Post COVID-19 public transport accessibility changes: Case study of Ostrava and Hradec Kralove regions

Abstract

Public transport faced various challenges during the COVID-19 period due to a large ebb in passengers during the pandemic waves, COVID-related restrictions, em-ployee sickness, and economic pressure to balance transport supply and demand. The study assesses the impact of the timetable changes on the accessibility between 2019 and 2021 in the hinterlands of two Czech cities - Hradec Kralove and Ostrava. The research question is if there are considerable changes in public transport accessibility during this period which were influenced by the pandemic. Municipal accessibility is determined by the share of inaccessible municipalities, average travel time, population weighted average travel time, and average number of transfers under conditions suitable for seniors. Optimal trips to all municipalities are established with a local OpenTripPlanner server using all public urban and regional timetables including peak and off-peak hours, workdays, and non-working days. Unlike Ostrava, the pattern of accessibility of the Hradec Kralove hinterland is influenced by the railway networks and bus transport corridors. Mean accessibility in 2021 slightly improved in the Hradec Kralove region and slightly worsened in the Os-trava region. Some municipalities, however, showed grave decline. The most sensitive in-dicator is the share of inaccessible municipalities adapted for seniors' needs. The study confirms the importance of choosing a time of departure/arrival for the results of accessi-bility assessment. The most significant differences in the accessibility of municipalities are visible only for one of the selected departure times. Only a few municipalities show differences for both departure times, indicating variable effects on accessibility depending on the time of day-situation. The results did not confirm the anticipated general deterioration of public transport accessibility in the hinterlands of regional capitals during the pandemic period.