When the corona pandemic hit Denmark in early spring 2020, this meant more room on trains and buses. Many passengers opted out of public transport as they were concerned about becoming infected, and a year and a half later many have not returned. According to The Passenger Pulse, a part of The Danish Consumer Council, 10-20 percent of passengers are actually expected never to return. However, this is problematic in relation to the necessary green transition of the transport sector because although electric cars can solve some problems with CO2 emissions, they do not solve the problem of congested roads and thus the need to expand the infrastructure in Denmark. In a current research project, ¡°Travelling Together¡±, Associate Professor Laura Bang Lindegaard from the Department of Culture and Learning together with Postdoc Tobias Boelt Back, also from the Department of Culture and Learning, therefore examine what kind of role the communication from transport companies plays when it comes to getting more Danes to choose public transport.

- There are no figures showing that people are significantly more likely to be infected with corona in public transport. In fact, the English Rail Safety and Standards Board published a report showing that even during the first wave of the pandemic, the risk of being infected was less than 0.01 percent on an average train journey ¨C and that figure actually applies to the UK, which had far more infected people than Denmark, says Laura Bang Lindegaard.

Passengers as green heroes

Nevertheless, during the corona pandemic, Danes have started to talk differently about public transport, and there is a risk that it may affect Danish passengers¡¯ desire to choose this means of transport ¨C also on the other side of the corona pandemic.

- Public transport is now being referred to as something dirty, and we are raising an entire generation to think this way, because many have stopped taking the bus with their children during corona to avoid being exposed to the risk of infection. However, this also means that we are creating a bigger gap between Danes. Some Danes have no alternative to public transport. They simply have to take a bus or train, and some of them will also have to bring their children along. Therefore, if we are to get more people to choose public transport and support the sustainable transition of the transport sector, we need to change the way we talk about public transport. All transport companies have started branding themselves by focussing on the fact that public transport is the sustainable choice. However, in their communication they should also clarify that the people who use public transport are actually green heroes, stresses Laura Bang Lindegaard.

Distance and hand sanitiser create a sense of security

The current research project will run for three years and has been granted DKK 2.8 million by The Danish Free Research Fund. During the project period, the researchers will collect data on the train line between Hj?rring and Aalborg, in regional buses in the region, at focus group interviews and, also, 600 people have responded to a questionnaire.

- We can see that mobility in communication works well. For example, while there were specific distance restrictions, Nordjyske Jernbaner successfully placed stickers on every other seat on their trains indicating where you should sit during your train ride. The travellers were pleased with the initiative because, then, it was not solely their individual responsibility to interpret the directions and reprove fellow passengers who positioned themselves too close. The transport company thus assumed co-responsibility for the daily risk for passengers.?It created a sense of security. According to our respondents, this would also be the case if hand sanitiser was available on trains and buses. It may well be that there is no evidence that it will make any difference in relation to the risk of infection, but the signal value would be very positive, says Laura Bang Lindegaard.??

Less confidence in fellow passengers

However, there are also challenges that are currently more difficult to tackle, such as packed buses and trains during rush hour. They make it difficult for passengers to keep their distance, which the health authorities continue to recommend that Danes do. But it was different when society was subject to corona restrictions as trains and buses then were only allowed to carry half as many passengers as normal and, on DSB trains, seat reservations were a requirement.

- Thus, it has become the responsibility of the passengers themselves to keep their distance, and this may increase the sense of insecurity in terms of using public transport. Because during corona something has also happened in relation to trust. We¡¯ve become more alert in public transport and become nervous when someone sneezes. It¡¯s different at work; here we have confidence in our colleagues and trust that they do not show up for work when they are sick and that they comply with all recommendations. We don¡¯t feel that way about strangers. If we are to change the trend so that more people choose public transport instead of investing in a second car, it requires adjustments that we as private individuals cannot be held responsible for. At DSB, for example, first class is set up so that there is more space between the seats, the compartment is smaller which means that fewer passengers share the same air, no standing passengers are allowed regardless of how packed the rest of the train is, and hand sanitising wipes are available. It is unlikely that we will all be travelling first class in the future, yet one may be inspired in terms of future layout of train compartments, for example, in relation to the fact that passengers do not face each other across a table like they do today, Laura Bang Lindegaard suggests.

Contact?Laura Bang Lindegaard