The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great challenge for contemporary public transportation worldwide, resulting from an unprecedented decline in demand and revenue. In this paper, we synthesize the state-of-the-art, up to early June 2020, on key developments regarding public transportation and the COVID-19 pandemic, including the different responses adopted by governments and public transportation agencies around the world, and the research needs pertaining to critical issues that minimize contagion risk in public transportation in the so-called post-lockdown phase. While attempts at adherence to physical distancing (which challenges the very concept of mass public transportation) are looming in several countries, the latest research shows that for closed environments such as public transportation vehicles, the proper use of face masks has significantly reduced the probability of contagion. The economic and social effects of the COVID-19 outbreak in public transportation extend beyond service performance and health risks to financial viability, social equity, and sustainable mobility. There is a risk that if the public transportation sector is perceived as poorly transitioning to post-pandemic conditions, that viewing public transportation as unhealthy will gain ground and might be sustained. To this end, this paper identifies the research needs and outlines a research agenda for the public health implications of alternative strategies and scenarios, specifically measures to reduce crowding in public transportation. The paper provides an overview and an outlook for transit policy makers, planners, and researchers to map the state-of-affairs and research needs related to the impacts of the pandemic crisis on public transportation. Some research needs require urgent attention given what is ultimately at stake in several countries: restoring the ability of public transportation systems to fulfill their societal role.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 和公共交通：当前评估、前景和研究需求

由于需求和收入空前下降，COVID-19 大流行对全球当代公共交通构成了巨大挑战。在本文中，我们综合了截至 2020 年 6 月上旬关于公共交通和 COVID-19 大流行的关键发展的最新进展，包括世界各地政府和公共交通机构采取的不同应对措施，以及研究需要与在所谓的封锁后阶段将公共交通中的传染风险降至最低的关键问题有关。尽管一些国家正在尝试坚持保持身体距离（这对大众公共交通的概念提出了挑战），但最新研究表明，对于公共交通工具等封闭环境，正确使用口罩已大大降低了传染的可能性。公共交通中 COVID-19 爆发的经济和社会影响不仅限于服务绩效和健康风险，还包括财务可行性、社会公平和可持续流动性。有一种风险是，如果人们认为公共交通部门无法很好地过渡到大流行后的状况，那么将公共交通视为不健康的观点将会获得支持并可能持续下去。为此，本文确定了研究需求并概述了替代策略和情景对公共卫生的影响的研究议程，特别是减少公共交通拥挤的措施。该文件为交通政策制定者、规划者、和研究人员绘制与大流行危机对公共交通的影响相关的事态和研究需求。鉴于几个国家最终面临的风险：恢复公共交通系统履行其社会角色的能力，一些研究需求需要紧急关注。