Older Adults’ Avoidance of Public Transportation after the Outbreak of COVID-19: Korean Subway Evidence

With the spread of the coronavirus worldwide, nations have implemented policies restricting the movement of people to minimize the possibility of infection. Although voluntary restriction is a key factor in reducing mobility, it has only been emphasized in terms of the effect of governments’ mobility restriction measures. This research aimed to analyze voluntary mass transportation use after the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak by age group to explore how the perception of the risk of infection affected the public transit system. Mass transportation big data of Seoul Metro transportation use in the capital city of Korea was employed for panel analyses. The analysis results showed that in the period with both the highest and lowest number of infections of SARS-CoV-2, users aged 65 years and over reduced their subway use more than people aged between 20 and 64. This study also found that the decrease in subway use caused by the sharp increase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases was the most prominent among people aged 65 years and over. The results imply that the elders’ avoidance of public transportation affected their daily lives, consumption, and production activities, as well as their mobility.