Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey Series

collection: series

Investigator(s): United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration

Studies

6

Variables

1,773

Publications

8

About this Collection

The Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS), sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, has been conducted periodically since 1969. Its stated purpose is to record an inventory of daily personal travel for individuals 5 years of age and older. Data for the 1969, 1977, and 1983 studies were collected by way of an in-home interview with respondents selected using a multistate probability sample of housing units. All states and the District of Columbia were included in the sample. Starting in 1990, data were collected using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technology with random-digit dialing sampling procedures. The 1969 survey elicited vehicle information on cars only, but subsequent waves also included personal trucks and vans, camper vehicles, motorcycles, and other vehicle types. The 1995 survey instituted changes in methodology that had a significant impact on the data, including data collection via a one-day travel diary and the use of a household trip roster. For this reason, analysts should not compare 1995 data directly with data from prior survey years. Major topical areas covered by this series include household data and demographic data, and information on household motor vehicles, the availability and usage of public transportation, household drivers, information on all trips taken in a 24-hour period, regardless of length, and on all trips taken during a 14-day period of 75 miles or more one-way, and information on the geographic area of the household and its members' workplaces. Potential uses of these data include uncovering travel trends over time, connecting travel behavior to traveler demographics and examining their relation over time, and assisting in the urban transportation planning process.

Studies

6 results

Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, 1995: [United States]

The Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey serves as the nation's inventory of daily personal travel. It collects data on daily trips including purpose of the trip, means of transportation used, travel time, vehicle occupancy, driver characteristics, and vehicle attributes. These data are collected for all personal trips, all modes and purposes, all trip lengths, all areas of the country, all days of the week, and all months of the year. Part 1, the Household File, contains data on the relationship between household members and demographic information for household members. The file also contains information on housing characteristics, as well as characteristics of the block group and census tract. Availability and distance to public transportation are also included. Part 2, the Person File, contains information on seat belt use, modes of transportation used for travel to work, and costs for parking. Part 3, the Vehicle File, contains data relating to each of the household's vehicles, including whether a particular household member usually drives the vehicle, when it was purchased, the vehicle type, and model year. Part 4, the Travel Day Trip File, contains data about each trip the person made on the household's randomly assigned travel day. Information was collected on the purpose of the trip, the number of trips within the trip chain, where the trip chain started, and the amount of time spent at each destination. Part 5, the Segmented Travel Day Trip File, contains data for up to four segments of each segmented travel day trip the person made on the travel day. The file contains information on the start time, mode of transportation used, purpose, and duration of each travel segment. Part 6, the Travel Period File, contains data for every trip of at least 75 miles one way that the person took during a 14-day period ending on the travel day. The file contains information on the start date, purpose, and transportation mode used for trip. New for the 1995 survey was a written diary, used to help respondents to better remember their travel on their designated travel day, and a household roster of trips, which was used to assist respondents in recalling trips made with other household members. New questions included satisfaction with the nation's transportation system, reactions to mobility and congestion, perceived difficulties in travel, and use of seat belts.

National Household Travel Survey, 2001: [United States]

The 2001 National Household Travel Survey is a combination of the Federal Highway Administration's Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics American Travel Survey (ATS), which were conducted separately in previous years. The National Household Travel Survey serves as the nation's inventory of daily personal travel. It collects data on daily trips including purpose of the trip, means of transportation used, travel time, vehicle occupancy, driver characteristics, and vehicle attributes. These data are collected for all personal trips, all modes and purposes, all trip lengths, and all areas of the country, urban and rural. The 2001 National Household Travel Survey collected additional data on trips to a destination 50 miles or more from home (long-distance travel) that started from home and ended at home during a four-week travel period. This was a change from previous years, where the travel range was 75 miles or more. Part 1, the Household File, contains data unique to a household, such as the number of household vehicles, household income, the relationship between household members, demographic information for household members, and educational level of the household respondent. Part 2, the Person File, contains demographic information, driver status, information on travel to work, miles driven, customer satisfaction, and Internet use. Part 3, the Vehicle File, contains data relating to each of the household's vehicles, including annualized vehicle miles. Part 4, the Travel Day Trip File, contains data about each trip the person made on the household's randomly assigned travel day. Parts 5 and 6 are weight files for the Household File (Part 1) and the Person File (Part 2), respectively.

Nationwide Personal Transportation Study, 1983: [United States]

This data collection supplies national data on the nature and characteristics of travel. Information is provided for all types of personal trips taken during a designated 24-hour period, or travel day. Additional data are available for trips of 75 miles or further (one-way) that were taken during the preceding 14-day travel period. Trips and travel are described by purpose, mode of transportation, trip length, day of the week, time of day, vehicle used, and vehicle occupancy. Data about long trips include the date on which the trip started and ended. The Household File contains items on family income, number of household vehicles, availability of public transit, number of licensed drivers in the household, and number and length of trips taken. The Person File provides demographic characteristics of members of the household as well as variables on carpooling, distance to work, work-related travel, seatbelt use, and child safety restraints. The Day Trip and the Period Trip Files offer information on the length and purposes of trips and the means of transportation used, while the Vehicle File details vehicle make and model, seating capacity, type of fuel used, and safety devices in vehicle.