An empirical analysis of freight mode choice factors amid the COVID-19 outbreak

Purpose The COVID-19 has affected the whole world and forced countries to impose lockdowns and restrict travel and transportation. This was followed by different countries formulating different policies, and when transportation resumed, there were some restrictions. Such strategies forced transporters to rethink mode choice decision making for freight transportation. The purpose of this study is to identify and rank the factors affecting freight transport mode choice decisions considering the spread of COVID-19 outbreak. Design/methodology/approach Initially, the factors affecting the mode choice decisions for freight transportation amid the COVID-19 outbreak have been extracted from a literature survey and group discussion with experts. Further, this paper employs the integration of grey-Decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) with fuzzy Best Worst Method to analyze the identified factors and their sub-factors. The model's robustness and feasibility were then tested using sensitivity analysis. Findings The findings of the study showed that Disaster Characteristics and Operations Factors are the most and least influential factors, respectively. Panic, Travel restrictions, Border restrictions, Severity, and Mortality rate are the top five ranked sub-factors. Panic, Compliance to Social distancing, and Passenger and Freight integration are among the new sub-factors proposed. In the current circumstances, these sub-factors are crucial and relevant. In addition, various recommendations are offered to improve transportation services while guaranteeing safety, such as promoting passenger and freight integration, lowering the panic level, developing dynamic rules based on region characteristics, and so on. The study's findings will help practitioners and politicians reformulate the existing transportation infrastructure in the event of disease outbreaks. Research limitations/implications The demographic context of experts, is one of the study's limitations. Only experts from the Indian subcontinent were considered in this study. In addition, future study work can be based on a comparison of the outcomes from various Multi-Criteria Decision Making techniques. Originality/value The present research work differentiates itself through the analysis of mode choice factors considering the ongoing pandemic across the globe. The results emanated from the study can guide the concerned stakeholders to make better decisions.