Design and Application of a Travel Survey for European Long-Distance Trips Based on an International Network of Expertise (DATELINE)

Abstract

Within the DATELINE project (Fifth Framework Programme, Competitive and Sustainable Growth, funded by the European Commission - Directorate General for Transport and Energy) a survey design for long-distance mobility was developed which can be applied and implemented in all Member States of the European Union. In order to ensure the application of the survey design in each Member State, the survey design has to be flexible. Therefore the DATELINE project group proposes in fact a mail-out/mail-back survey but developed a survey design for different methods (for postal survey, for telephone survey and for face-to-face-interviews). The proposed concept is a two-phase design in order to be respondent friendly and at the same time to enable the selection of particular journeys, e.g. very long-distance journeys. In the first phase journeys are surveyed; in the second phase journeys are observed at the trip level. The advantages for the respondents of this two phase survey are: - avoid confusing the respondents with too many papers and questions; - save the respondent reporting every long-distance journey at a trip level; - allow the researchers to make the selection of the journeys which should be reported at the trip level, thereby improving the sample scheme. The DATELINE design with different journey and trip forms and the two-phase survey allows the collection of more information than a survey with one questionnaire in one phase for all cases. The journeys are collected by three different journey forms (Holiday Journeys, Other Private Journeys and Business Journeys) and the reporting period varies according to journey type, being a 12-month period for Holiday Journeys and a 3-month period for Business and Other Private Journeys. The journeys to be reported on a trip level are selected by the researcher according to a special selection rule, in order to gain satisfactory numbers of longer trips thereby achieving a good representation of all movements. Within the DATELINE project a co-operation between the project Consortium and the national official Institutions (Statistical Offices or Ministries of Transport) was sought. This is reflected in the effort to set up a survey network with the active participation of these institutions. Some of them are in charge of the survey in their own countries, most of them are supporting DATELINE.