1

Our Nation’s Travel

1995 NPTS Early Results Report

CONTENTS

Introduction ................................ . 2

Changes in the Population and Vehicles ........ . 3

Household Vehicles and Their Use ............. . 6

Personal Travel ............................. . 9

Warning on Travel Data ..................... . 10

Why We Travel - Trip Purpose ................ . 11

How We Travel - Means of Transport .......... . 17

Vehicle Trips .............................. . 22

Vehicle Occupancy ......................... . 24

Travel by: Elderly ...................... . 26

African-Americans ............ . 27

Hispanics .................... . 28

 Children ..................... . 29

Policy Implications ......................... . 30

Terms Used in this Publication ............... . 35

Source of data: All of the data presented in this report is from the

Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) series, unless

otherwise indicated. 
2

INTRODUCTION

America remains the land of opportunity. An essential element of

opportunity is mobility and access. . .to jobs, services, goods, recreation,

and entertainment. The growth in opportunities has caused changes in

travel patterns. And, more than the growth of opportunities is at work

here. Technological advances, changing roles of men and women in

society, increases in the elderly population, and our increased knowledge

of human behavior have significantly impacted our lives in the last quarter

of the 20th century. Our travel behavior also reflects many of these

changes in our society. The Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey

(NPTS) provides the data needed to quantify and analyze current travel

and to study travel in the context of the demographics of the traveler and

the travel choices available. 

NPTS is the nation’s inventory of daily passenger travel. It is the only

authoritative source of national data on the amount and nature of daily

personal travel in the U.S. and how travel has changed over time. The

NPTS collects information on:

C all trips

C by all modes

C for all purposes

C in urban and rural areas 

The Survey was collected from a sample of U.S. households. These data

are expanded to provide annual, national estimates of trips and miles by

travel mode, purpose, time of day, day of week, and a host of other

characteristics that are used by transportation planners and others

concerned with the mobility of the American public and the human,

economic and environmental impacts of transportation. The 1995 survey

is the fifth in a series that began in 1969, and was continued in 1977,

1983 and 1990. 
Changes in Population and Vehicles 

1969 1977 1983 1990 1995

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

Households Persons Drivers Workers Vehicles

Percent Change

(1969 = 100%)

 Figure 1

3

CHANGES IN POPULATION AND VEHICLES 

< The rate of increase in drivers and workers is more than three times

that of population growth.

< The rate of increase in household vehicles is six times the rate of the

population increase. 

Over the past twenty six years (1969-1995) there were relatively modest increases

in the population (23 percent). The increases in households (58 percent), workers

(74 percent), and drivers (72 percent) are much larger and striking in their similarity,

but these data make sense in terms of the decrease in household size over this

period. These new, smaller households will most likely have a person who is a

worker and a driver. 

The most striking change in the data is the 143 percent increase in household

vehicles since 1969. We went from a society of one car per household in 1969 to

a society of close to two cars per household in 1995, in a time that household size

declined by 17 percent. The dramatic growth in household vehicle ownership

occurred between 1969 and 1977, with steady increases since then. 
Changes in Rates

1969 1977 1983 1990 1995

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Drivers per Household

Persons per Household

Vehicles per Household

Workers per person 16+

Vehicles per Driver

Workers per Household

Vehicles per Worker

Figure 2

4

Recent data show that the trend in increases in vehicles per household,

vehicles per worker and vehicles per driver are starting to stabilize. 

< Early signs of saturation in vehicle ownership 

Despite the significant growth in household vehicles over time, the data

from the 1995 survey indicate that household vehicle ownership is

beginning to stabilize. This is shown in the rates of vehicles per

household, vehicles per driver and vehicles per worker. Note that

workers per household and workers per person 16+ show modest

increases since 1990.
Share of Workers & Drivers

By Gender

1969 1977 1983 1990 1995

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

Male Drivers per Male 16+

Female Drivers per Female 16+

Male Workers per male 16+

Female Workers per female 16+

Figure 3

5

The changing roles of women in our society between 1969 and 1995 are very evident . Women

workers as a percent of women 16 or older grew from 37 percent to 59 percent. The corresponding

increase for men was from 72 percent to 74 percent , however men 16 and older had been at nea- r

saturation levels in employment throughout this time, with the exception of low-income, immigrant

and African-American men. 

