The time people report going to or coming home from work has a significant impact on transit operations. As we all likely know, if many travel at once, overloads are possible, but service might not be available if few travel to or from work at a specific time.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released this table in 2004, twelve years ago. While this table is still useful (for instance, more people reported going to work around 6 am than all full-time workers between 10:30 and 3:30, which suggests that early-morning service may be more useful for workers than more mid-day service), it is outdated; search efforts to find a newer table have not been successful. Does anyone know if a more current edition of this information is available?
Not just working times. My motto when driving the 3 and 4 early in the morning was “First we take the doctors, then we take the patients.” This is true of any downtown area. First we take the shopkeepers, then we take the shoppers. First we take the workers, then we take their customers.
The afternoon is different. Workers, doctors, shopkeepers and customers all want to go home at the same time.
Anecdotal Evidence: the route 29 schedule. In the morning, the 29s run in a four hour window, requiring 5 buses (and operators). In the evening, the 29s run a three hour window, requiring 8 buses (and operators).
So, yes, counting workers is important. But counting the reasons those workers go to work in the first place is important, too.
Of course all travel is important, but in this case I’m looking for information on work travel data.
“The afternoon is different. Workers, doctors, shopkeepers and customers all want to go home at the same time.”
And students, pensioners, and tourists are also traveling at that time.
The American Community Survey collects this data from the long form by location. You can find it on American Factfinder. Table S0802. S0804, and many other tables are available based on the breakdown that you need, by race, sex, mode type, etc.