The travel-related impacts of telecommuting: An active learning-based systematic review

Abstract

This study provides a systematic review of the literature on the travel-related impacts of telecommuting. We searched for empirical studies that discuss telecommuting’s impacts on transport-related topics using the Web of Science, Transport Research International Documentation, Scopus, and ProQuest. Fifty-eight out of 1,609 studies were selected for full-text review based on an active learning approach. Four domains of travel-related impacts were identified: travel demand, location choice, emissions and energy consumption, and mode choice. Though the literature gives mixed conclusions on a variety of topics, causal analysis and meta-analysis indicates that telecommuting has a complementary effect on travel demand and promotes urban sprawl. Further exploration of the interaction between telecommuting and COVID-19 calls for attention to collect long-term travel data for future research as the pandemic fully recedes and travel behavior gradually stabilizes into a new normal. Policymakers should be aware of the possible changes in travel behavior and location choice in the post-pandemic era and implement timely incentive programs or regulatory measures to respond to such changes and promote sustainability.