We are looking at how remote working altered commuting and business travel patterns during the pandemic and whether these changes are likely to continue.
Commuting and business travel
This project is assessing the potential short and longer term energy demand implications from changes in work location and mode use for commuting and business trips as a result of Covid and how these can be steered to align with carbon reduction targets.
It continues the research started within our Covid-19 Transport, Travel and Social Adaptation Study looking specifically at commuting and work practices.
What we are asking
- How have actual and desired levels of remote working altered commuting and business travel patterns during the pandemic and to what degree are these changes likely to continue?
- How are the changes in working practices impacting other household energy demands including car ownership, utilisation of cars across household members, energy demanding activities in and outside the home, house alterations and household relocation?
- What factors are associated with the changes to commuting and business travel patterns? (e.g. pre-Covid travel habits, household characteristics (including wealth/poverty indicators), home location, work location and employment sector).
- How are employers enabling or hindering remote working and what are the associated reconfigurations in working practices, office spaces and locations?
- Given the observed changes to activity patterns, how are the transport network operators, commercial property developers and other decision makers responding?
- What are the net energy demand and carbon implications of these changes?
- What are the factors, including policy mechanisms, which enable and constrain the achievement of net reductions in energy demand from changed working practices and the mechanisms that might steer these trends in the right direction?
- What are the energy demand scenarios related to the above changes to activity patterns and potential employer approaches and policy mechanisms?
Banner photo credit: Chris Montgomery on Unsplash