Uber’s jump bike service has been suspended in all European cities except London and Rome, with all … [+]
As countries across the world are going into lockdown, the restrictions are having a disproportionate impact on people without their own private cars.
While people who live in single-family homes can still spend time outdoors in their yards and drive to essential services without coming into contact with anyone, those without a car who live in apartments are not enjoying such luxuries. Their options for fresh air and travelling are now extremely limited. With restrictions predicted to continue for many weeks, questions are being asked about how essential mobility can be provided to people in cities.
Most countries in Europe are now in lockdown or semi-lockdown, with only Sweden, the U.K. and the Netherlands remaining as exceptions. America has seen a similar patchwork response, with some U.S. states in lockdown while others have no closures at all.
The severity of the lockdowns varies. In Italy and Spain, people cannot leave their homes at all – not even for exercise. In Belgium and Germany, people can go outside for exercise as long as they continue moving. In other words, they can run or cycle but they can’t go sit in a park. For people in Italy and Spain living in apartments with no balconies, it means the only fresh air they can get is out their windows.
All of these countries are requiring people to work from home unless they have essential jobs. Public transport is continuing to run, at greatly reduced frequency, to get those essential people to work. But governments are telling people they can only use that public transport if it’s absolutely necessary, and must maintain two metres of distance from other people while inside trains and buses. Inspectors are stopping people trying to board public transport and asking what their reason is. If the reason isn’t good enough, they are turned away.
As a result, passenger numbers on public transport in cities across the world have fallen dramatically, according to the Citymapper mobility index. As of Monday Barcelona’s public transport is operating at 3% of its capacity, while New York is operating at 8%. Paris is at 5%, while London is at 23%.
Unlike in America, Europeans living in cities usually do not own private cars – and most of them also don’t live within walking distance to work. They rely on public transport and other urban mobility solutions to get there.
The restrictions have left people who need to get to essential work with few transport alternatives. Taxis and Ubers are unavailable or discouraged because car-sharing is an easy way to spread the virus. Uber is operating only a skeleton service in most lockdown cities. For the moment longer-term car sharing schemes like Zipcar are continuing to operate in cities like London, but this is being reviewed on a daily basis.
Even the new mobility options which have been spreading like wildfire in cities across the world have suddenly been yanked away. Uber’s Jump electric bike service has been suspended in all European cities except London and Rome, with the bikes cleared away from the streets. Lime scooters have also been removed.
So far the shared bike, scooter and car scheme shutdowns have seemed inconsistent. In Barcelona and Madrid, where outdoor exercise is not allowed, the city bike share schemes are shut down. But in Milan and Rome, where the same restrictions are in place, the Mobike and Uber bike schemes are running.
In Brussels, the Uber bikes have been removed from the streets even though the government is encouraging cycling for outdoor exercise to help mental and physical health. The government is also encouraging transport by bike for essential workers rather than public transport. The city’s city bike scheme, Villo!, is still running, as is Paris’s Velib system. Uber bikes have been removed from a city where the government is encouraging bike rides, and remain in a city where the government has banned bike rides.
“Following the Belgian government’s request that people remain at home to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we’ve decided to temporarily suspend our activities in Brussels until further notice,” said Rick Janse Kok, Uber’s communications manager for Belgium and the Netherlands. “When the situation improves and the public health authorities scale back measures we’re planning to resume operations. We see that a significant portion of JUMP bikes in Brussels are used to commute.”
That resumption may be essential to getting people back to work once the lockdown restrictions are loosened. Allowing people to go back to work will probably be one of the first measures taken by the government. Allowing them back onto public transport, one of the easiest places for the virus to spread, will probably be one of the last. The new mobility options, including scooters, may prove essential to getting people to work without cramming them into tightly confined public transport.
In the mean time, while people remain in lockdown, cycling remains as one of the only methods of transport and exercise left for people in most of the lockdowns. There has, unsurprisingly, been increased interest in purchasing bikes. But with all non-food stores shut down for the foreseeable future, there’s no way to buy one.
One option for people living in Belgium, Germany, Denmark or the Netherlands is Swapfiets, which will deliver you a bike that you can rent for €17.50 a month. This comes with a €15 registration fee and could quickly add up to more than the cost of a buying a new bike. For people who currently have no way of purchasing a new bike, however, this could be worth it.
As the new way of life during Coronavirus stretches on for weeks and months, the usual elements that make city living appealing are going to be absent. The buzz of being constantly surrounded by other people has become dangerous to health. The danger of public transport has shattered the ease of not owning a car. And the lack of outdoor space has turned homes into stale-aired prisons.
If new solutions for mobility in cities in the time of Corona aren’t found, the experience could reverse the trend of people moving back into cities from the suburbs. And it may increase car ownership.
