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

  • Support for speed cameras remains high – but some drivers need convincing
    October 29, 2015
    A national survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has shown that although most drivers support speed cameras there are big variations across the country – and Londoners and people in the north-east appear to show higher levels of resistance than most. The survey polled 1,000 drivers of all age groups across Britain and asked “It is now common for the authorities to use speed cameras at the side of the road to identify vehicles involved in speeding offences. How acceptable do you think this i
  • Asia-Pacific & Europe dominate Smart City Index 2023
    April 13, 2023
    New York is highest-ranked US city (22nd) with Cairo the leading African city (108th)
  • Covid-19 cleared the air: ITS can keep it clean
    July 31, 2020
    Covid-19 has created cleaner air: ITS can help keep it that way – but it’s not going to be straightforward, as Graham Anderson discovers
  • Stage Intelligence partners with Smovengo on Paris bike-share
    February 25, 2019
    Artificial intelligence (AI) company Stage Intelligence has linked up with a consortium in a bid to make a Paris bike-share scheme more efficient. Stage is partnering with Smovengo – a grouping which consists of Smoove, Moventia, Mobivia and Park Indigo - to deploy its Bico AI optimisation platform across Smovengo’s Vélib bike-share system in the French capital. The company says its system allows users to collect, manage and visualise data and turn it into actionable insights; it has already been used in