![]() The relative risk for bus and tram drivers reduced in the second wave of infections in Norway, but taxi drivers, transport conductors and bus and tram drivers were still among the occupations with highest risks. In a study carried out in Norway, after nurses, physicians and dentists, bus and tram drivers were found to have the next highest risk of COVID-19 during the first wave of infection ( Magnusson et al., 2020). Drivers and transport workers included car, taxi and van drivers, locomotive engine drivers and related workers and bus/tram drivers car, taxi and van drivers had the highest rates of COVID-19 within these subgroups. Drivers and transport workers were included in the five occupational groups with the highest number of cases. One early observational study utilised governmental investigation reports in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam ( Lan et al., 2020). The risk of viral transmission on public transport was initially highlighted by studies investigating risk of infection by occupation. (2020) found that while SARS-CoV-2 remained viable for prolonged periods under laboratory conditions, no surface and air samples taken from COVID-19 isolation units and a quarantine hotel contained cultivatable viral material. Fragments of the virus have been detected in community settings for up to seven days, but as these studies do not distinguish between live virus, dead virus and viral fragments, it is unknown if the virus detected remained infectious ( Onakpoya et al., 2021 National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, 2021), and conclusions about the infectiousness of such samples cannot yet be drawn ( Heneghan et al., 2021). However, there is doubt that these rates of survival would be seen in real-world settings ( Goldman, 2020). For example, under laboratory conditions and with a high concentration of viral material, SARS-CoV-2 can survive for over 3 h in the air, on copper surfaces for up to 4 h, on cardboard for up to 24 h, and on plastic and stainless steel for up to 72 h ( van Doremalen et al., 2020). ![]() It is known that the virus can survive outside a host for variable durations depending on the type of surface and environmental conditions. Via airborne transmission through aerosols containing virus emitted from an infected person and which can remain persistently airborne ( Morawska and Cao, 2020). The virus is known to be transmitted from person to person through three routes: Understanding the modes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and their relative importance, is crucial for the development and implementation of control measures to reduce the risk of viral transmission. This review aims to present evidence available during the early stage of the pandemic focussed on transmission risk, and the effectiveness of control measures designed to reduce risk to individuals using, or working in, public transport. ![]() However, even to date, there is relatively little real world evidence about the risk of transmission and the effectiveness of measures aimed at reducing this. Passenger numbers are now increasing as countries reduce restrictions, underlining the importance of understanding the risks in order to operate safely whilst numbers of COVID-19 cases remain high. ![]() In the UK, the public was advised initially to avoid public transport unless travel was essential, whereas more recently, advice has been to adhere to guidance aimed at reducing risk of transmission. Globally, public transport was quickly identified as a potential high risk environment for SARS-CoV-2 transmission due to (a) confinement of passengers in a limited space with limited ventilation, (b) inability to identify potentially infected individuals, and (c) the presence of multiple potentially contaminated surfaces ( Union Internationale des Transports Publics, 2020). This paper presents a rapid review of research studies of COVID-19 and transmission associated with ground public transport. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious respiratory disease, caused specifically by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ( Gorbalenya et al., 2020).
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