The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic made a perceptible impact on daily travel behaviour worldwide, especially through mode shifts and changes in trip frequencies with possible long-term repercussions. Non-therapeutic interventions adopted worldwide (e.g. lockdowns and travel restrictions) to reduce viral contagion need to be understood holistically because it is challenging for people to follow through these policies and stay home in developing nations. In this context, it is important to have a clear idea of how COVID-19 is shaping the mobility pattern and what policies must be taken (if not yet) to minimize viral transmission as well as develop a sustainable transportation system. To this end, this study presents a systematically analysed review of 56 international literatures from academic sources (Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science) on the impacts of COVID-19 on travel behaviour and focuses on policymaking measures. This article illustrates the modal shift, variation in frequencies of different trips and how sociodemographic characteristics have influenced the mobility pattern in response to COVID-19. Innate changes in travel patterns compared to the pre-COVID-19 era were observed. A noticeable apprehension on viral transmission in public transit has reduced public transit usage while increasing that of private vehicles. This poses challenges to develop sustainable transportation. This study concludes by discussing intervention measures to support transportation planners and policymakers to deal with the current pandemic as well as any future pandemics.

The Dhaka Metro Rail (DMR) has been constructed as part of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority’s 20-year Strategic Transport Plan to reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The DMR is the first urban rail transit system in Bangladesh and has the potential to change the existing modal share. Commuters have mixed responses about the daily commuting on the DMR and mode choice behavior. This study analyses the commuters’ perception of a modal shift towards the DMR by applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The structural equation model (SEM) used environmental concern and socio-demographic factors as additional explanatory variables to improve the explanatory capability of the TPB. A questionnaire survey was administrated using an online survey and validated via an in-person interview to collect the commuters’ responses. The results reveal that environmental concern is the most significant contributor to commuters’ perceptions of a modal shift towards the DMR in Dhaka City, followed by the attitude and perceived behavioral control of the respondents. The findings offer valuable insights for the DMR and other mass rapid transit service operators for policy-making in Dhaka and other cities with similar socio-economic demographics in the world.