Since the outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) the risk of being infected with the virus on public transport has been high.
During the coronavirus pandemic the risk of contact with an unspecified number of people is inevitable while commuting to and from work.
It is vital to take protective measures to ensure the safety of commuters.
Commuters can lower their chances of catching or spreading the virus by wearing face masks (or plastic visors), avoiding rush hours and noisy environments if they can, and following physical distancing guidance in stations and onboard.
It is imporant to avoid 3Cs (closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings).
Cycling, walking or riding a scooter to get to work is the best option for people as there is more space to keep their distance from others.
Some of the problems commuters face are long commute time (long hours of commute/ long commutes), heavy rush-hour traffic, traffic congestion.
Encouraging more flexible working hours (shift schedules) is an obvious way to reduce the demand on the infrastructure and the burden on the peak services. It would suit some people to work 7am-3pm and others to work 10am-7pm. More flexible working hours would be a real solution.
One of the workable solutions to ease overcrowding is to encourage working from home (to have regular work-from-home days/ eliminate daily commuting)
The distance between home and work can be long and stressful.
Real (effective/ optimal/ good) solutions to manage (handle) a long commute (to ease the strain of commuting/ to survive a lengthy commute) may include the following:
- creating a relaxing environment (e.g. listening to your favorite music to suit your mood, or an engaging podcast or audiobook);
- leaving home and getting on the road earlier than usual;
- maximising your commute time (e.g. practising and learning new skills)