'Rush' hour isn’t what it used to be. Working 10-to-4 is the new 9-to-5, commuting data shows

As more commuters settle into flexible working arrangements, fewer workers are making early morning or early evening trips compared to pre-pandemic traffic patterns

The traditional American 9-to-5 has shifted to 10-to-4, according to the 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard released in June by INRIX Inc., a traffic-data analysis firm.

"There is less of a morning commute, less of an evening commute and much more afternoon activity," said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst and author of the report. "This is more of the new normal."

Now, there is a "midday rush hour," the INRIX report found, with almost as many trips to and from the office being made at noon as there are at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Also, commuters have all but given up on public transportation. Ridership sank during the pandemic, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data shows, and never fully recovered.

"Pre-Covid, the morning rush hour would be a peak and then the evening peak would be much larger," he said, describing two apexes with a valley in between. "Now, there is no valley."

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