon (75%) have also seen significant drops.

In the US, ridership in San Francisco fell 76%, 72% in Seattle, 69% in New York and Boston, 64% in Los Angeles and 59% in Washington, DC.

Elsewhere in the world, the drops are revealing: public transport ridership is down 91% in Kuala Lumpur, 84% in Tokyo, Japan, 75% in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 67% in Sydney, Australia, and 53% in Hong Kong. In Singapore, it is holding up relatively well, falling just 34%.

In Brazil, where president Jair Bolsonaro’s approach to Covid-19 public health measures has been viewed by many other countries as too relaxed, ridership was down 62% in Sao Paulo and 59% in Rio de Janeiro.

Click here for more cities.

 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • 50 years of Cubic Transportation Systems
    August 25, 2022
    If you detect an air of celebration on the Cubic stand, there’s a good reason for it. June 2022 marked 50 years of Cubic Transportation Systems. While Cubic Corporation started 70 years ago, the transportation business began in 1972 and has since been nurtured and developed into a successful $1 billion enterprise and an established leader in the transportation industry.
  • Milestone for ChargePoint America
    May 16, 2012
    Coulomb Technologies has celebrated a significant milestone for the ChargePoint America programme. At a ceremony in Exposition Park hosted by the Honorable Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles. US Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Coulomb Technologies founder and CTO Richard Lowenthal unveiled the 500th ChargePoint America station available now on the ChargePoint Network. Others attending the ceremony included ChargePoint America programme vehicle partners Chevrolet, Ford and smart USA as well as electr
  • Kuala Lumpur replaces obsolete traffic management system
    April 9, 2014
    With its integrated transport information system (ITIS) in ruins and waiting to be sold for salvage, Kuala Lumpur’s government has awarded a contract to improve its traffic management. GTC Global won the US$62 million contract last year to bring ITIS back on track. The company was recently acquired by Telekom Malaysia. In 2002, a traffic surveillance system costing more than US$93 million was launched to gather, process and supply real-time traffic information to reduce congestion in Kuala Lumpur. It we
  • Multi-modal transport system key to liveable city development
    June 20, 2012
    Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme aims to transform Kuala Lumpur into one of the world’s most liveable cities. Mohd Nur Kamal, CEO of SPAD, Malaysia’s Land Transport Commission, explains how a world class multi-modal transport system will be key to reaching that goal Superficially, Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is commonly known, is the model of a vibrant, modern, cosmopolitan city to equal any in the world. The Petronas Twin Towers, an iconic global symbol of Malaysia, are surrounded by stunningly