Meanwhile in New York City, the continuing operations of the subway – even at only 10% of its usual level of passenger traffic – has cost the lives of more than one hundred Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) workers since the outbreak of the pandemic. ![]() ![]() Recently televised footage of crowded buses and trains has increased concerns about the dangers of COVID-19 transmission through the resurgence of passenger traffic on public transport.Īs the CEO of Heathrow Airport, John Holland-Kaye, admitted in a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, “social distancing just cannot work in any transportation system.” Indeed, dozens of London bus drivers fell victim to the virus due to their fatally close contact with passengers, even under the original lockdown restrictions on mobility. The leaders of three unions representing railway workers have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning that an increase in train service would put the lives of passengers and rail staff at risk. BBC reporters have mused about the possible need to deploy police officers to restrict and restrain commuters flowing back into the Underground stations of the capital. What are the challenges faced by urban transport of the densely populated metropoles of the Global South in the face of COVID-19? In this blog, Prof John Sidel, Sir Patrick Gillam Chair in International and Comparative Politics, LSE Department of Government and Associate at Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre, discusses the case of the Philippines.Īs politicians and policy wonks here in the UK have begun to discuss and debate the phased loosening of the lockdown imposed on the country on March 23rd, a chorus of questions and concerns has been voiced in response to the challenges and constraints presented by the urban transport system on ‘social distancing’, especially in London.
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