What means of transport did Italians choose during the pandemic? A literature review

Abstract

The ongoing health emergency is reshaping the environmental, social and economic context. It is therefore necessary to define a new overall mobility ecosystem. The freeze and restrictions imposed since March 2020 have indeed strongly conditioned modal choices and travel frequencies. Italy was among the first countries to suffer dramatic consequences in Europe and to have reported several critical issues in the transport sector, especially for local public transport (PT). In addition, several survey-based studies have mapped the demand for regional mobility in light of the major changes taking place in the world of work, with the introduction of smart working and the consequent reduction in travel. The change in living and commuting habits has also been due to a strong psychosocial change and especially due to the stress and anxiety that people have felt while moving. All this has led to an increase in the choice of the private vehicle for major daily travel as it is connected to a perception of greater safety and lower risk of infection. Therefore, the present work stands as a review of the literature related to different modal choices and travel trends in the Italian context, focusing on the factors that have changed choices in transportation and mobility. The review was conducted using keyword strings in Scopus and Transportation Research Integrated Database (TRID). The findings underscore the need to implement a new mobility to maintain a strong relationship between service operators and customers. The development and success of individual models will depend on the ability of operators to embrace the new needs of the community and on how well institutions are able to rethink the entire mobility ecosystem.