Public Transit and COVID-19 Pandemic: Global Research and Best Practices

This document compiles the latest scientific understanding of COVID-19 transmission and, specifically, the correlation between transmission and transit, as well as the salutary and often innovative response of transit agencies around the world. To inform the work, extensive research was conducted on the most recent and comprehensive information coming from scientific publications, articles, and governmental institutions. To further examine the link between transit and COVID-19 rates, the authors analyzed data from several domestic cities and compared the change in case rates to the change in transit ridership over several months. An extensive review of both successful virus mitigation strategies and transit agency actions allowed the authors to identify a set of global best practices, highlighting those methods that seem to be most effective at protecting the health of both riders and operators. Finally, extensive interviews with leading public health experts added further insight into how transit agencies can best utilize their resources to mitigate virus risks. Several global cities have maintained or increased ridership while keeping transmission rates low. To date, no known outbreaks have been traced to public transit. This document serves as a reference guide for transit operators on measures that could be implemented to achieve similar success.