Public Preferences of Using Public Transport During the Covid-19 Pandemic and the Implementation of Level 3 Community Activity Restrictions Policy in Padang City

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant influence on the usage of public transport, in this case, a decrease in the use of public transport services. The decreased use of public transport was because the government created a new social system called social distance, followed by the Enforcement of Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM). This study aims to perform utility and probability modelling and determine the most significant factor in influencing the preferences of the community in using public transport during the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of the PPKM level 3 policy in Padang City. Primary data was collected using online and offline questionnaires. The questionnaire used the expressed preference technique on eight alternatives with three attributes and two levels. The attributes include the difference in travel time, the cost of travel, and health protocols. The best model was Y(AUK-AUO) = 0.656 + (- 0.038) X1 + (- 0.056) X2 + 0.644 X3 with R-Square = 0.174 referring to all characteristics as a whole influence 17.4% of Y. According to the sensitivity test results, the travel cost difference is the most influencing variable in people’s decisions to use traditional public transportation during the covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of the PPKM level 3 policy.