How emerging time-use patterns explain travel behaviour: A systematic review

Abstract

Many studies have investigated how digital engagement, new ways of working, and automated vehicles (AVs), are reshaping travel behaviour. However, their findings are frequently divergent or inconclusive. This work proposes that three emerging time-use patterns (TUPs) – multitasking, flexibility and fragmentation of activities – can help to explain the divergent results. To assess this notion, we systematically investigate the mediating role of TUPs in the relationship between digital engagement/telework/AVs and four key travel outcomes (trip frequency, travel distance, mode choice, and value of travel time). Using empirical data from 2019 to 2024, we find that TUPs can be seen as a mediator in shaping travel outcomes. For instance, when digital activities or telework increase activity fragmentation, they are associated with increased trip frequency. When digital activities or telework have been shown to increase flexibility, that has resulted in lower trip frequency. We notice that a potential reason for divergent results is that different configurations of digital engagement, telework, and AVs correspond to distinct TUPs, leading to opposite travel effects. We recommend that future studies integrate TUPs into assessments of travel behaviour change to better interpret causal relationships and address inconclusive findings.