BERLIN, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Some 48 percent of Germans felt unsafe in public transportation due to COVID-19, according to a survey conducted by opinion research institute Forsa on behalf of the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV).
Demand for public transport in Germany suffered a massive slump as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, according to VZBV. Passengers' low sense of security on buses and trains played a major role in this development.
"The COVID-19 crisis is indeed a special challenge for passengers and transport companies. At the same time, it sheds light on long-known problems and deficits," said Marion Jungbluth, head of the mobility and travel team at vzbv, on Monday in a statement.
To reduce infection risks, 89 percent of Germans called for more connections and more vehicles for public transport so that the number of passengers travelling at the same time could be limited.
"In order to strengthen local public transport not only during the crisis, but also in the long term, additional, customer-oriented measures are necessary," Jungbluth said.
According to VZBV, vehicles were now perceived as too full much earlier than before the crisis and the willingness of Germans to wait for delayed transport at stations with overwhelmed capacity was decreasing even more.
According to the survey, 51 percent of the respondents were not fully agreeing with the transport companies' statement that the risk of contagion in vehicles in public transportation was low.
"Transport companies and politicians must now restore confidence in the safety of buses and trains," Jungbluth said, adding that all measures that increase health protection on public transport needed to be planned now and implemented quickly. Enditem
