Urban Indians to prefer personal over public transportation after Pandemic: Survey

NEW DELHI: A recent survey by market researcher named YouGov has found that commuters in urban spaces are still very much vary of using crowded public transport and they therefore intend on using personal vehicles more than they did in pre-pandemic times. India is reporting a net increase in intent to use a personal vehicle in the next 12 months, said the report. Hence, urban consumers are showing low intent towards the use of public transportation in the next 12 months.

In general, Indians heavily rely on public transport such as private and public buses, auto rickshaws, metro trains, metro trains, cabs, and others. These modes of transport have been widely preferred due to affordability and access. However, the YouGov study established that the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted people to stay at distance from modes of transportation that are typically crowded.

The report titled ‘International Automative Report 2021’ studied the demographics, behaviours, and preferences of automative consumers and also analysed how digital transformation has changed traditional car ownership and buying behaviours in 17 markets. According to the report, one third of the Indian respondents said that they will use their personal vehicle more in the coming year in comparison to how much they used it in pre-pandemic times. Only a quarter of the respondents said that they will be using their personal vehicle less. This behavioural change is expected to have an impact on companies across the transportation landscape competing for this audience’s transportation expenditures.

The study also found 49 per cent of the urban Indians will lower their use of public transport in the future. The findings of the study highlighted the need for work that needs to be done to restore confidence Indian urban citizens’ confidence in public transport and ride-hailing as safe and clean transportation modes.