Motorcoach Travelers Satisfaction Questionnaire

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 2126-0049)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Motorcoach Traveler Satisfaction Questionnaire

PURPOSE:

The purpose of the questionnaire is to determine motorcoach travelers’ level of satisfaction with motorcoach carriers regarding information available to them when investigating taking a trip and their experiences after the trip. The survey will also determine the level of customer satisfaction with, and knowledge gained from, information made available by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The respondent universe for the Motorcoach Traveler Satisfaction Questionnaire is people who will take a trip on a motorcoach or have just completed a trip on a motorcoach. Travelers will be surveyed approximately an hour before taking a trip on a motorcoach or within fifteen minutes of completing a trip on a motorcoach.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [X] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience travelling on motorcoaches.

Name: Brian Ronk, Marketing Specialist, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

To assist review, please provide answers to the following questions:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

The confidentiality of the information collected from respondents will be protected to the extent allowed by a) the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552 as amended, and b) the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, as amended. Data will be treated in a secure manner and will not be disclosed, unless FMCSA is otherwise compelled by law. Respondents’ personal identifying information will not be included on any materials or reports associated with this study.

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours
Motorcoach travelers	1,200	:10	200
Totals	1,200	200	200

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government NOT TO EXCEED $XX. This amount is based on a firm-fixed price contract proposal reviewed and accepted by FMCSA.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan) If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them.

Summary of Sampling Approach

The sample will be obtained by direct observation of people who are about to take a trip on a motorcoach or have just gotten off of a motorcoach at the end of their trips. Interviewers will screen to assure that only these people are included in the sample. Interviewers will select travelers at random by selecting every nth person to assure that people of all ages, races and races, ethnicities and both genders are included.  All interviewers will have extensive experience in conducting intercept interviews and will approach all people described above as opposed to selecting only people of a certain demographic and therefore introduce a selection bias.  This sampling will assure that a cross-section of travelers are included in the survey and thus assure a representative sample.

The Motorcoach Traveler Universe

There is no known information about the motorcoach traveler universe from the U.S. Census Bureau. However, Motorcoach Census 2011 was released in June 2012.¹ It is a benchmarking study commissioned by the American Bus Association Foundation (ABAF) to measure the size and activity of the motorcoach transportation service industry in the United States and Canada in 2010. This report revealed that the motorcoach industry provided about 694 million passenger trips in 2010. This number clearly reveals that many travelers take multiple trips on motorcoaches in a year.

Similar Intercept Survey

A very similar intercept survey was completed by the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University and with Whatcom Council of Governments. The report is titled International Mobility & Trade Corridor Project (IMTC) 2008 Passenger Intercept Survey.² As described in the Report:

The 2008 International Mobility & Trade Corridor Project (IMTC) Passenger Intercept Survey was conducted to assess characteristics of cross-border travel in the Cascade Gateway and provide that information to regional and federal public and private agencies. Information includes who crosses the border, for what purposes, origins and destinations, trip frequency, and other details of cross-border travel. These data can be compared to matching information collected by IMTC in the year 2000 to see how cross-border travel demand has changed over the last seven years…. The schedule of data collection for the 2008 survey was designed to be slightly greater in scope than for the 2000 survey. As in 2000, data was collected on both a weekday (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) and a weekend day (Saturday or Sunday) in each direction (northbound, southbound) at each of the four ports-of-entry. In addition, data was gathered on a Friday in each direction at the Peace Arch/Douglas crossing. On weekdays, in an effort to gather data from work commuters, data collection began at 6:00 am….. The International Mobility & Trade Corridor Project (IMTC) is a U.S. – Canadian coalition of government and business entities that identifies and promotes improvements to mobility and security for the four border crossings that connect Whatcom County, Washington State and Lower Mainland British Columbia. Together, these four crossings are called the Cascade Gateway. In 2000, IMTC participants identified the need to better understand the nature of cross-border travel. A comprehensive survey of all four Cascade Gateway ports-of-entry was conducted in the summer and fall of 2000. In 2007, IMTC participants wanted to understand how cross-border travel trends may have altered over the seven years, given changes in exchange rate, border operations, and impacts on the border environment in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.³

Respondents

According to a study of motorcoach travelers similar to this initiative that was released by DePaul University in August 2011, 74% of motorcoach travelers were under the age of 36.⁴ However, this survey will not have any quotas for age or any other demographic. Instead, respondents will be selected at random from the universe of motorcoach travelers to assure that a representative sample is generated.

