The Contagion Effects of COVID-19 and Public Transportation System: Conceptualizing the Shifting Paradigm in India

Paul, Biswajit; Sarkar, Subir

The global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 and the subsequent policies of social distancing and the nationwide lockdown have changed the whole scenario of the world’s public transportation system. It has affected the transportation sector in multiple ways. The virus’ outbreak has instantly affected the traveling behavior of the people, which has ultimately resulted in complete stagnation of the transport sector worldwide. As most economic activities are directly or indirectly associated with the transportation system, transport-related activities are also severely affected. Thus, it has become a necessary consideration for economists and geographers to understand the overall scenario. This paper explores the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian public transportation system during and post lockdown period using some statistical facts and figures. Analyzes have been done based on the primary and secondary sources of information collected from the primary survey, different news reports, and published research articles. The study reveals a massive reduction in demand for mass transportation modes to get around the fear of spreading the virus and lockdown policy.