An evaluation of part-day telecommute impacts on work trip departure times

Abstract

The primary objective of this research is to investigate the impacts of part-day telecommute arrangements on commute departure time. Part-day telecommuting occurs when the worker telecommutes while also travels to the workplace. In this case, telecommuting does not replace commute, but the workers may alter their commute departure times in order to avoid peak hour congestions. This paper intends to add empirical evidence on whether and to what extent telecommuting may lead to the temporal displacement of commute, and the actual outcomes on the network. With an interest on the departure time for commute trips, three different hazard models are developed, respectively for full-day commuters (no telecommuting episode), regular telecommuters (who telecommute on a regular basis), and non-regular telecommuters (who telecommute occasionally). Different socio-economic, demographic, and job-related attributes are used as independent variables in the model. Data were obtained from the 2010–2011 Regional Household travel Survey (RHTS) conducted in the New York Metropolitan region. This study adds to the literature by shedding light on the impacts of telecommuting on peak hour congestion relief and the underlying factors.