American transportation trends are set to change significantly in the wake of the pandemic
Many of us are driving less during the pandemic. It’s normal to start thinking about how transportation will change once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. According to a recent survey from IBM’s Institute for Business Value, it’s likely that how people use transportation will change drastically in the near future.
Ownership Options: Learn whether leasing or buying is best for you
The survey’s findings
Just how different the post-coronavirus world will look is open to speculation—but survey data from IBM’s Institute for Business Value gives a glimpse into how people will utilize #transportation, both public and private, once the world reopens. https://t.co/Cmww1MT0J1
— ACEC/MD (@acecmd) May 7, 2020
IBM surveyed a total of 14,000 people to come up with the results. One of the key findings is that more people would prefer using a private vehicle rather than rideshares or public transportation. Per Car and Driver, 17 percent of participants said they plan on using their personal vehicle more due to coronavirus concerns. In addition, 28 percent said they’ll use public transit less frequently, while 20 percent said they’ll stop using it altogether.
Participants who are currently working from home full-time also expressed a desire to keep doing so. According to the study, 75 percent of respondents said they’d like to keep working remotely at least part-time if not full-time.
A Vibrant Future: Add some color to your life with one of these Chevy models
Future implications
A decline in public transit users and rideshares might result in more traffic in populated areas, as more people use personal vehicles for commuting and other trips. That could mean an increase in car sales and leases for dealerships nationwide in the months ahead.
Though, if more businesses give workers the green light to keep working from home, this would significantly reduce the number of commuters on the roads, at least during rush hour. It’ll be interesting to see which trends arise in vehicle ownership and transportation as 2020 continues to play out.
Planning on ditching public transit and using a personal vehicle more? Get the scoop on car leases here. And read more about how to sanitize your car to keep it coronavirus germ-free.
Whitney Russell is a current resident of Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not adventuring through the exciting world of car news, she can be found hiking with her husband and their two dogs, motorcycling, visiting nephews and nieces, discovering new memes, thrifting, decorating, crafting, woodburning, researching random things, and escaping into a great movie. See more articles by Whitney.
