Commuting post-Covid

I love public transportation. Public transportation is in trouble, and this piece on American commuting goes into why.

Whitecollar workers gained time, money, and freedom while shedding daily stress.

Blue-collar and Grey-collar workers must still commute in the face of inflated costs and, in many cases, worse transit times.

Highlights

• The average American commute lasts approximately 27 minutes.

• Nearly half of U.S. workers commute daily, with changes in the nature of these commutes over time.

• The quality of commutes is influenced more by their predictability and peacefulness than by their duration.

• Commuting disparities exist, with Black workers and workers of color generally facing longer commutes due to factors like housing segregation and the nature of their jobs.

• Flexible work schedules have led to lighter traditional rush hours, even as daytime road usage remains high due to errands and other activities between remote work sessions.

• Public transit usage dropped to 3.1 percent in 2022 from 5 percent in 2019, as per Census Bureau data.

• San Francisco's BART weekday ridership has seen a 40 percent decrease from pre-Covid expectations.

• Public transit commuters spend about twice as much time traveling to and from work compared to those who drive.

• There is a socioeconomic divide in commuting patterns, with less educated and lower-income individuals being more reliant on public transit.

• There is a contrast between "choice riders," often white-collar workers who use transit by preference, and "lifeline riders," typically blue-collar workers who depend on transit to reach their workplaces.

• The geography of jobs requiring physical presence has shifted, with many such positions now located in areas like e-commerce warehouses outside of city centers, which are often not easily accessible by public transit.