Sample Size Determination and Sampling Error

A total sample size of 1,200 respondents will be used for this research study. A total of 200 surveys will be completed in each of the six markets (see pages 7-8 for intercept interview locations). At each of the six locations, bus lines and actual buses will be selected at random to further assure that a representative sample of motorcoach travelers is attained.  This sample size is very common in national surveys and widely accepted as generating representative samples for descriptive studies. That is, we will be able to assess travelers’ satisfaction with motorcoach carriers with this sample size. We will also be able to determine if there are differences in satisfaction among people in various demographic groups such as age, gender and ethnicity. There would be no benefit to detecting very small differences in people in demographic groups and thus, no benefit from a larger sample.

For example, the following excerpt from a paper titled “How polls are conducted” by Frank Newport, Lydia Saad, David Moore from Where America Stands, 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.⁵ relating to sample size on national polls.

The Number Of Interviews, Or Sample Size, Required

One key question faced by Gallup statisticians: how many interviews does it take to provide an adequate cross-section of Americans? The answer is, not many -- that is, if the respondents to be interviewed are selected entirely at random, giving every adult American an equal probability of falling into the sample. The current US adult population in the continental United States is 187 million. The typical sample size for a Gallup poll which is designed to represent this general population is 1,000 national adults.

Results will be reported at a 95% confidence level. With a sample size of 1,200, this will render a sampling error of no more than +/-2.8. This calculation reflects a 50% / 50% proportion in response to a question on the survey.

Exhibit 1 provides margin of error figures at the 95% level of confidence for different sample sizes and for different proportions. The table shows that as the sample size increases, margin of error decreases. It also shows that as the margin of error changes as the percentage of respondents who give certain responses changes. As we analyze the results from this survey, this table can be used to calculate sampling error for individual questions. For example, if 50% of the motorcoach travelers answer a question a certain way, we would look under the 50% header and go down to a sample size of 1,200 to determine sampling error. The resulting statement would be "If we repeated this study 20 times, 19 times out of 20 (95% of the time) we would see results between 47% and 53% (+/- 2.8 percentage points).

*Variability proportions in Exhibit 1 are calculated using the following formula:

n =	(Standard Errors)2 * ((proportion) * (1-proportion)) / (Accuracy)
	(1+ ((Standard Errors)2 * (proportion) * (1-proportion)) / (Accuracy) -1) / (population size)

Exhibit 1: Sample size lookup table

Proportions*
Sample Size (n)	50%	40%	30%	20%	90%	95%
25	20	19.6	18.3	16	12	8.7
50	14.2	13.9	13	11.4	8.5	6.2
75	11.5	11.3	10.5	9.2	6.9	5
100	10	9.8	9.2	8	6	4.4
150	8.2	8	7.5	6.6	4.9	3.6
200	7.1	7	6.5	5.7	4.3	3.1
250	6.3	6.2	5.8	5	3.8	2.7
300	5.8	5.7	5.3	4.6	3.5	2.5
400	5	4.9	4.6	4	3	2.2
500	4.5	4.4	4.1	3.6	2.7	2
600	4.1	4	3.8	3.3	2.5	1.8
800	3.5	3.4	3.2	2.8	2.1	1.5
1000	3.1	3	2.8	2.5	1.9	1.4
1200	2.8	2.8	2.6	2.3	1.7	1.2
1500	2.5	2.5	2.3	2	1.5	1.1
2000	2.2	2.2	2	1.6	1.2	0.96
2500	2	1.9	1.8	1.6	1.2	0.85

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[X] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X] Yes [ ] No

Survey

The survey will consist almost entirely closed-ended questions and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Motorcoach travelers will be surveyed approximately an hour before they take a trip or an hour after they have taken a trip on a motorcoach.

The survey will determine motorcoach riders’ satisfaction with the service carriers are delivering and will establish: 1) the process ticket purchasers go through when they select carriers (how and why they make these choices), 2) the relative importance riders place on specific services (safety amenities, availability of internet service, restrooms on board, etc.) and 3) a demographic profile of motorcoach travelers. Results of the survey will allow FMCSA to identify travelers, especially with regard to messages concerning safety.

The process will provide an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviors to reveal who is choosing to ride on motorcoaches and how those decisions are being made. The research findings and subsequent narrative report will reveal consumer behaviors, tendencies and perceptions to better inform FMCSA’s communication and messaging strategies.

The questions posed on the survey will be based largely on the top 10 complaints travelers have made to FMCSA. Pre-testing of the surveys will be performed at a location to be determined and upon approval of the survey by FMCSA. The survey design will be based on input received from FMCSA and from literature reviews of previous work that FMCSA has shared consisting of:

• DePaul University survey “Who Rides Curbside Buses?

