Evaluating the Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Transportation Policy Making: A Global Meta-Analysis of City Experiences Approach

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to public transportation systems worldwide, resulting in a substantial decrease in demand. In light of this, it is crucial to develop policies that mitigate potential risks and prioritize the health and safety of passengers. While the scientific and collective understanding of the interplay between these two spheres is steadily growing, the absence of a comprehensive review focusing on sound policymaking is deemed significant. This present research aims to quantitatively synthesize and consolidate existing studies in the field to determine the effectiveness of various policies by examining overlapping sources and combining findings. The meta-analysis method was employed to fulfill the research objective, with both Persian and English scientific research articles constituting the statistical population. The search process involved manual selection and utilized relevant keywords such as "public transportation" and "COVID-19." Ultimately, a total of 50 scientific research articles (in Persian and English) were included as the final statistical population. For the execution of the meta-analysis, data were inputted into the Stata software, enabling the creation of a forest diagram (also known as an accumulation diagram). Furthermore, analytical connections between the research articles were established using the VOSviewer‎ software. The findings of the synthesis reveal a profound research gap pertaining to the understanding of resource policies in this domain.