reverse commute

A trip from a residence in a central city to a workplace in the suburbs.

This phenomenon is the opposite of the traditional commuting pattern (hence the name). Because they are less pervasive than traditional commutes, reverse commutes can involve less stress from heavy traffic, although this is frequently not the case.

Reverse commuting has recently been on the increase, as companies move from city centers out to posh corporate campuses, and young, technologically-skilled workers move into the city to enjoy urban life, taking advantage of the concentration of things to do there.

In Mass Transit, "Reverse Commute Service" is service that goes from the center of a city to a suburban area during morning commute times, or from a suburban area to the center of a city during evening commute times. The presence of reverse commute service is very common for some sorts of mass transit, and rare for others. The presence of reverse commute service depends on an area's demographics, employment patterns, and physical terrain.

The presence of reverse commute service is one of the main differences between metro/subway or light rail service, and commuter rail service. Most metro or light rail services have consistent schedules throughout the day, while most commuter rail services run heavily in one direction in the morning, and the other in the evening.