Travel preferences in public transport (PT) have been substantially affected by the COVID-19 crisis, with rising emphasis on on-board safety and comfort aspects. Hence, real-time crowding information (RTCI) might have become even more instrumental in supporting travel decisions in congested urban PT systems. This study investigates the willingness to wait (WTW) to reduce (or avoid) overcrowding with RTCI in urban PT (bus and tram) journeys, analysing pre- vs. post-COVID travel behaviour attitudes. Stated-preference data and (subsequently estimated) choice models indicate that, while the pre-COVID WTW was primarily driven by mere possibility to avoid an overcrowded first departure, the post-COVID propensity to wait is strongly associated with expectations of seat availability in second departure as well. The ex-post WTW with RTCI seems to have become less-dependent on individual characteristics and more prominent for time-critical (obligatory) trips as well. Our findings underpin the rising relevance of passenger overcrowding in urban PT journeys. Moreover, they help better understand the potential of RTCI in post-pandemic recovery of PT ridership.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行是否影响了旅行者等待实时拥挤信息的意愿？


公共交通 （PT） 的出行偏好受到 COVID-19 危机的严重影响，人们越来越重视车上安全和舒适方面。因此，实时拥挤信息 （RTCI） 在支持拥挤的城市 PT 系统中的出行决策方面可能变得更加重要。本研究调查了城市 PT（公共汽车和有轨电车）旅程中 RTCI 的等待意愿 （WTW） 以减少（或避免）过度拥挤，分析了 COVID 前后的旅行行为态度。陈述偏好数据和（随后估计的）选择模型表明，虽然 COVID 之前的 WTW 主要是为了避免第一次出发时过度拥挤的可能性，但 COVID 之后的等待倾向也与第二次出发时对座位可用性的预期密切相关。使用 RTCI 的事后 WTW 似乎已经变得不那么依赖于个人特征，并且在时间紧迫（强制性）旅行中也更加突出。我们的研究结果支持了城市 PT 旅程中乘客过度拥挤的相关性不断提高。此外，它们有助于更好地了解 RTCI 在大流行后 PT 乘客量恢复中的潜力。