• DePaul University “The Intercity Bus: America’s Fastest Growing Transportation Mode”

• DePaul University study “The Intercity Bus Rolls to Record Expansion”

• FMCSA “Outreach and Marketing Plan”

• FMCSA’s “Tactical Communications Plan”

• FMCSA’s National Consumer Complaint Database – top 10 complaints

• FMCSA’s “Safety checklist”

• NTSB “Report on Curbside Motorcoach Safety”

Intercept Interview Locations

Intercept interviews will be conducted in six cities across the United States. These locations have been selected in order to render a representative sample of motorcoach travelers and to include all types (reasons for) of motorcoach travel. Locations were selected based on geographic diversity and to cover the entire range of size of motorcoach carriers. Atlantic City, NJ and Orlando, FL have been selected to include leisure motorcoach travelers. These locations are busy, major bus travel hubs. Each city offers demographic and destination diversity. To further assure that a representative sample is generated, interviews will be conducted for two days in each market by teams of two people and interviews will take place throughout the day.  For the six locations as a whole, interviews will take place on different days throughout the week.

The interview locations are:

Washington, DC. Union Station. This is a major travel and leisure destination for commuters and tourists. Carriers servicing this location are both small and large in size, and include Greyhound, Bolt Bus, Peter Pan and Megabus.

New York City, NY. Chinatown. This is a popular pick-up and drop-off location for several Chinatown bus services, including Apex, MingAn and Tiger Travel.

Atlantic City, NJ. Travelers will be surveyed at pick-up and drop-off locations for gambling excursions. The carriers servicing this location are mostly smaller, regional carriers including Monsey Bus, Coachman Luxury Transport, BusBank and many others.

Orlando, FL. Travelers will be surveyed at pick-up and drop-off locations at theme parks. Carriers servicing this location are mostly smaller, regional carriers including I-95 Coach, Red Coach USA and The Florida Bus.

Los Angeles, CA. Union Station. This is the main railway station in Los Angeles and also a major hub for interstate bus travel. Carriers serving this location include Greyhound and Megabus.

Portland, OR. Union Station. Similar to Los Angeles, Union Station serves as a major transportation hub for Portland and a major hub for interstate bus travel. This station is serviced primarily by Greyhound.

Point Estimation

This study is a single stage project, and each market will use one-stage sampling. Design-based estimation is therefore appropriate. Key indicators to be measured include how travelers selected carriers, satisfaction with carriers and awareness of DOT messages regarding safety.

Variance/Standard Error Estimation

The sample size of 1,200 results in standard error of +/- 2.8% based on 95% confidence. Variance estimation is often used in national surveys that have what is termed complex sample design. This can include clustering, stratification, disproportionate sampling, and especially with regard to this survey of motorcoach travelers, multiple-stage sampling. However, this survey of motorcoach travelers will use one-stage sampling and simple random sampling.

Justification of Anticipated Response Rates

The survey of motorcoach travelers by DePaul University in August 2011, referenced above revealed that 95% of the people selected to be included in the study agreed to be surveyed. A very similar response rate is anticipated for this survey because the survey is of similar length. .

Non-response Adjustments

As a result of the anticipated high response rate, non-response will be minimal. Thus, no adjustments are expected to be required for this survey. However, interviewers will track the number of non-respondents on blank questionnaires and note travelers’ gender, race and approximate age.

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

ATTACHMENT A

MOTORCOACH TRAVELER CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

OMB NO: xxxx-xxxx

EXPIRATION DATE: xx/xx/xxxx

A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is XXXX-XXXX. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 10 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, MC-RRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. 20590.

MOTORCOACH TRAVELER

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

INTERCEPT INTERVIEW INTRODUCTION

Hello, I’m [interviewer’s name] and I am conducting surveys with people who have taken or are about to take a bus trip. This survey is designed to gauge your satisfaction with your bus trip and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your answers will be kept confidential and we are only interested in your opinion.

Do you have a few minutes to complete this survey?

• IF the respondent agrees to take the survey: Great, let’s get started. Skip to Section 1.

• IF respondent does not want to participate: Thank you for your time. Enjoy the rest of your day. [End Survey].

SECTION I: Screening Questions

1. Are you beginning or ending your bus trip?

 Beginning

• Middle - Transferring to another motorcoach

• Ending

2. Have you taken a bus survey in the last 60 days?

 Yes

• No

3. What is the purpose of your trip?

 Business

• Pleasure (Sightseeing, friends, family, sporting event, etc.)

• Personal business (Medical, financial affairs, etc.)

