Hyperdrive
Germophobes Shunning Public Transit Give Carmakers a Bit of Hope
- Covid pandemic pushes more first-time buyers toward Cars.com
- Former commuters won’t plug industry’s gap, but any sale helps
A person wearing protective gloves holds a handrail on an empty Bay Area Rapid Transit train in San Francisco, California.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
When Jason Rogers’ Buick Rendezvous blew its exhaust system and became undrivable last year, the cable-and-internet salesman and weekend songwriter decided he’d just take the bus to downtown Nashville from his home 10 miles south.
That 45-minute commute worked until the coronavirus hit U.S. cities starting in February. Then, Rogers said, he started renting cars by the week to avoid catching Covid-19 on the bus and bringing it home to his two children. With rental rates costing him $1,200 a month, the single father says he’s now looking to buy a car and stay off public transit.