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Mobility Behavior in Switzerland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Research Project
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01.03.2020
 - 30.06.2022

We study the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated government measures on individual mobility choices in Switzerland. Our data is based on over 1,000 people for which we observe all trips during eight weeks before the pandemic and again for up to 6 months after its onset. We find an overall reduction of travel distances by 60 percent, followed by a gradual recovery during the subsequent re-opening of the economy. Whereas driving distances have almost completely recovered, public transport remains under-used. The introduction of a requirement to wear a mask in public transport had no measurable impact on ridership. We study the heterogeneity of the individual travel response to the pandemic and find that it varies along socio-economic dimensions such as education and household size, with mobility tool ownership, and with personal values and lifestyles.

Publications

Hintermann, Beat et al. (2022) ‘The impact of COVID-19 on mobility choices in Switzerland’, WWZ Working Paper. Edited by WWZ Workingpapers Faculty of Business and Economics. WWZ (WWZ Working Paper, 10).

URLs
URLs

Molloy, Joseph et al. (2021) ‘Observed impacts of the Covid-19 first wave on travel behaviour in Switzerland based on a large GPS panel’, Transport Policy, 104, pp. 43–51. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.01.009.

URLs
URLs

Members (3)

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Beat Hintermann

Principal Investigator
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Beaumont Schoeman

Co-Investigator
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Nina Lustenberger

Project Member