Background: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented mobility disruptions worldwide
as governments imposed strict lockdowns to contain the spread of the virus. In
India, prolonged restrictions severely affected economic activity, particularly for migrant
workers, leading to a large-scale and unplanned exodus from urban employment centres to
native places. This sudden population movement undermined containment efforts and
contributed to the spatial diffusion of infections. Understanding evacuees’ behavioural
responses during such crises is therefore critical for effective emergency logistics and
evacuation planning. Methods: This study examines the determinants of transport mode
and shelter choice decisions made by migrants during the COVID-19-induced evacuation
in India. Using primary survey data, a multinomial logistic regression model is developed
to analyze how socio-economic characteristics influence evacuees’ choices of travel
mode and shelter type. Results: The results reveal significant heterogeneity in decisionmaking,
highlighting the role of economic vulnerability and accessibility constraints in
shaping evacuation behaviour. Conclusions: The findings offer actionable insights for policymakers
and emergency planners to design inclusive evacuation strategies, improve
crisis-responsive transportation planning, and enhance shelter provisioning in future pandemics
or large-scale disruptions. The study contributes to the logistics and humanitarian
operations literature by providing empirical evidence on evacuation behaviour under
public health emergencies.