People are going hungry. Businesses are closing; jobs are being cut. The number of coronavirus cases continues to rise. A multipronged approach is needed to address our health and economic crises. It should include two key elements: (a) stable and sufficient public transport that complies with hygiene standards; and (b) promoting cycling as a safe and efficient way of travel for those unable to access public transport.
If people need to get to work but public transport is inadequate, there will be crowding inside vehicles and at stops and terminals. To reduce the risk of spreading the virus, more and predictable public transport vehicles are needed. This means using service contracting (paying drivers and operators to offer services) as the method to increase public transport capacity, because fare revenue alone will not be able to cover all operating and capital costs at this time.