Athens, GREECE (9 July, 2020) – Independent research by GoSafe has found that the majority of people do not currently feel safe using public transport, despite many needing to commute to work, visit relatives, or undertake important medical appointments.

The findings reveal that half the population (51%) are unlikely to use public transport until a cure or vaccine for Covid-19 is found. This rose to 67 % for people aged 45 and above.

Taking the bus is considered the most ‘unsafe’ method of travel, followed by taking the metro and hailing taxis from the road.

The pandemic continues to affect travel plans for most people, with 54% of respondents cancelling travel plans out of health fears.

Using taxis from the street, which has long been a popular option for locals, is now considered an unsafe travel method. Only 20 per cent of those surveyed would use a taxi hailed on the street at this current time, while a third said it was ‘unlikely’.  This may be because only one in ten believe that drivers follow correct safety precautions.

Alex Trimis, CEO of GoSafe, said: “It’s no surprise that the public have lost confidence in public transport at this challenging time. This is particularly true of people aged 40 and over, who express the biggest concern around travel safety – and rightly so.

“We launched GoSafe to give customers peace of mind and restore trust in using a taxi service. All drivers are enrolled in safety training, we fully disinfect vehicles, have separation barriers and masks and gloves in place. This helps to minimise the risk of spreading the virus. We understand that life has to continue, so we’ve implemented these measures to support and reassure customers and drivers.”

The ‘anxiety’ age gap

The results reveal differences in attitude to travel, depending on age. For instance, 41 per cent of those aged 54 and over refuse to use public transport until the pandemic is over, compared to just three per cent of those aged 18-24.

The gender divide

Men, who have globally fared worse than women* in the Covid-19 crisis, tend to be more trusting of taxi drivers. Over 64 per cent said they would trust a taxi driver to follow safety precautions, compared to just 36% of women.

Men would also be more willing than women to pay extra charges for safety measures in taxis.

Willing to pay for peace of mind

Peace of mind ranks highly for most travellers, with the majority of the public (62 per cent) willing to pay a small fee to travel in a taxi that has safety measures in place. These include: regular vehicle disinfection, separators between passenger and driver and drivers monitoring their temperature.

With this in mind, GoSafe has introduced all these features, along with driver training, gloves, masks, and strict sanitisation to its small pool of trusted drivers. Customers can benefit from the added level of comfort and security for an additional €1.99 per journey**.

At a time when Covid concerns are high and there’s much uncertainty, responsible companies are finding resourceful ways to ensure the wellbeing of staff and customers.

To learn more about GoSafe, or to book a secure taxi, please visit gosafe.co or book directly on 211-199-1318

*Source: The Guardian

** no extra fees applied until 31st July

Notes to Editors:

• The independent survey was undertaken by Pollfish, interviewing 630 respondents in Greece.
• GoSafe was launched in May 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It offers a premium taxi service with safety in mind. Its small fleet of drivers undertakes training on safety protocol and measures, to ensure the highest welfare for passengers. This includes drivers wearing protective gloves and masks, a separation barrier in place, driver temperature taking, and fully disinfected vehicles.
•  GoSafe is a subsidiary of Welcome – one of the leading transport service providers in Greece, offering bespoke tours and add-on tailor-made experiences by locals.

For press enquiries, please contact:

Lyam Abel-Smith: lsmith@welcomepickups.com