Twenty-one per cent of Americans surveyed in a recent Cars.com study purchased a vehicle within the last six months, with 57% saying it was due to the pandemic.
The survey, conducted between August 13-14 with 3,062 responses, also reveals 65% of people using public transport (the bus) have stopped doing so, or do so less frequently. Sixty per cent of subway and commuter rail riders are also in the same boat, while 59% of ride-sharing users are using the service less frequently.
“As much of the American office workforce continues to work remotely, there is a major shift in commuting behaviour, which is likely to have a lasting impact long after we return to the office,” said Matt Schmitz, Assistant Managing Editor at Cars.com. “Workers are saving up to an hour or more a day by not commuting, and finding significant value in this newfound gift of time.”
Schmitz said that when commuters eventually return to the office, it will not be through mass transit but instead via personal vehicles. He said this area of transport “will dominate the work commute” as commuters continue to lose trust or feel less safe using public transport and ride-sharing services.
The company’s news release indicates that 43% of Americans do not trust that passengers will abide by health and safety protocols, while 57% moderately trust them. And 35% of future commuters (post-COVID) plan to travel less to work even after returning to the office.
What are the people surveyed doing with their spare time? Forty-three per cent of would-be commuters are watching more TV and movies, 38% are spending more time exercising, 33% are spending more time with family and friends, and 19% are working more.
