Change in Public Transportation Accessibility and Relationship with Floating Population Change Pattern

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the decrease in travel demands increased the financial burden on the public transportation sector. It led to a decrease in the level of public transportation, such as reduced frequency and routes. This study clarifies the change in public transportation accessibility in commercial districts that support residents' daily service and investigates the relationship with changes in the floating population. First, we quantify the accessibility change regarding the cover area and travel time. It shows a more noticeable accessibility decrease in local cities than in large cities. Second, some areas do not show an accessibility decrease despite the reduced frequency because of the wise rearrangement of the timetable. Third, accessibility decrease is noticeable only in neighborhood commercial districts of large cities while it is noticeable in both central and neighborhood commercial districts in local cities.