Spatio-temporal heterogeneity of metro ridership under major epidemic conditions

PMCID: PMC12173233

PMID: 40526727

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0326114

Journal: PloS one

Publication Date: 2025-6-17

Authors: Shi B, Yu L, Yang Q, Zhang N, Yang N

Key Points

• COVID-19 caused substantial disruptions in metro ridership, with most land use types experiencing minimum impact in 2020
• Residential land use maintained consistent importance throughout the pandemic, peaking in 2020 during strict control policies
• City planners and transit authorities can use these insights to optimize service frequency and urban transportation strategies

Summary

This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on metro ridership in Xi'an, China, using an advanced Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model to analyze spatial and temporal changes in public transit usage across different land use types. By examining data from 2019-2023, the researchers demonstrated how the pandemic dramatically altered subway travel patterns, with significant variations in ridership across different urban land use categories.

The research revealed critical insights into metro usage during and after the pandemic. The GTWR model outperformed traditional regression approaches, showing that residential land use remained crucial during the outbreak, while other land use types (workplace, educational, medical, and park) experienced significant fluctuations. Notably, the study found that post-pandemic, workplace and educational land uses in the city center became increasingly important drivers of subway ridership, suggesting a gradual return to pre-pandemic mobility patterns.