Insights into and recommendations for safe public transport

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on people's mobility behavior. Passenger numbers on public transport have fallen significantly, in some cases by up to 80%. Although the obligation to wear masks on public transport is now a distant memory and the pandemic period is almost forgotten, public transport is still struggling with the financial after-effects of the crisis.

The aim of the project was to develop effective recommendations for action in times of crisis. On the one hand, these recommendations should help those responsible to minimize the health risks of using public transport and strengthen passenger confidence, and on the other hand, to incorporate the pandemic-related challenges into the future design of public transport.

A key result of the panel survey conducted as part of the project shows that the risk of infection in public transport is often overestimated compared to other everyday situations. Modern ventilation systems in buses and trains enable rapid air exchange, while FFP2 masks have been proven to offer a high level of protection. There is therefore a discrepancy between the subjectively perceived risk of infection and the objective risk. A specially developed infection calculator provides a precise assessment of the risk of infection under various conditions in public transport. In addition, the protective measures implemented by the transport companies during the pandemic were analyzed, categorized and evaluated in terms of their effectiveness and feasibility.

The project results were clearly presented in a practical guide to action. The included measure profiles provide a clear overview of the effectiveness of the implemented and researched measures - and give a classification of whether implementation is recommended or not.

The action guide is available together with the infection calculator and the panel results on the EMILIA website: www.uni-kassel.de/go/EMILIA