Commuting beyond the coronavirus

The Coronavirus pandemic has radically transformed the way people travel to and from work, both here in Northern Ireland and across the UK.

Efforts to contain the virus saw swathes of people turn into homeworkers overnight, leaving our public transport networks and roads quieter than they have been in years.

While the crisis has shown the ability for both business and government to adapt quickly, a new CBI report in collaboration with KPMG, Commuting beyond the Coronavirus shows that the reopening of the economy is now providing new challenges for public transport networks to overcome. Most notably, how can we rebuild passenger confidence and make sure people feel safe getting back on the trains or buses which previously took them to work? And how can operators survive whilst demand remains so constrained?

Answering these questions is critical as people cautiously start to return to the office. Without the return of workers to public transport networks — alongside increases in active travel like walking and cycling – congestion could increase sharply, driving up emissions and damaging productivity levels.

The Executive must actively avoid this outcome, working with operators to ensure adherence to the use of face coverings and social distancing, proactively encouraging public transport usage to grow passenger numbers and supporting transport services to remain commercially viable as they struggle with low demand.

As we look ahead, while some changes to commuting patterns will be temporary, others will undoubtedly stick for some time to come, raising important questions about how both employers and public transport networks will need to adapt to this new normal in the longer-term.

From conversations with business leaders around Northern Ireland, I know that a number of firms will maintain home working arrangements for the foreseeable future, but the majority of firms are hoping to stagger their employees return to the office or put in place new shift patterns or working hours.

As the situation evolves, it is vital that employers regularly review workforce travel habits, sharing trends in staff travel with government and operators to help them manage peak travel times and plan effectively for shifts in demand. By doing this business will be playing its part in supporting the safe restart of public transport networks and local economies.

Alongside bringing significant challenges, the radical change we have seen in how people travel to work has also presented a golden opportunity to make Northern Ireland’s public transport services more flexible, digital and passenger focused.

Just one example of this is ticketing. For some time, commuters have been calling for simplified ticketing solutions, with even more options to build flexibility into their journeys, buy tickets in advance, tap in and tap out across multiple modes of transport and give instant feedback on their experience. With fewer people now expected to return to the daily commute, delivering this for passengers is now more important than ever.

As Northern Ireland seeks opportunities to ‘build back better’ there is an opportunity to create commutes that are more reliable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable.

The CBI’s report lays out a number of recommendations which can help public transport networks deliver for passengers both now and in the future. This includes supporting public transport providers to keep services running as demand recovers and incentivising the use of low emission vehicles. The report also recommends that government should continue to accelerate infrastructure investment plans, which should include investment in our public transport bus and rail network in the form of projects such as the North West Transport Hub and the Belfast Transport Hub, as well as important road projects such as the York Street Interchange and completion of the A5 and A6 roads to the North West. This will mean building vibrant cities and town centres that have a mix of both public transport and active travel options, offering choice to users.

All these changes will not only help get our economy going again but will be vital to meeting our climate ambitions.

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