Mobility challenges for senior passengers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

In this study, we aim to clarify the differences in the factors influencing subway traffic behaviour of senior and non-senior passengers during the COVID-19 pandemic based on big data in Seoul, South Korea. A one-way analysis of variance is performed to analyse the influencing factors of subway use of senior and non-senior passengers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a multiple linear regression is conducted to identify the factors affecting senior and non-senior passengers. Finally, the traffic patterns of senior and non-senior passengers were analysed with respect to districts via geographically weighted regression. The spatial scope of this study includes Seoul, which consists of 25 districts (gu). The temporal range is from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2020, and the number of people using subway in Seoul is used as the main dataset. The results suggest that senior passengers are more affected by subway than non-senior passengers, and the most influential factors are cultural gathering facilities and the number of subway stations. The regression model showed high explanatory power for southern Seoul, which has a high concentration of facilities related to the influencing factors.