Driver status also shows considerable growth for women, from 61 percent in 1969 to 85 percent in

1995. Men drivers per men 16 and older were at 87 percent in 1969, and grew to 93 percent in 1995.

As with men workers, it appears that the incidence of men drivers per men 16 and older has

reached saturation. 
Households by Number of Vehicles

1969 1977 1983 1990 1995

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 Vehicle Households

1 Vehicle Households

2 Vehicles Households

3 Vehicle Households

Households (Millions)

 Figure 4

6

HOUSEHOLD VEHICLES AND THEIR USE

< Eight million U. S. households still have no vehicle 

The number of households without a vehicle has decreased from almost

thirteen million to eight million over the 26-year period from 1969 to 1995.

The eight million households without vehicles in 1995 are predominantly

in the lowest income categories, and the common perception is that the

gap in economic status between them and households with vehicles is

continuing to grow. 

The number of one-vehicle households has remained almost stable over

time, at approximately 30 million. But, in 1969, one-vehicle households

represented 48 percent of all households. By 1995, this proportion had

dropped to 32 percent of all households. 

The most startling change in vehicle ownership has been in the number

of households with three or more vehicles, which has grown from 3 million

households in 1969 to 19 million in 1995, a six-fold increase.

The number of two-vehicle households has grown from 17 million in 1969

to 40 million in 1995. Forty percent of all U.S. households in 1995 were

two-vehicle households. 
Zero Vehicle Households

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

All

0 Vehicles

African

American

Hispanic

Single

Parent

Household

Income

Below $25K

Percent

 Figure 5

Households

7

< African-American households have the highest relative

incidence of zero-vehicles

African-Americans comprise 11.8 percent of all households, but account

for 35.1 percent of households without a vehicle. No other group exhibits

this three to one ratio of households without a vehicle as compared to

percent of all households. 

In examining vehicle ownership by household income, it is no surprise that

the 29 percent of households in the lowest income tier account for 65

percent of households without vehicles. 

Single parent households also show a disproportionately high rate of

households without vehicles, 12 percent, compared to their incidence in

the population, 5 percent. 
1969 1977 1983 1990 1995

0

50

100

150

200

Distribution of Household

 Vehicles by Age

0-2 Yrs

3-5 Yrs

6-9 Yrs

10+ Yrs

Figure 6

8

- Continuation of the trend to retain older vehicles

Between 1990 and 1995, the number of vehicles over 5 years old increased by almost 13 million.

The number 3-5 years old decreased by 9 million and the number 0-2 years has remained stable

since 1983. The growth in vehicles per household from 1.68 in 1983 to 1.78 in 1995 reflects that

households are retaining, or even acquiring, vehicles older than 5 years. 
Total Travel

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

All Person Miles

Person Miles by POV

Vehicle Miles

Billions of Miles

Figure 7

9

PERSONAL TRAVEL 

Travel may be expressed in several different ways. This report will use

the concepts of:

person trips,

person miles of travel (PMT),

vehicle trips, and 

vehicle miles of travel (VMT), 

as defined at the end of the report. 

