How Are the Post COVID-19 Travel Patterns Evolving? Results from a University Campus
Publication: International Conference on Transportation and Development 2024
ABSTRACT
This paper aims to understand the post-COVID-19 travel patterns at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). It constitutes a continuation effort of the 2022 study based on a travel preference survey distributed to the whole UT community during the spring of 2022. The 2022 travel preference survey was redistributed during the spring of 2023 to understand how travel patterns are evolving post-COVID-19. The survey questions include information about frequency, time, and purpose of commute as well as the mode of transportation used. They aim to analyze the shift in travel behavior as we gradually move to the new normal for operating conditions. The results of both surveys are compared and analyzed to help the Office of Sustainability at the University of Texas at Austin make informed decision regarding university transportation needs. Both surveys clearly illustrate the persistence of the hybrid mode of operation: 40% of undergraduate students, 40% of graduate students, 32% of faculty, and 27% of staff commuted five days a week to campus in 2023. Respondents expressed their tendency to use the car mode as it is the fastest way to get to campus and due to the lack of transit options available to them. This effort will help researchers and decision makers better develop travel demand modeling assumptions.
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International Conference on Transportation and Development 2024
Pages: 192 - 205
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Published online: Jun 13, 2024
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