Transportation Mobility During COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously affected global transportation mobility, presenting unprecedented challenges to transportation management. The ridership of public transit and ride-halling services reduced drastically which transcended the inclination towards private vehicles. Furthermore, the pandemic drastically affected the travel pattern and transportation mobility of individuals due to the implication of various COVID-19 protocols. Despite majority of research gravitating towards traffic demand and mode choice modeling, the logical reasoning, and behavioral changes associated to the findings were sporadically studied. This study conducted a comprehensive review of 96 academic papers from reputable journals spanning January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022, focusing on small-distance mobility in developed, developing, and underdeveloped nations utilizing the Scopus database. The review identified three major themes: “Impact on Ride-Hailing Services,” “Impact on Mode Preference,” and “Impact on Trip Purpose.” Each theme was subdivided based on keywords and key findings extracted using VOSviewer. The study revealed that the pandemic significantly affected ride-hailing services, leading to changes in demand, usage, service, and safety measures. Mode preference saw a shift towards private vehicles due to safety concerns. The study underscores the long-term implications of the pandemic, emphasizing recovery strategies for ride-hailing services and mode preferences post-pandemic. It highlights the need for sustainable transportation policies, advocating for enhanced public transportation systems, promotion of active travel modes, and addressing socioeconomic disparities in mobility patterns. Ultimately, the findings illuminate the paradigm shift in travel behavior, mode choices, and trip purposes, emphasizing the imperative for resilient transportation strategies in the face of future disruptions.