A computerized household activity scheduling survey

Household activity scheduling is widely regarded as the underlying mechanis m through which people respond to emerging travel demand management policie s. Despite this, very little fundamental research has been conducted into t he underlying scheduling process to improve our understanding and ability f orecast travel. The experimental survey approach presented in this paper at tempts to fill this gap. At the core of the survey is a Computerized Househ old Activity Scheduling (CHASE) software program. The program is unique in that it runs for a week long period during which time all adult household m embers login daily to record their scheduling decisions as they occur over time. An up-front interview is used to define a household's activity agenda and mode availability. A sample of 41 households (66 adults and 14 childre n) was used to assess the performance of the survey. Analysis focuses on ti mes to completion, daily scheduling steps, activity-travel patterns, and sc heduling time horizons. Overall, the results show that the computer-based s urvey design was successful in gathering an array of information on the und erlying process, while minimizing the burden on respondents. The survey was also capable of tracing traditionally observed activity-travel outcomes ov er a multi-day period with minimal fatigue effects. The paper concludes wit h a detailed discussion on future survey design, including issues of instru ment bias, use of the Internet, and improved tracing of spatial behaviour. Future use of the survey methodology to enhance activity-travel diary surve ys and stated responses experiments is also discussed.