By Ifeoma Asika, Correpondent Campuses
The latest study from Ericsson’s ConsumerLab, “Augmenting the daily commute”, uncovers consumer behavior both before and during the COVID-19 crisis and post-pandemic expectations. Eighty per cent of respondents say it is likely they will return to their usual commute after the crisis, even if only one in four definitely wants to go back to it.
Knowing what consumers value during their daily commute can be used to influence positive changes and adapt the commuting experience going forward – especially when it comes to requirements on technology and connectivity.
Safety and driver assistance were a few of the topics explored in the report. The study tested a total of 16 mobility concepts with consumers with fifty-eight percent of the respondents highly interested in features that send alerts when a driver is not paying attention to a danger ahead.
In-vehicle continual connectivity, which involves having a stronger and more consistent internet connection for all passengers, compared to the regular internet access available on a smartphone, is another concept highly interesting for 50 per cent of the respondents, these consumers would even like to take suggestions from their vehicles to change routes in order to avoid call drops or lags along the way.
Other highlights from the report include:
Commuting has been severely affected during the COVID-19 crisis, but 80 per cent of consumers feel it is likely they will return to their usual daily commute once restrictions are lifted. Even if only 25 per cent are eager to go back to their previous commute.
Among a total of 16 cities, Sao Paulo, Delhi, Los Angeles, London and New York ranked as the most challenged with 80 per cent of consumers saying the city transport infrastructure is crumbling under pressure.
Consumers expect commuting with personal cars to decline from 55 per cent today to 32 per cent in next 5-10 years with 13 percent wanting to own self driven vehicles but 15 per cent expecting to use autonomous robotaxis and fleets or minibuses instead
This study represents the opinions of 130 million smartphone users in 16 global cities. In addition to the consumer interviews, expert interviews were conducted with senior executives from telecom operators, mobility service providers and vehicle manufacturers between March and April 2020 to gain a perspective on industry sentiments around the future of mobility for consumers.
