Understanding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on telecommuting and transit ridership patterns can inform the design and implementation of transit-supportive policies in the post-pandemic era. TRB hosted a webinar on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM Eastern that illustrated the impacts of the pandemic on commuting, the trends of telecommuting, and the associated implications for transit ridership in the post-pandemic era. Presenters showed how transit riders‘ demographics and trip purposes have shifted. Presenters also discussed the challenges and recovery pathways for different types of transit services.

This webinar was sponsored by TRB’s Standing Technical Committee on Economic Development and Land Use.

The slides are linked in the meeting materials. View the recorded webinar below.

Webinar agenda and presenters

• The impacts of COVID-19 on commuting and telework and associated equity issues – Frank Douma, University of Minnesota
• How has COVID-19 changed transit ridership patterns and what might be next? – Eric Lind, University of Minnesota
• Case Study: Chicago – Yanfeng Ouyang, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Question and answer session moderated by Jason Cao, University of Minnesota

The first 60 minutes of the webinar will be for presentations and the final 30 minutes will be reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Determine the scale impact of office commuting and telework on overall transit ridership
• Evaluate the likelihood of success of different transit services in the post-pandemic era

Professional Development Hours

This webinar was delivered as a scheduled – e-learning live event and is categorized within RCEP as Technical, Health and Safety.

Professional Development Hours (PDHs) earned on completion of this program were reported to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Certificates of Completion are issued to all participants via the RCEP.net online system. Complaints about registered providers may be addressed to RCEP, 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Fl., Washington, DC, 20005.