Modeling the Choice of Work Schedule with Flexible Work Hours

Flexible work hours have been promoted as a low cost approach to improve the productivity of the existing transportation system. However, analytical tools are needed to evaluate the impact such policies have on workers' arrival time choices. This paper develops a behaviorally based structure, using utility maximization concepts, to relate travel, family, workplace and individual influences to the workers' choices of arrival times with flextime. The accuracy of this conceptual structure is explored through the development of disaggregate probability distribution models using maximum likelihood estimation techniques. These models investigate several specifications and examine the use of market segmentation to differentiate varying work arrival time behavior by different subsets of the population. Major findings include: older workers and those living at greater distances from the workplace tend to arrive earlier, and households constrained by the presence of a working spouse and young children have less flexibility to alter arrival times with flextime.