Impacts of COVID-19 on public transport ridership in Sweden: Analysis of ticket validations, sales and passenger counts

The paper analyses the impacts of COVID-19 on daily public transport ridership in the three most populated regions of Sweden (Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Skåne) during spring 2020. The analysis breaks down the overall ridership with respect to ticket types, youths and seniors, and transport modes based on ticket validations, sales and passenger counts data. By utilizing disaggregate ticket validation data with consistent card ids we further investigate to what extent fewer people travelled, or each person travelled less, during the pandemic. The decrease in public transport ridership (40%–60% across regions) was severe compared with other transport modes. Ridership was not restricted by service levels as supply generally remained unchanged throughout the period. The ridership reduction stems primarily from a lower number of active public transport travellers. Travellers switched from monthly period tickets to single tickets and travel funds, while the use and the sales of short period tickets, used predominantly by tourists, dropped to almost zero. One-year period tickets and school tickets increased from mid-April, which could indicate that the travellers using these tickets are particularly captive to the public transport system. Collaborative effort is required to put the results in the international context. •Public transport ridership has been hit hard by COVID-19 compared with other modes•Decrease in ridership largest in Stockholm (ca 60%) and smallest in Västra Götaland (ca. 40%)•Reduction stems primarily from fewer active public transport travellers•Travellers switched from 30-day period tickets to single tickets and travel funds•Sales of short period tickets dropped to almost zero