By The public are not expected to return to public transport in anywhere near the same numbers following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Workers have embraced home-working and alternative transport methods and may continued to do so from now on.
Businesses have found that home working does work for some and that online meetings could be the way forward to save financially.
Commuter numbers could drop by a quarter because of home working, said Sir John Armitt, head of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC).
But the government should “hold their nerve” in case of a bounce back.
This was important for sustainability reasons, he said.
Sir John told the BBC that the NIC’s modelling indicated there could be a continuing hit to passenger numbers of 25% from fewer commuters returning to offices after the pandemic.
Gov UK
Public transportation depends on the ability to crowd trains and buses with enough passengers to cover costs.
“If you want to avoid congestion in the future, if you want to stick to your zero carbon, then you need to get people back on public transport.
“Therefore for the government, it’s going to be a case of continuing to ensure that public transport is available, whether it’s the trains or whether it’s the buses, so that people can make use of it as and when they feel relaxed to do so,” Sir John told the BBC.
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