Transport preferences and dilemmas in the post-lockdown (COVID-19) period: Findings from a qualitative study of young commuters in Dhaka, Bangladesh

At the start of the pandemic in early 2020, many cities went to complete or partial lockdown to minimize the mass transmission of COVID-19. Consequently, personal travel patterns have changed throughout the world. This study explores the transport mode preferences and associated dilemmas that commuters face in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in the post-lockdown period. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews of 20 young commuters residing in Dhaka. We followed a deductive reasoning approach, and the transcriptions were analyzed following thematic analysis. Findings suggest that despite the perceived high risk of COVID-19 transmission in certain modes, all commuters don’t have the ease and flexibility to switch to their preferred safer mode, with commuters trading-off between health risk, affordability and availability of suitable modes, along with other challenges. However, the country’s sustainable goals can still be achieved if proper actions, such as removing the challenges commuters face while switching to a sustainable and safe mode during COVID-19 are taken.