University of California Institute of Transportation Studies

This report summarizes the findings from ten sets of analyses that investigated ways the COVID-19 pandemic transformed people's activity-travel patterns. Data were collected through three waves of surveys in Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Summer 2021 in California and the rest of the US. We found that there was a substantial shift among California workers from physical commuting to exclusive remote work in 2020, followed by a transition to hybrid working schedules by Summer 2021. The adoption of remote work and hybrid work varied significantly among population subgroups, with higher income, more educated individuals, and urban residents showing the greatest shift to these arrangements. In terms of mode use and vehicle ownership, increased concerns about the use of shared modes of travel correlated with an increasing desire to own a car. We observed a major decrease in walking for commuting purposes and a significant increase in walking and biking for non-work trips. The study also found a reduction in the demand for, and/or an elevated aversion to, ridehailing because of the shared nature of the service. Regarding shopping patterns, the study found a nearly five-fold increase in the number of respondents who shopped online at least once per week between Fall 2019 and Spring 2020. However, part of this increase vanished by Fall 2020. Overall, the pandemic brought both temporary changes and longer-term impacts. The study proposes strategies to promote sustainable transportation and social equity among different population groups as communities strive to recover from the pandemic.