Teleworking, commuting and travel behaviour

Abstract

The use of teleworking has long been encouraged to reduce everyday travel. While many studies suggest that telework decreases total travel, other studies also now suggest the opposite. Whilst opting to telework has grown steadily in many countries, in Malta; most institutions and business still function in a traditional manner with employees operating from an office or on the premises of the employers. However, in the last two years as a result of the global pandemic, individuals’ lifestyles and work patterns have shifted drastically with many organizations starting to function also online. This study analyses a variety of travel behaviour outcomes as it looks at how teleworking affects daily travel particularly among the staff at the University of Malta. This study examines the impact of home-based teleworking on the number of weekly trips taken by capturing travel behaviour and mobility trends during teleworking days. The results suggest that teleworking reduced commuting trips to and from work but it is not a highly travel demand management strategy. According to the results, home-based teleworking did not decrease everyday travel. Overall, the main conclusion pointed to the fact that the more people telecommuted, the more they travelled for non-work related reasons.