Use of public transit and telecommuting increases to highest levels ever recorded

An annual survey of commuter transportation habits shows that 56 percent of full-time employees now bus, bike, carpool, vanpool, or walk to work at least once a week – the highest level ever recorded in Maricopa County, according to Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority.

Also, telecommuting and working a compressed schedule is at an all-time high in the Valley with 32 percent of employed adults reporting that they do this at least one day per week. And, for the second straight year, there has been an increase in the frequency of carpooling or vanpooling throughout the work week.

“More people are using alternative forms of transportation now than at any other time in the past 15 years,” said David Boggs, executive director of Valley Metro RPTA. “Gas prices certainly are a factor, but we also are encouraged by the jump in telecommuting, which indicates a willingness on the part of our employers to accept what technology is making more and more possible. Allowing staff to work from home truly can help both traffic congestion and air quality.”

public transit and telecommuting

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