 

To set total travel in a context, the chart provides a comparison of person

miles, person miles by private vehicle (POV), and vehicle miles of travel.
NPTS Trip Rates 

Persons age 5 and over

0

1

2

3

4

5

Daily Person Trips per Person

3.1

3.8

(Adjusted 1990)

4.2

1990 1995

(1990 with and without Adjustment)

Figure 8

Change in Daily Trips

 per Person

1990-1995

Increase in Trips

36.0%

Survey Methods

64.0%

* Use of Diary

* Reduce Proxy

* Advance Letter

* Reduce "no travel" 

Figure 9

10

WARNING ON TRAVEL DATA 

It is important that the NPTS data user not attempt to directly compare the

data on daily travel from the 1995 survey with the 1990 or any of the

earlier NPTSs. A number of changes were made in the 1995 survey that

have made this fifth NPTS in the series the most realistic reflection of

personal travel data. However, these changes also mean that the 1995

data on daily travel are not directly comparable to the 1990 or earlier

NPTSs. 

When the 1995 NPTS data are directly compared with the 1990 data, the

following is shown:

4.2 - 1995 daily person trips/person 

3.1 - 1990 daily person trips/person

1.1 - calculated Aincrease@ in person trips/person 

From preliminary analysis of the data, it appears that, when the 1990 data

are adjusted to make up for differences in survey methods, the following

rates are shown:

4.2 - 1995 daily person trips per person 

3.8 - 1990 adjusted person trips per person 

0.4 - true increase in person trips per person.
Purpose of Travel by Percent

20.2%

2.6% 17.7%

0.2%

16.7%

8.2%

8.8%

24.2%

1.5%

13.5%

5.8% 22.5%

0.4%

19.5%

11.2% 5.7%

19.9%

1.5%

Work-related Work

Other

Other Social

& Recreational

Visiting

School

& Church

Other Family 

& Personal

Shopping

Shopping

Doctor/Dent.

Other 

Social &

Recreational

Visiting School

& Church

Other Family

& Personal

Doctor/Dentist

Work related Work

Other

Family

& Personal

Family

& Personal

Social &

Recreation

Social &

Recreation

Person Trips Person Miles

Figure 10

11

WHY WE TRAVEL -- TRIP PURPOSE 

< Family and personal business dominates personal travel,

followed by social & recreational travel, with the commute to

work as the third most frequent purpose 

 

Because much of our travel is accomplished in trip chains, it is often

difficult to sort out the reasons for our daily travel without a quantitative

tool like a household travel survey. The most prevalent reason for travel

is family and personal business, which includes shopping, running

errands, and dropping off and picking up others. Close to one of every

two trips and slightly more than one out of every three person miles are

traveled for family and personal business. The next most common

reason is social and recreational activities, which accounts for one out of

every four trips and just under one out of every three miles. Travel to and

from work is the third most frequent trip purpose, accounting for one out

of every sixtrips and more than one out of every five miles traveled.
This is an exception to the general rule of not directly comparing 1995 1

data with earlier NPTSs. Work trip characteristics have not been impacted by

the survey changes.

12

< Commuting to work accounts for about one-fifth of person

trips and person miles 

Commuting accounts for only 18 percent of person trips and 22 percent

of person miles. However, when the topic of personal travel is discussed,

it is often in terms of the commute to work. There are several reasons for

this deserved emphasis on travel to work:

C employed adults travel about 6600 more miles per year than

those without jobs 

C the temporal and geographic concentration of work trips place the

largest strain on all transportation systems, and 

C for the individual worker, the trip to work often dictates when,

where and how his/her other travel is accomplished.

< Commute speeds increased by more than 20 percent over the

past 12 years 

While the average commute to work has increased in length, the travel

time to work has not shown corresponding increases. Between 1983 and

1995, commuting trips grew 37 percent longer in miles, while the travel

time increased only 14 percent. The speed of the average commute, 1

including trips by all modes, went from 28 to 34 miles per hour. This trend

seems to fly in the face of the reality of 

congested roads. There are three reasons most often cited for the

increase in speed of travel time to work:

C the continued decentralization of metropolitan areas

C the expansion of the peak period, because of greater flexibility in

hours of work, and 

C the switch from carpool and transit to single occupant vehicle

trips, which are usually more time-efficient for the individual

worker, even though they may be less efficient for the overall

transportation systems. 
Commute Profile

1983 1990 1995 % Change

Average 

Work Trip 

Length 

(Miles)