• To or from school

• Other _______________________ (Record answer)

4. Did you have multiple bus company options when booking your trip?

 Yes

• No

SECTION II: SATISFACTION WITH MOTORCOACH SERVICES

5. I’m going to read to you a list of considerations passengers may take in to account when selecting a bus company. Please rate how important each of these considerations are to you, where 1=Very Important, 2=Somewhat Important, 3=Not at all important, and 4=You did not consider. When you planned this trip, how important were each of the following:

	Very important	Somewhat important	Not at all important	Did not consider
Lowest fare compared to other travel options (flying, driving, etc.)	1	2	3	4
Lowest fare compared to other bus companies	1	2	3	4
Shortest travel time to my destination	1	2	3	4
Convenience of pick-up / drop-off locations	1	2	3	4
Safety of pick-up / drop-off locations	1	2	3	4
Overall reputation of the bus company	1	2	3	4
On board services (Wi-fi, restrooms, etc.)	1	2	3	4
Safety record of the bus company	1	2	3	4
Availability of information on the bus company’s website	1	2	3	4
Easy to purchase my tickets online	1	2	3	4
Easy to purchase my tickets in person	1	2	3	4
Bus company’s reputation for safety	1	2	3	4
Availability of safety information	1	2	3	4
Bus company is up to date on all required licensing	1	2	3	4
Meeting insurance requirements	1	2	3	4

6. How much time did you spend researching your ticket purchase? [Interviewer does not offer answer choices. Question is open-ended and responses are entered into one of the following categories.]

 Less than 10 minutes

• 10 minutes to 59 minutes

• 1 to 10 hours

• 10 hours or more

7. How did you purchase the ticket(s) for your trip?

• Bus company website

• Self-service ticket kiosk

• Bus ticket window/counter

• Curbside or onboard from bus driver or other representative

• Travel agent

• Other: _____________________________

8. How many bus companies did you consider when planning this trip?

 This was my only option

• 1

• 2

• 3 or more

9. I’m going to read to you a list and ask that you rate how well your expectations regarding these items were met on your last bus trip, where 1=Your expectations were exceeded, 2=Your expectations were met, 3=Your expectations were not met, and 4=You’re not sure or this was not applicable to your experience. On your last bus trip, how well were your expectations met regarding:

	Exceeded expectations	Met expectations	Did not meet expectations	Not sure / not applicable
Paying the advertised price	1	2	3	4
Traveling the scheduled route	1	2	3	4
Safety at pick-up / drop-off locations	1	2	3	4
On board services (Wi-fi, restrooms, etc.)	1	2	3	4
Level of heat or air conditioning	1	2	3	4
Enforcement of non-smoking rule	1	2	3	4
Baggage handling	1	2	3	4

Question 9, continued…

	Exceeded expectations	Met expectations	Did not meet expectations	Not sure / not applicable
Driver speaking your native language	1	2	3	4
Driver practicing safe driving	1	2	3	4
Safety on board	1	2	3	4
Compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)	1	2	3	4

10. I’m going to read 3 statements to you. Please note your reaction to these statements, where 1=Strongly Agree, 2=Somewhat agree, 3=Not sure, 4=Somewhat disagree, and 5=Strongly disagree.

	Strongly agree	Somewhat agree	Not sure	Somewhat Disagree	Strongly disagree
Bus companies are all about the same with regard to safety	1	2	3	4	5
The quality of service is about the same from all bus companies	1	2	3	4	5
I would like to have more information available regarding bus safety	1	2	3	4	5

SECTION III: DEMOGRAPHICS

11. What is your age?

 Under 23

• 24-34

• 35-49

• 50-64

• 65 or older

12. Are you of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin or ancestry?

• Yes

• No

13. What is your race? (Please select all that apply.)

• White

• Black or African American

• Asian

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

13. What is your gender?

 Female

• Male

14. What was your household income before taxes in 2012?

 Less than $10,000

• $10,000 - $19,999

• $20,000 - $39,999

• $40,000 - $59,999

• $60,000 or more

1 Dunham, Jon & Associates, “Motorcoach Census 2011,” June 2012, http://www.buses.org/files/Foundation/Final_Motorcoach_Census_2011_7-3-2012.pdf (accessed 01/16/2013).

2 International Mobility & Trade Corridor Project (IMTC), “2008 Passenger Intercept Survey Final Report,” 2008, http://www.wwu.edu/bpri/files/2008_O-D_Final_Report.pdf (accessed 01/16/2013).

3 Ibid.

4 Fischer, Lauren A. and Schwieterman, Joseph P., Ph.D., “Who Rides Curbside Buses? A Passengers Survey of Discount Curbside Bus Services in Six Eastern and Midwestern Cities,” August 2011, http://las.depaul.edu/chaddick/docs/2011-2012_Reports/Who_Rides_Curbside_Buses_-__A_Passenger_.pdf (accessed 01/16/2013).

5 Newport, Frank, Saad, Lydia, and Moore, David, “Where America Stands,” 1997, http://www.janda.org/c10/Lectures/topic05/GallupFAQ.htm, (accessed 01/16/2013).

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