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COVID-19 has upended many aspects of our lives—including how we get around. This post shares new data on the impact that the pandemic has had on urban mobility in two major Canadian cities and links this with insights on the transportation policies needed to build back better. In particular, we explore how the pandemic reshaped commuting patterns and vehicle preference. 

October 5th saw the first in-person event organized by the 3RFM Program since the pandemic upended the world at the end of 2019. Our sponsors and partners enjoyed Chatham-style conversations around three topics: Mobility after the COVID-19 pandemic, mobility as a service and super app integration, and the future of vehicle automation. Here are some of the ideas discussed at the event.

On working from home:

Mobility has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing and people working from home, travel has decreased significantly. However, as the economy has started to reopen, single-occupant car travel and bicycling have increased, while the use of public transit, ride-hailing, carpools, and shared e-scooters remains low.

By Mollie D’Agostino , Giovanni Circella, and Daniel Sperling