Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public bus occupancy and real-world tailpipe emissions of gaseous pollutants per passenger kilometer traveled

ABSTRACT: Public buses typically have less emission per passenger kilometer traveled (PKT) than private cars and motorcycles, and the emission benefit of public buses increases with ridership. However, the drop in public bus usage during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic could lead to an increase in air pollutant emissions per PKT, making the emission benefits of public buses questionable. This study investigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public bus occupancy rates in Taichung City, Taiwan, and also compared real-world emissions per PKT of carbon monoxide (CO), total hydrocarbons (THC), nitric oxide (NO), and carbon dioxide (CO2) of a public bus before and during the pandemic. Mean bus occupancy rates were 11–25% on different bus routes before the pandemic, indicating that only

SUBMITTER: Dhital N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9361239 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature