A taste of the commute-free life: Post Covid-19 remote work expectations, travel time and commute modes

IF 6.2 2区工程技术 Q1 ECONOMICS

Transport Policy Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-11 DOI:10.1016/j.tranpol.2026.104012

Ugo Lachapelle , Richard Shearmur , Priscilla Ananian

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The pandemic-induced experience of remote work for many office workers is changing the relationship to the workplace. Several factors can create push and pull forces on remote work expectations: return-to-work mandates, home-office feasibility and habits. Daily commuting also constitutes a friction associated with workplace presence, and work from home (WFH) desirability.

We assess the relationship between mode-specific commute duration and expectation to WFH more post-pandemic. We hypothesize that workers with longer commute before Covid-19 that were able to reduce their travel during the pandemic through WFH are more likely to expect to WFH more than they did before Covid-19 once the pandemic has receded. This may vary depending on commuting mode.

In the summer of 2020, we conducted a phone survey of Montréal (Canada) workers to understand the impact of Covid-19 on work organization and work locations (n = 1126). The survey included recall measures of WFH, commuting mode and commute time in February 2020, before initial lock-downs. It also included a qualitative expectation of WFH post Covid-19. The relationship between mode-specific commute duration and expectation to WFH more post-pandemic is assessed using a multinomial logit model. Ability to telework, having experienced telework, enjoyment of WFH and socio-demographic characteristics are key control variables. New adoption of WFH during the pandemic provided a quasi-experimental setting to study the impact of mode-specific commute times on WFH expectations.

For auto and transit users, higher pre-pandemic travel time was associated with expecting to WFH more than pre-Covid-19. Improving commuting conditions for transit commuters may support a return to pre-pandemic mode shares for those returning to the office. Active transport commute time was not associated with expecting to WFH more, likely (especially for walkers) because of the expected enjoyment derived from active transport.

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体验无通勤生活：新冠肺炎疫情后的远程工作预期、出行时间和通勤模式

对许多办公室职员来说，疫情引发的远程工作经历正在改变他们与工作场所的关系。有几个因素会影响人们对远程工作的期望：重返工作岗位的要求、在家办公的可行性和习惯。日常通勤也构成了与工作场所的存在和在家工作（WFH）的愿望相关的摩擦。我们评估了特定模式的通勤时间与大流行后对WFH的预期之间的关系。我们假设，在Covid-19之前通勤时间较长的工人，在大流行期间能够通过WFH减少旅行，一旦大流行消退，他们更有可能期望比Covid-19之前更多的WFH。这可能因通勤方式而异。2020年夏天，我们对montrsamal （Canada）员工进行了电话调查，以了解Covid-19对工作组织和工作地点的影响（n = 1126）。该调查包括在最初的封锁之前，2020年2月对上下班时间、通勤方式和通勤时间的召回措施。它还包括对Covid-19后WFH的定性预期。使用多项logit模型评估特定模式通勤时间与大流行后WFH增加预期之间的关系。远程办公能力、有远程办公经历、享受工作时间和社会人口特征是关键的控制变量。大流行期间新采用的通勤时间为研究特定模式通勤时间对通勤时间预期的影响提供了准实验环境。对于汽车和交通用户来说，与covid -19之前相比，大流行前更长的旅行时间与预期的WFH相关。改善过境通勤者的通勤条件可能有助于那些返回办公室的人恢复到大流行前的模式。主动交通通勤时间与期望更多的WFH无关，可能（特别是步行者）是因为期望从主动交通中获得的享受。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Transport Policy Multiple-

CiteScore

12.10

自引率

10.30%

发文量

282

期刊介绍： Transport Policy is an international journal aimed at bridging the gap between theory and practice in transport. Its subject areas reflect the concerns of policymakers in government, industry, voluntary organisations and the public at large, providing independent, original and rigorous analysis to understand how policy decisions have been taken, monitor their effects, and suggest how they may be improved. The journal treats the transport sector comprehensively, and in the context of other sectors including energy, housing, industry and planning. All modes are covered: land, sea and air; road and rail; public and private; motorised and non-motorised; passenger and freight.