The mobility industry has experienced huge disruptions due to the pandemic, impacting development trends in mobility and transportation. A recent report by YouGov highlights what companies can do in order to address evolving customer needs and behaviours.
YouGov’s ‘International Automotive Report 2021’ is a 17-market study that examines the demographics, behaviours, and preferences of automotive consumers and how digital transformation has changed traditional car ownership and buying behaviours.
The report reveals that driving behaviour has been drastically impacted as a result of the pandemic. Still, a majority of people who buy and drive their own vehicle expect no change in the need for a personal vehicle (59 pc). A third (32 pc) stated a lesser or no need for a personal vehicle, while 18 pc expect a slight or significantly more need for it.
Asked about their plans post-pandemic, personal vehicle was the only mode that had as many respondents saying they are likely to use it “more than before” the pandemic as the ones who said they will use it “less than before” (21 pc each).
For all other modes of transport, like public transport, taxi/cab, ride hailing apps and shared cab services, a higher number of respondents said they will use each of these modes less than more in the future.
Whether it is for convenience, safety or otherwise, people prefer a personal vehicle over other options.
At a global level, India was one of the top markets showing a net increase in intent to use a personal vehicle. One-third (33 pc) of Indian respondents said they will use their personal vehicle more in the coming year than they did in pre-pandemic times, compared to only 25 pc of respondents saying they will use it less.
This behavioural change will have an impact on companies across the transportation landscape competing for this audience’s transportation expenditures, said the report.
When it comes to the use of public transportation in the next 12 months, intent is one of the lowest among urban Indians across the globe with nearly half (49 pc) saying they will use public transport less in the future.
The same is true about their future usage of ride hailing services (35 pc less vs 13 pc more). This highlights the need for work to be done to restore confidence among urban Indians in public transport and ride hailing as safe and clean transportation modes.
