Public Transport Usage Declines in Past Month; More Staying at Home: Google Report

Google has been gathering insights from the location data of smartphones to give a better understanding of movement trends during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the report released last Thursday (Oct 7), there is a decrease in the number of people taking public transport and an increase in the number of people staying at home.

9.4% Decrease in Public Transport Usage

Public transport movement trend. (Source: Google Community Mobility Report – Oct 7, 2021)

According to the community mobility report, it is evident that there is a decrease in the movement trend of people utilising public transportation facilities.

Based on a 28-day comparison, there is a 9.43 percent decrease – relative to the baseline, from −24.43 points on Sep 7, 2021 to −33.86 points on Oct 5, 2021.

Compared to the baseline of this category, Google reported a 33 percent decrease in the movement trend.

4.1% Decrease in People Spending Time at Workplaces

Places of Work movement trend. (Source: Google Community Mobility Report – Oct 7, 2021)

Secondly, it is also evident that there is a decrease in the movement trend of people going to workplaces daily.

Based on a 28-day comparison, there is a 4.14 percent decrease – relative to the baseline, from −14.00 points on Sep 7, 2021 to −18.14 points on Oct 5, 2021.

Compared to the baseline of this category, Google reported a 28 percent decrease in the movement trend.

4.8% Increase in People Spending Time at Home

Places of Residence movement trend. (Source: Google Community Mobility Report – Oct 7, 2021)

Lastly, it is also evident that there is an increase in the movement trend of people staying at home daily.

Based on a 28-day comparison, there is a 4.85 percent increase – relative to the baseline, from +14.86 points on Sep 7, 2021 to +19.71 points on Oct 5, 2021.

Compared to the baseline of this category, Google reported a 22 percent increase in the movement trend.

What is the Google Community Mobility Report?

Screengrab of the header on Google’s Community Mobility Report microsite.

Google stated on their microsite that the Community Mobility Reports aim to provide insights into the trends in response to policies aimed at combating the pandemic.

The report charts movement trends over time, across various categories such as retail & recreation, groceries & pharmacies, parks, workplaces, residential and public transit stations.

“A baseline day represents a normal value for that day of the week. The baseline day is the median value from the 5‑week period Jan 3 – Feb 6, 2020,” stated Google.

Reports created using “aggregated, anonymised sets of data”

Google also emphasised that “no personally identifiable information, such as an individual’s location, contacts or movement, will be made available at any point.”

They added that insights in the report are created with “aggregated, anonymised sets of data from users who have turned on the Location History setting, which is off by default.”

Check Out More Related Posts

TraceTogether Checking Pods Now Available at Selected MRT Stations

Ang Mo Kio MRT Station Was Not Closed – SMRT Debunks Fake Message Being Circulated

14 Day Closure of Changi Airport – MRT Station Remains Open, Access to Airport Is Restricted

Related Links
COVID-19 Measures on our Train Network – SGTrains
First and Last Train Timings – SGTrains

External Links
COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports – Google [Accessed 13 Oct 2021]
COVID-19: Google Mobility Trends – Our World in Data [Accessed 13 Oct 2021]
Google location data reveals mobility patterns in Singapore – The Straits Times [Accessed 13 Oct 2021]