Perception of commuters towards air quality in Delhi

Abstract

IntroductionDeteriorating air quality has a severe impact on human health that urges humans to make choices that can reduce their exposure. This study aims to explore the commuters’ perception of how they perceive air quality information and the change in their travel choices to reduce air pollution exposure if air pollution information is provided. MethodsTo comprehend the objectives, data was collected from commuters in Delhi using face-to-face questionnaire surveys through an open-source data collection platform. ResultsThe study findings show that only half of the respondents are aware of the air quality index but do not understand it. Commuters’ preference for air pollution exposure in their decision-making for travel is the least, and the lack of any information intervention is the main reason for it. With the availability of information, commuters prefer close transport modes (car, bus, and metro) during severe air quality levels. ConclusionThis finding shows the importance of real-time information in commuters’ decision-making, and due to the unavailability of any information concerning air pollution exposure, commuters cannot make any decisions that can reduce their exposure during travel.