COMMUTER Model

The Excel-based COMMUTER model assists worksite transportation coordinators and local planners in estimating the impacts of commuter programs, such as percentage of trips eliminated or shifted to non-peak periods, and changes in emissions.

Decommissioned: Note this model is no longer available from the EPA site.

This tool is included in the Development Impacts Assessment (DIA) Toolkit from the LEDS Global Partnership.

Approach

COMMUTER is a spreadsheet-based computer model that estimates the travel and emissions impacts of transportation air quality programs focused on commuting. The model is particularly useful for programs such as those recognized under the EPA’s Best Workplaces for CommutersSM and other Commuter Choice Programs.

When to Use This Tool

This tool is most useful for development impacts assessments focused on:

Social

Economic

Environmental

Learn more about the topics for assessing the impacts of low-emission development strategies (LEDS).

Key Outputs

Travel and emission effects resulting from transportation control measures, including percentage of trips eliminated, percentage of trips shifted from the peak to off-peak period, baseline and final peak, off-peak and daily VMT, baseline and final peak, off-peak and daily vehicle trips, and changes in total daily emissions for each pollutant.

How to Use This Tool

Level of Expertise
Moderate

Key Inputs

Metropolitan area population size category, analysis scope, analysis area type, employment base, existing mode shares, logit model coefficients, average vehicle occupancy, peak period duration, work trips occurring in peak period, peak and off-peak travel speeds, etc.

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"Excel-based tool" is not in the list of possible values (Case Studies, Online Tools, Reports, Spreadsheet, Software, Guidebook/Manual) for this property.

"An EPA assessment tool that provides estimates on how commuter benefits can impact nitrogen oxide, particulate matter and air toxic emissions, and fuel use and costs."