COVID-19 has disrupted society and changed how people learn, work and live. The availability of vaccines in the spring of 2021, however, led to a gradual return of many pre-pandemic activities in Massachusetts in the fall of 2021. Leveraging data that were collected using a map-based survey tool in the Greater Boston area in the fall of 2021, this study explores changes in travel behavior due to COVID-19 and investigates the underlying factors contributing to these changes. First, a structural equation modeling technique is developed to capture the interactions between various travel choices, including working from home, travel mode use and change in car ownership. Moreover, attitudinal factors such as risk perceptions and attitudes towards WFH are incorporated into the framework to explain behavior changes. Second, a discrete choice modeling approach is taken to study shifts in commuting mode choices in the fall of 2021. The results show that in the fall of 2021, people became more likely to use their cars to commute, and for those who bought cars during the pandemic, they tended to work on-site more. Our findings can provide planners and policymakers with information upon which to base travel demand management decisions in the post-pandemic era.

翻译：新冠疫情扰乱了社会秩序，改变了人们学习、工作和生活方式。然而，2021年春季疫苗的普及促使马萨诸塞州于2021年秋季逐渐恢复至疫情前状态。本研究利用2021年秋季在大波士顿地区通过地图调查工具收集的数据，探讨新冠疫情引起的出行行为变化及其潜在驱动因素。首先，构建结构方程模型以揭示居家办公、出行方式选择及汽车保有量变化等多元出行选择间的交互关系，并将风险感知与居家办公态度等态度因素纳入分析框架以解释行为变化机理。其次，采用离散选择模型研究2021年秋季通勤模式转变。结果表明：2021年秋季人们更倾向选择私家车通勤，且疫情期间购车者更倾向于现场办公。研究结论可为后疫情时代交通需求管理决策提供规划依据与政策参考。