According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), COVID-19 concerns impacted public transport transport usage last year.
Details
COVID-19 concerns was one of several reasons given by CSO respondents for not using public transport more often in 2021, with COVID-19 concerns being cited by 14% of respondents who use bus services less than weekly and by 10% of respondents who use rail services less than weekly, according to a statement published on CSO.ie, which also noted that 37% of persons who walk said that they walk more now than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic, and close to half of these were specifically for leisure/exercise purposes.
Statements By Statistician
The statement published on CSO.ie included a statement from statistician in the social analysis and modules division Maureen Delamere that said, "When this survey was carried out in Quarter 4 2021, we were more than one and half years into the global COVID-19 pandemic. It is interesting to look at how this pandemic has changed our lives and, in particular, how it has impacted our travel behaviour.
"More remote working has likely impacted on our car usage. With more people remote working for part or all of their working week in Quarter 4 2021, car usage was impacted with more people now staying at home more often. In Quarter 4 2021, just 58% of respondents who were remote working, travelled by car daily or almost daily, compared with three quarters (75%) of respondents who were not working remotely pre-COVID-19.
"We are also becoming more active since COVID-19. Respondents were asked how often they walk/cycle. Of those who walk or cycle at least monthly, they were asked if they walk or cycle more than they did before the pandemic. Nearly four in ten (37%) said that they walk more now than they did prior to the arrival of COVID-19, while one third (33%) said they cycle more now than they did before the pandemic. Leisure/exercise purposes was the main reason for almost six in ten (57%) cycling journeys and nearly half (47%) of journeys by foot.
"COVID-19 related restrictions remained in place on public transport until early 2022. Concerns regarding COVID-19 was one of a number of reasons given by repondents for not using public transport more frequently. COVID-19 concerns were cited by one in seven (14%) respondents who use bus services less than weekly and one in ten (10%) respondents who use rail services less than weekly."
Delamere added, "It is important to note, however, that this is a snapshot in time, as to how COVID-19 had affected our lives and in particular, our travel behaviour in 2021. Future CSO National Travel Surveys will strive to provide insight in to how many of the pandemic-related changes in travel behaviour are sustained."
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