Analysis of the effects of the first phase of COVID-19 pandemic on mobility choices in Italy by a multi-criteria approach

COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in logistics and mobility. Concerning Italian road mobility, between March and April 2020, there has been a reduction in traffic for both light vehicles and heavy goods vehicles. Italy was the first European country to implement a total lockdown, starting on March 9th, causing a deep contraction in road traffic. This paper explores the main differences in mobility choices before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A multi-criteria decision-making method was selected for the analysis of questionnaire survey data. The fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process was applied, considering eight mobility types: bus, tram, taxi, train, shared vehicles, multiple modes, walking and car. An evaluation process was adopted for the modal mobility choices of the residents of Sicily, Italy. The results show a significant decline in mobility demand during the first phase of the pandemic, especially in public transport mode. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the need to implement strategies to respect the constraints generated by the pandemic and revive the penalised transport and mobility-related sectors. Furthermore, the study's findings provide valuable insights for the policymakers, both national and local, about the mobility results of the lockdown and can be used as a forecast benchmark for planning the restrictions in the future, in case of another unexpected phenomenon, e.g., pandemic. © 2022 The Author(s).

Evaluating the quality of the public transport service during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perception of two user groups

The current paper focuses on a comparative analysis of both public transport (PT) and private vehicle (PV) users' perceptions on the quality of the service. To detect the key components of PT attributes a new hybrid methodology is applied, combining the importance-performance analysis and the importance-performance map analysis. The proposed hybrid approach is simpler and more integrated than the existing methods in the literature. The sample comprises an online panel and a total of 1028 questionnaires for PV and PT users surveyed during the pandemic period in Budapest. The results of the applied methods show that among the different groups, the service hour, the proximity, and the frequency attributes are important and performed well in the years of COVID-19. On the other hand, the temperature and the cleanliness factors are not significant predictors of the PV and PT users' general satisfaction. The obtained results can be used by local governments and authorities, who seek to identify areas to enhance the service quality of PT during movement restrictions in a pandemic wave. © 2023, The Author(s).