BOSTON (WHDH) - Commuters may have to deal with more traffic on the road once the pandemic ends as 15 percent of Metro Boston workers plan to switch to driving alone, a new survey found.
The City of Boston partnered with A Better City to conduct a survey of Metro Boston workers in an effort to better understand how COVID-19 has impacted commuting choices before, during and in the anticipated future beyond the current pandemic.
While about 23 percent of the more than 4,200 workers who completed the survey by early October said they were driving alone before the pandemic, 38 percent said they will do so when they return, the survey found.
Driving alone proved to be the most popular anticipated mode of transportation post-pandemic, followed by the subway at 16.4 percent and the commuter rail at 12.3 percent.
The majority of those planning to switch to driving alone indicated that their primary motivation is safety, saying that the enforcement of mask wearing, an upgrade of ventilation and airflow on vehicles, and limiting the number of passengers for social distancing would make them feel more comfortable riding public transportation.
A total of 45 percent drive-alone respondents said they would change their mode of transportation if MBTA passes were free or reduced.
Only about 20 percent of those surveyed said they want to telework full time after their workplaces fully reopen.
The survey garnered responses from employees primarily working in hospitals, higher education and business professional industries.
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