QUESTIONS?
About the Study
What is this survey all about?
We want to learn how, when, where, and why people travel in and around the state of Texas. We’re asking you to log your travel to help us understand regional and statewide transportation patterns. By participating you can help us plan for future transportation improvements in your community.
Why should I participate?
Your participation can help us better understand your travel habits and choices, which will inform how Texas has evolved over the past 10 years (such as increase in work from home, greater options for micromobility, etc.) and therefore how TxDOT should plan for improvements to transportation in your community over the next 10 years.
Your input has a big impact because only a limited number of households can participate in the study.
How was I selected to participate?
Invited households were selected at random from the state of Texas to ensure accurate representation of Texas residents.
Who is sponsoring this survey?
This survey is sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and conducted by Resource Systems Group, Inc. (RSG).
How is this survey funded?
The Texas Travel Survey is funded through federal and state planning and research grants. These funds cannot be spent on transportation improvement projects (like road repairs) and must be used to inform transportation investments through projects like this one.
Completing the Study
How much time does it take to participate?
It takes about 10 minutes to sign up for the survey. Once you sign up, we’ll give you instructions for logging your travel and completing the survey. Households that log their travel for one to two days in the smartphone app, rMove, will spend about 5-10 minutes each day reporting their travel. Households that log their travel online or over the phone will spend about 10 minutes per household member reporting their travel for one day.
What do I get for participating?
You will receive a gift card once all members of your household have reported their travel and completed their surveys. If your household participates using the smartphone app, rMove, each participating adult will receive a gift card (e.g., a household with two adults receives two gift cards). Households that report their travel online or by calling in will receive a single gift card.
In the unlikely event RSG suspects the surveys or incentive entry mechanism or both have been tampered with, the payment of incentives will be discontinued until the integrity of the process is restored. If possible, RSG will place a notice on the survey website regarding any suspension and resumption of the payment of incentives.
Who can participate? Can my neighbor or friend participate?
Only the selected households that received a mailed invitation are eligible to participate. This is important to maintain data validity.
What is a trip?
A trip is any time you travel more than 100 feet and conduct an activity at a different address. These can include arriving at school or work, getting coffee on the way to work, walking to the bus station, stopping for gas, walking your dog, or going through a drive-through.
What if I don’t travel much?
Any amount of travel (even if you don’t make any trips) will help us improve transportation planning in Texas. Just remember to accurately report any stops you do make. And don’t forget that short trips, such as walking the dog, count too. Deliveries to you, such as take-out or groceries, are also important to report.
What if my transportation habits during the study aren’t my “typical” habits?
That’s no problem – we still encourage you to participate. We’ll also ask about your typical travel habits.
I was invited to use the study smartphone app, rMove. How does it work?
After you download rMove and sign up, rMove will log your trips for one to two days while you go about your daily life. Each day you’ll be asked to complete a short daily survey about your travel habits as well as a trip survey about each trip you make. For more information, please visit the rMove website.
How do I participate with rMove?
Before your travel date, you will receive an email with instructions to download and activate rMove. Once installed and running properly, rMove will log your travel. A few minutes after you stop traveling, rMove will create a trip survey to ask details like how and why you traveled. You will also be asked a few questions each morning about the prior day. You can answer these surveys any time during the day, but please do not answer questions in rMove while driving!
Why is the survey using smartphones to collect my information?
The data collected in the rMove app can provide more detailed travel information than a typical travel diary. For example, the app collects each trip path, which can be useful to understand congestion and travel route choices. Some respondents also prefer to have rMove record trips instead of remembering trip details afterward. All of the data collected on your smartphone is strictly confidential along with the information collected in the survey. A copy of this survey’s privacy policy is available here.
Study Results
How are my results used?
Your responses, combined with those of your neighbors and other respondents, will help paint a picture of travel behaviors in your community and across Texas. This picture helps planners understand how changes to transportation infrastructure may influence things like commute times and access to important activities.
Check out how data was used for past surveys on the TxDOT website.
How is my personal privacy protected?
We are committed to protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and security of your personal information. We take this responsibility seriously. We will not disclose or share personal information we collect from you except as required by law. Our Privacy Policy is intended to help you understand how we collect and safeguard your information. Learn more about how we protect your information on the Privacy Page.
Participant Support
What do I do if I never received my access code?
Please check your junk or spam folder. If you don’t see it there, please click here to contact us.
Why do you need to know my demographics, like race and income?
We want to confirm we are getting a true representation of all people living in the state of Texas. How and where people travel can depend on certain demographic attributes and areas where they live or work.
This information gives us a better picture of travel habits and how things can be improved in the future.
Why do you need to know about my children’s travel?
Children traveling to and from school account for a notable portion of overall travel activity. This often impacts the travel patterns of their parents or caregivers, influencing not only school-related trips but also affecting the planning of other errands such as grocery shopping. Understanding the timing and methods of children’s school commutes helps researchers and transportation planners gain insight into household travel behavior. Ensuring children get to and from school safely is a key priority in all transportation planning.
Why isn’t the app recording my trips?
Please try restarting your phone by turning it off and back on. This should reset your location settings and get the app to record your trips.
Can I remove a household member if they no longer want to participate?
Unfortunately, we cannot remove a participating household member once the signup survey is complete. This is a household study; therefore, we require all related household members to participate to get accurate travel data.
What if I’ll be out of town during some of my travel period?
If you are using the app, we encourage you to still participate in the survey if you will be in town for at least one of your assigned dates. If you’ll be out of town or out of the state for your entire travel period, please contact us for a new travel period.
Why don’t I have any surveys to answer even though I’m making trips?
Your trip surveys should populate when you open the rMove app. If you still don’t see any trip surveys to answer, please restart the phone.
When do I get my gift card?
Please allow 2-3 weeks for gift card processing after you have completed the survey.