8.5 10.6 11.6 36.5

Average 

Work Travel 

Time 

(Minutes)

18.2 19.7 20.7 13.7

Average 

Work Trip 

Speed (MPH)

28 32.3 33.6 20

’83 - ’95

Figure 11

13

All three factors would contribute to workers being able to commute at

higher speeds. The growth in the outer rim of suburbs in large metro

areas may reflect the fact that people can now have a longer commute in

miles with only a modest increase in travel time, at least for the short term.
Work/Non-Work Trips

By time of Day

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Work

Non-Work

Mid-6AM

6-9AM

9-Noon

Noon-4PM

4-7PM

7-Mid

Percent

Figure 12

14

- Commute trips are in the minority, even during rush hour

In examining the work trip as a component of total travel, it is useful to

compare work trips by time of day with trips for all other purposes. There

is a common perception that most of the trips made during the traditional

Arush hour@ are for commuting to work. The survey results show that the

work trip share during these times is smaller than expected.

Approximately 37 percent of trips for all purposes start during the two

rush hour periods, defined here as 6am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm. Only

10 percent of trips for all purposes are work trips starting these two

periods. Less than one out of three person trips starting during rush hour

are trips to or from work. 

This seemingly small share of work trips probably reflect trip chaining,

where stops are made on the way to or from another destination, like the

workplace. In NPTS, these stops are counted as separate trips, and

labeled with the appropriate purpose. As steps are taken to improve the

survey to capture more of these incidental trips, it is likely that the work

share will continue to decline. 
Shopping Trips

Midnight-6AM

6AM-9AM

9AM-Noon

Noon-4PM

4PM-7PM

7PM-Midnight

0 10 20 30 40

Weekday

Weekend

Percent

Figure 13

15

- Shopping trips are spread evenly throughout the week

Shopping is another trip purpose that commands much attention and is a

continually growing segment of personal travel. Currently shopping

comprises one out of every five person trips and one out of every seven

person miles traveled. Those of us who work the traditional Monday

through Friday work week tend to think of shopping as a weekend

activity. However the data show that the vast majority of shopping trips,

77 percent, take place on weekdays, which make up 71 percent of the

days of the week. 
Pickup / Dropoff Trips

Weekday

Weekend

Men

Women

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent

77.73

22.27

37.31

62.69

Figure 14

16

- Women make two-thirds of the trips to take someone else

someplace 

Like shopping, trips to take someone else someplace occur

disproportionally during the week. This makes sense when you consider

that the great majority of these trips probably involve getting children to

school or to after-school activities. It is also no surprise women make twothirds of all pickup and dropoff trips, as they are termed in the NPTS.

Approximately 11 percent of all trips made by women and 7 percent of

all trips made by men are for this purpose. Originally these trips were

called Aserve passenger@, but that wording implies travel in private

vehicles. While the overwhelming majority of these trips, 95 percent, are

by private vehicle, another 2 percent are by walking and 1 percent are

by public transit, with the other modes making up the remaining 2

percent. In Western Europe these pickup and dropoff trips are called

Aescort@ trips, which describes them more accurately. 
Means of Travel

Walk accounts for 5% of trips, but less than 1% of miles. Air travel accounts for 

less than 1% of trips, but 3% of miles.

POV

POV

Other Other

Transit

Transit Walk

School

Bus School

Bus

86.1%

90.8%

4.9%

1.7%

5.4%

1.8%

5.5%

1.3%

2.1% Walk

0.3%

Person Trips Person Miles

Figure 15

17

HOW WE TRAVEL -- MEANS OF TRANSPORT

 - Ninety percent of all person miles are in privately owned

vehicles (POV) 

Switching from why we travel to how we get around, travel by private

vehicle accounts for 86 percent of all person trips and 91 percent of all

person miles. Walking is the next most used mode, with 5.4 percent of

all trips, but less than one percent of all person miles. 

