A Smartphone-Based Travel Survey Trial Conducted in Kumamoto, Japan: An Examination of Voluntary Participants' Attributes

Increasing numbers of smartphone owners can help collect huge amounts of individual location tracking data. The location tracking data is typically useful for travel survey and transportation planning. Several earlier studies employed smartphone-based travel survey methods. However, sampling targets were limited. This paper describes a smartphone-based travel survey that targeted a large-scale population. Smartphone apps were developed for both Android and iPhone platforms. Letters inviting individuals to participate in a supplemental survey related to a large-scale household travel survey were mailed to 13,279 households in Kumamoto, Japan. Ultimately, 97 participants participated in a smartphone-based survey that offered zero incentives. Previous smartphone-based travel surveys did offer incentives. In contrast, the 97 participants who agreed to participate despite zero incentives were recruited by the use of randomly distributed mail-out invitation letters. An examination of the results revealed that participants' pure tendencies during their participation in the survey remained free of incentive bias. In addition, the results indicated that males were more likely to participate in the survey than females. Participants in their 20s were more likely to participate in the survey although they frequently failed to complete it. Individuals employed in manufacturing, energy, medical and public-related service occupations demonstrated higher participation rates. Smartphone-based survey participants' average trip rates were statistically higher than the average trip rates of traditional household travel survey participants. These findings can be used to develop similar smartphone-based travel surveys in the future.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABJ40 Travel Survey Methods.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Maruyama, Takuya
  • Mizokami, Shoshi
  • Hato, Eiji
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Public participation; Smartphones; Travel surveys
• Uncontrolled Terms: Sociodemographic attributes
• Geographic Terms: Kumamoto (Japan)
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01514326
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-0997
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 12 2014 12:33PM