The travel behavior of home-based teleworkers.

The last decade of the 20th century witnessed the rapid development of new information technologies. The emergence of the Internet, the growth of the mobile communications technologies, and the diffusion of computers not only changed the way we live and work, but also provided new dimensions for travel demand decisions such as teleworking and other tele-services. Based on the empirical data source from the 1995 NPTS, this study examines the transportation effects of teleworking through a comparative analysis of travel behavior between home-based teleworkers and non-teleworkers. Both daily and annual aggregate travel patterns are investigated at the individual worker and household levels. The research findings indicate that home-based teleworkers have significant higher annual VMT and longer commuting distances than non-teleworkers. The frequency of teleworking is even positively correlated with annual VMT. Teleworkers' daily travel on a teleworking day is not reduced relative to days in which they commute to work as might be expected, although they have the maximum freedom to select their trip starting time. Overall, teleworkers still could contribute to peak-hour traffic reduction when their adoption level and teleworking frequency increase. This study is one of the first to systematically evaluate the transportation impacts of new information technologies at the national level. Its empirical findings challenge the fundamental assumption of travel savings by teleworkers, and provide important basis for policy-driven changes in transportation planning, such as considering the specific transport requirements of teleworkers and pursuing the socially desirable transport consequences of teleworking. A comprehensive planning approach, namely incorporating transportation, telecommunication, and community development policies, is recommended aiming at increasing individual and societal benefits of expanded IT applications in our daily lives.PhDSocial SciencesTransportationUrban planningUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/129622/2/3042085.pd