The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on transport and human mobility. Almost overnight, both the systems of transport and our assumptions of modern mobility – of its availability, and accessibility – vanished. Cities, states, and countries went into quarantine lockdowns to slow the transmission of the virus. Months later, much of the world is exiting the most stringent lockdowns and entering into a “new normal”. The pandemic’s effects have hammered the transport sector and the economy built around it, but it also created new opportunities. Streets were reclaimed by pedestrians and nonmotorized transport users, and urban dwellers experienced unprecedented clean air and clear skies in the absence of motor vehicle pollution. Very briefly, a new way of living in the city emerged.

The Asia-Pacific Transport Forum provided an opportunity for representatives of the Asian transport expert community to develop a greater understanding on key transport issues in the new normal, including but not limited to changes in urban transport, the cross-sectoral impact of limited transport, building resilience to future crises in transport, and environmental aspects to transport. It also allowed those working on real-world sustainable transport solutions such as policymakers, thought leaders, and practitioners working in the transport sector to discuss their experiences during the pandemic and their views on the future to come. Sessions during the Forum encouraged discussions between ADB and its developing member countries and partners on the challenges and opportunities facing the transport sector as it seeks to rebuild after a major pandemic.