Modal Shift of Taxi Online Users to Personal Vehicles during the Covid-19 Pandemic in the City of Sanandaj

Many observations around the world report changes in attitudes from public transportation to private vehicles during the Covid-19 pandemic. Online taxi demand goes through the same experience and some users may not be inclined to use it. The current paper aims to study the modal shift of taxi online users to personal vehicles during the Covid-19 pandemic in the city of Sanandaj, Iran. A binary logit model is developed for 174 valid observations based on data collected through an online survey. Results indicate that married people who had Covid-19 have a greater tendency to choose personal vehicles. Additionally, individuals working in Bazar who own vehicles and also men with a higher academic degree are more likely to shift their modes. Moreover, travel time more than 10 minutes for mandatory trips is among significant variables as it would increase the probability of infection. It is possible to apply the findings for similar critical situations for effective transportation planning that takes public health into account.