Giving Compass' Take:

• Researchers are launching a study to understand the effects of the pandemic on shared bike, shared scooter and transit systems in Nashville and Portland, OR.

• The study will look at rider behavior as cities move into recovery. What are the most significant barriers for those who rely on public transportation systems? 

• Read about the U.S. cities that are most vulnerable to COVID-19. 

Researchers from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT) and Portland State University (PSU) are launching a study to explore the impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on shared bike, shared scooter and transit systems in Nashville, TN and Portland, OR.

The study will survey several thousand people for about six months, to gather information on rider behaviors amid COVID-19, and rider preferences as cities move into recovery. Data from the semi-regular surveys will be fed into a live dashboard available for the researchers and their partners to analyze as the study takes place, Chris Cherry, researcher and engineering professor at UT, told Smart Cities Dive.

The pandemic has turned transportation and mobility on its head as riders avoid public spaces and operators struggle to stay afloat. Cherry said the purpose of this study is two-fold: to better understand how systems respond to and work through economic and health shocks, and to better understand how micromobility and transit offerings can complement each other, particularly amid a future crisis.

The initial survey hasn't been released yet, though Cherry said they hope to launch it soon to "capture people in the peak of lockdown." While Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee begins to reopen the state, Nashville Mayor John Cooper extended his city's stay-at-home orders through May 8, which may give the researchers some time to capture pre-recovery data. Over in Oregon, some cities and counties could reopen as soon as May 15, but Portland likely won't be among the first to see restrictions lifted.

Until more data is released from studies like this one through the recovery period, it's hard to predict what will happen to micromobility or transit post-coronavirus.

MacArthur said he has noticed a "dramatic" increase in the costs of scooter rides over the last year, which he believes is having an impact on riders currently and will play a significant role in ridership amid recovery.

Read the full article about how COVID-19 impacts public transportation by Kristin Musulin at Smart Cities Dive.