Early in the pandemic, traffic was down roughly 50% nationally, with New York City experiencing one of the largest drops of passenger travel, down 63%. By mid-June, traffic had rebounded to 90% of its pre-pandemic levels. Today, many cities are reporting even higher traffic volume than 2019. There are a few factors contributing to this trend that suggests there will be many more cars on the road in the coming months, expanding the audience and reach of A Lot Media:
- 93% of Americans say they are now using personal vehicles more in 2020.
- Google search interest for “is it a good time to buy a car?” grew more than 900% in the last few months.
- Employers are subsidizing employee parking to discourage the use of public transportation and ride-sharing services during the pandemic.
- While many people are already comfortable travelling again, another 30% say they will be comfortable travelling in the next three months, and an additional 32% say they will be comfortable travelling in the next six months.
- In New York City, vehicle traffic levels rebounded much faster than public transportation options, which may still be a ways off from recovering.