Correlations between transportation and the Covid-19 pandemic

COVID pandemic has abruptly changed people habits and lifestyles worldwide, including the usage and perception towards all the different transportation systems; to this date (mid-2021), the pandemic has been going on for over a year now, and there is still no certainty about when it will end. A drastic decline in the number of commercial flights both national and international has happened, as a consequence of the lockdown policies adopted by the various countries around the globe in order to prevent the infection from spreading around, and with variable trends depending on the period and the reciprocal agreements between the various states. Land-side public transportation too has witnessed a backlash mainly due to similar policies or even not leaving home during lockdowns, often working remotely from home, and switching from public transportation to driving, walking or cycling if necessary. COVID-19 and transport are linked by a two-way relationship: if it is true that COVID-19 impacts on transport systems, it is also true that transport systems, in turn, have a very important role in the spread of the pandemic. Swabs first and vaccines recently, are raising new hopes about the pandemic ending soon. The consequences of COVID-19 will in any case be significant, and will revolutionize the way of conceiving transport, meaning new challenges for scientific research.