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Impact of COVID-19 on the number of days working from home and commuting travel: A cross-cultural comparison between Australia, South America and South Africa

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  • Balbontin, Camila
  • Hensher, David A.
  • Beck, Matthew J.
  • Giesen, Ricardo
  • Basnak, Paul
  • Vallejo-Borda, Jose Agustin
  • Venter, Christoffel

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we go about our daily lives in ways that are unlikely to return to the pre-COVID-19 levels. A key feature of the COVID-19 era is likely to be a rethink of the way we work and the implications on commuting activity. Working from home (WFH) has been the ‘new normal’ during the period of lockdown, except for essential services that require commuting. In recognition of the new normal as represented by an increasing amount of WFH, this paper develops a model to identify the incidence of WFH and what impact this could have on the number of weekly commuting trips. Using data collected in eight countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and South Africa), we developed a Poisson regression model for the number of days individuals worked from home during the pandemic. Simulated scenarios quantify the impact of the different variables on the probability of WFH by country. The findings provide a reference point as we continue to undertake similar analysis at different points through time during the pandemic and after when restrictions are effectively removed.

Suggested Citation

  • Balbontin, Camila & Hensher, David A. & Beck, Matthew J. & Giesen, Ricardo & Basnak, Paul & Vallejo-Borda, Jose Agustin & Venter, Christoffel, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 on the number of days working from home and commuting travel: A cross-cultural comparison between Australia, South America and South Africa," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:96:y:2021:i:c:s0966692321002416
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103188
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    11. Hensher, David A. & Wei, Edward & Beck, MatthewJ. & Balbontin, Camila, 2021. "The impact of COVID-19 on cost outlays for car and public transport commuting - The case of the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area after three months of restrictions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 71-80.
    12. Hensher, David A. & Beck, Matthew J. & Wei, Edward, 2021. "Working from home and its implications for strategic transport modelling based on the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 64-78.
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    2. Tahlyan, Divyakant & Mahmassani, Hani & Stathopoulos, Amanda & Said, Maher & Shaheen, Susan & Walker, Joan & Johnson, Breton, 2024. "In-person, hybrid or remote? Employers’ perspectives on the future of work post-pandemic," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    3. Balbontin, Camila & Hensher, David A. & Beck, Matthew J., 2023. "How are life satisfaction, concern towards the use of public transport and other underlying attitudes affecting mode choice for commuting trips? a case study in Sydney from 2020 to 2022," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
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    5. Mingke Xie & Yang Chen & Luliang Tang, 2022. "Exploring the Impact of Localized COVID-19 Events on Intercity Mobility during the Normalized Prevention and Control Period in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-16, November.
    6. Moncayo-Unda, Milton Giovanny & Van Droogenbroeck, Marc & Saadi, Ismaïl & Cools, Mario, 2023. "A longitudinal analysis of the COVID-19 effects on the variability in human activity spaces in Quito, Ecuador," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    7. Stefaniec, Agnieszka & Brazil, William & Whitney, Warren & Caulfield, Brian, 2022. "Desire to work from home: Results of an Irish study," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    8. Baudains, Peter & Kalatian, Arash & Choudhury, Charisma F. & Manley, Ed, 2024. "Social inequality and the changing patterns of travel in the pandemic and post-pandemic era," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    9. Zhou, Mingzhi & Zhou, Jiangping, 2024. "Multiscalar trip resilience and metro station-area characteristics: A case study of Hong Kong amid the pandemic," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    10. Hensher, David A. & Balbontin, Camila & Beck, Matthew J. & Wei, Edward, 2022. "The impact of working from home on modal commuting choice response during COVID-19: Implications for two metropolitan areas in Australia," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 179-201.
    11. Cho, Jung-Hoon & Kim, Dong-Kyu & Kim, Eui-Jin, 2022. "Multi-scale causality analysis between COVID-19 cases and mobility level using ensemble empirical mode decomposition and causal decomposition," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 600(C).
    12. Thulin, Eva & Vilhelmson, Bertil & Brundin, Louise, 2023. "Telework after confinement: Interrogating the spatiotemporalities of home-based work life," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    13. Vallejo-Borda, Jose Agustin & Giesen, Ricardo & Basnak, Paul & Reyes, José P. & Mella Lira, Beatriz & Beck, Matthew J. & Hensher, David A. & Ortúzar, Juan de Dios, 2022. "Characterising public transport shifting to active and private modes in South American capitals during the COVID-19 pandemic," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 186-205.
    14. Balbontin, Camila & Hensher, David A. & Beck, Matthew J., 2024. "The influence of working from home and underlying attitudes on the number of commuting and non-commuting trips by workers during 2020 and 2021 pre- and post-lockdown in Australia," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    15. Hensher, David A. & Beck, Matthew J. & Balbontin, Camila, 2023. "Working from home 22 months on from the beginning of COVID-19: What have we learned for the future provision of transport services?," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

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