Does flexitime affect choice of departure time for morning home-based commuting trips? Evidence from two regions in California

Over the past twenty-five years, more workers in the United States have been given the option of flexible work schedules, which are designed to redistribute commuter traffic over the course of a day by allowing employees to vary their arrival and/or departure times. This paper examines whether and to what degree access to flexible work schedules affects the departure times of commuters in the two largest and most congested areas of California: the Los Angeles and San Francisco regions. Trip data were obtained from the 2009 US National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). The results of this study show that people who have access to flexitime preferred later departure times rather than earlier times. Workers with flexible schedules were 3.30% less likely to depart before peak hours, 4.11% less likely during peak hours, and 7.41% more likely afterwards. Based on these findings, government agencies and private firms in regions with severe traffic congestion problems may consider adopting alternative work schedules.

► Commuters in congested regions adjust their travel behavior to avoid peak hour travel.
► Access to flexible work schedules affects departure times of commuters.
► Workers with flexible schedules are more likely to travel after peak hours.
► The different departure times between LA and SF areas are associated with flexitime availability.