Not sure if you read CIA 2013 Brief 2 (http://traveltrends.transportation.org/Documents/B2_CIA_Role%20Overall%20Travel_web_2.pdf )  This gives a nice description of the complexities of commuting.

From: ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net [mailto:ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net] On Behalf Of Chen, Ju-Yin (VDOT)
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2014 2:33 PM
To: ctpp-news@ryoko.chrispy.net
Subject: [CTPP] What defines a commuter?

Hi! All,

I got an interesting question from our management.

They want to know if we can define a commuter by how many work trips this particular person make during certain period of time (a day, a week or a year).

The simple definition I found online to describe a commuter is “a person who travels some distance to work on a regular basis.”

This brings up two basic questions:

1. How do we determine “some distance”?

2. How do we determine “regular basis”?

I could not find a clear definition regarding commuter in Commuting in America III though we talked about commuter population throughout the report.

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated!

Juyin (roo-een) Chen, AICP
Travel Demand Modeling Coordinator
Virginia Department of Transportation
Transportation & Mobility Planning Division
P +1-804-225-3564

F +1-804-225-4785
http://www.virginiadot.org/vtm/