Profiling Commuterss Travel Behavior in the Pacific States of the Continental U.S.

Abstract

We develop a more nuanced understanding of commuters’ travel mode choices by generating detailed profiles that capture the travel behavior of commuters in the Pacific states of the continental US. These profiles are created by utilizing the US Census Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) data. The microdata sample set allows for the estimation of fine-grained models that showcase how individual commuters make travel mode choices. Our results show appreciable locational variation in mode choices and statistically significant differences in commuting profile across and within population segments. A key revealing finding demonstrates that across the three states analyzed, the total number of vehicles driven for any day of the week could be reduced by up to 10 million assuming the commuting patterns observed in San Francisco applies to the rest of the states. Other policy implications are highlighted with regards to the insights provided by the study on making transportation-related infrastructure decisions.