Exploration on boosting bus ridership in the post-pandemic era referring to bus rider behavior changes

Boosting bus ridership after pandemics is critical to green city and urban sustainability, to curb the rapid increase of private cars and to provide alternative trip choice to the public. Referring to bus passengers’ changes in trip behaviors from the pandemics, we may better focus on the bus service attributes to which passengers are sensitive, and devote the limited resources to improve these attributes for bus ridership growth. The reason for not comparing passenger behaviors between the pre- and post-pandemics, lies in that bus service system has changed significantly during the pandemics, and that we have to continue that passed on from the pandemics. With questionnaire and statistical analyses, passengers in the post-pandemics are found to accept more transfers, traveling over a shorter distance with fewer accompanies and more urgent purposes. Targeting at the frequent passengers, the factors of accepting longer access distance, longer wait time, and independence from private cars during the pandemics contribute positively to the frequent bus usage in the post-pandemics, in addition to being aged 50 years old or more and being female. Suggestions follow to keep sufficient stop distance for in-vehicle time saving, and to promote reliable transfer, accurate bus arrival information, long route reformation, service enrichment, trip pleasure creation, extensive connection, and special attention for frequent passengers. This research contributes comprehensive understanding of bus trip patterns in the post-pandemics to guide the respondent agencies to reform bus service delivered from the pandemics, and to promote bus ridership increase. • Changes in bus rider behaviors and attitudes are explored for the insights on bus service improvement. • Bus rider characteristics are decoded for the factors on bus usage frequency after COVID-19 • Assist in understanding frequent bus riders for improvement implementations and reverting ridership decline.