Public Transportation Usage Decreased by 26.8% Since COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the volume of metropolitan transportation in South Korea in 2020 decreased by 12.1% compared to the previous year. In particular, public transportation usage dropped by 26.8%.

According to the interim results of the metropolitan transportation survey announced on the 21st by the Metropolitan Transportation Committee under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (hereafter referred to as the Committee), the average daily travel volume decreased from 8.03 million people in 2019 to 7.056 million people in 2020, a 12.1% decline. During the same period, weekday traffic volume fell from 7.91 million to 7.063 million, a 10.7% decrease, while holiday traffic dropped from 8.29 million to 7.042 million, a 15.1% reduction.

The decline in public transportation usage, including regular buses, regular and high-speed rail, and express and intercity buses, was even more pronounced. On weekdays, it decreased from 3.44 million in 2019 to 2.62 million in 2020, a 23.9% drop. On holidays, it sharply fell from 2.41 million to 1.53 million, a 36.4% plunge. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport analyzed that the reduction in traffic volume was due to the introduction of COVID-19 into the country in early 2020. The fact that public transportation usage decreased more than private car usage appears to be due to the public's reluctance to use public transit to prevent COVID-19 infection.

By region, the total metropolitan travel volume decreased most significantly in the Seoul Capital Area (13.2%) and Daegu Area (10.6%). The Daegu Area was particularly affected early in the COVID-19 outbreak. Public transportation usage in Daegu dropped sharply by 43.5%. This was followed by Gwangju Area with a 34.6% decrease, Daejeon Area 31.5%, Busan-Ulsan Area 29.6%, and Seoul Capital Area 26.3%.

A Committee official stated, "The larger decrease in public transportation usage compared to the overall metropolitan travel volume is believed to be the result of trips that used to rely on public transit switching to private cars due to COVID-19." They added, "Travel to tourist destinations decreased the most by 21%, and due to telecommuting and video conferencing, travel to work and commercial areas also declined by 11.6% and 18.9%, respectively."

Meanwhile, the metropolitan transportation survey, which began in 2020, is scheduled to be completed by May. Unlike previous transportation surveys, it is conducted by integrating and analyzing big data such as transportation card usage records for buses and subways, mobile data, and private car navigation records.