Understanding post-pandemic metro commuting ridership by considering the built environment: A quasi-natural experiment in Wuhan, China

•COVID-19 has caused a significant drop in metro commuting ridership in the short term.•Metro commuting ridership rebounded rapidly as the pandemic subsided and returned to pre-pandemic levels within six months.•There is significant spatial heterogeneity in the ridership during the rebound.•The built environment has a significant impact on the recovery of metro commuting ridership.•Interruption Time Series analysis revealed spatial and temporal impact of the pandemic on metro's ridership.