Transit use, which tends to be concentrated in the largest metro areas,

accounts for 1.8 percent of all trips and 2.1 percent of all person miles.

Transit use is highly dependent on route and time of day considerations.

Approximately 44 percent of all transit trips take place in the traditional

peak periods of 6am to 9 am and 4 pm to 7pm. 

The school bus share of person trips at 1.7 percent is virtually the same

as the transit, however the share of person miles is smaller than transit

at 1.3 percent , probably reflecting the shorter distances of school bus

trips. 
Walk & Bike Trips

Walk Trips Bike Trips

Family & Personal 43% Social & Recreational 60% Family &

Personal 22%

School &

Church 

9%

Work 8%

Other 

1%

Social &

Recreational

34%

Work

7%

School &

Church 14%

Other

2%

Figure 16

18

- We make 65 million walk and bike trips a day

Pedestrian and bicycle trips are also of considerable interest. There are

approximately 56 million daily walk trips in the U.S. Family and personal

business accounts for 43 percent of all walk trips, with another 34 percent

for social and recreational purposes, and 14 percent for going to school

or church. 

Sixty percent of the 9 million daily bicycle trips are for social and

recreational purposes, another 22 percent are for family and personal

business purposes, and 9 percent are for going to school or church. Only

8 percent of all bicycle trips are for commuting to work, which is not

surprising, given increasing work trip lengths.
Women’s Travel

5-15 16-19 20-34 35-49 50-64 65+ 0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Driver

Non-Driver

AGE

Annual Person Miles (Billions)

Figure 18

Men’s Travel

5-15 16-19 20-34 35-49 50-64 65+ 0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Driver

Non-Driver

AGE

Annual Person Miles (Billions)

Figure 17

19

- Driving accounts for two-thirds of all person miles in private

vehicles

Although women are travelling more than in the recent past, the tendency

for men to be behind the wheel continues. The ratio of total person miles

by private vehicle to the driver miles are displayed in the accompanying

figures. There are three things evident:

C men contribute more of the person miles by private vehicle than

women, but not much more (1.7 trillion person miles, as

compared to 1.4 for women.)

C when men travel by private vehicle their incidence of serving as

the driver is greater than women’s. Overall, two thirds of travel

in private vehicles is as the driver, however adult men tend to be

the driver almost three-fourths of the time they are in the vehicle,

while adult women are the driver just over half the time they are

in the vehicle. 

C The difference between the genders in the percent of miles as a

driver are less pronounced in the teenage group, 16-19. Once

over the age of 20, the ratio of total private vehicle miles to driver

miles is much wider for women than for men.
Passenger/Driver Person Miles

By Worker / Non-Worker

Worker Non-Worker

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

Driver

Passenger

POV Person Miles (Trillions)

Figure 19

Passenger and Driver 

Miles

By Household Income

<25K 25-40K 40-65K 65K+ Not Reported

0

200

400

600

800

POV Person Miles (Billions)

Driver

Non-Driver

Figure 20

20

The share of private vehicle person miles as a driver is even more

pronounced when comparing workers and non-workers. Workers

contiribute 68 percent of all person miles by private vehicle, while nonworkers account for the other 32 percent (2.1 trillion person miles by

workers versus 1 trillion by non-workers.) Again, while two-thirds of

travel in private vehicles is as the driver, workers tend to be the driver 80

percent of the time they are in the vehicle, while non-workers are the

driver only 40 percent of the time. 

In viewing the percent of POV person miles as the driver for the various

income groups, the similarity across income is striking. Most travel

behavior exhibits considerable change with income, however, there are

virtually no differences here. For each income group, approximately twothirds of the person miles are as the driver. 
Work Travel by Mode

POV’s POV’s

Person Trips Person Miles

Figure 21

Transit

3.13%

Walk

2.3%

Other 3.17%

Transit

3.47%

Other

3.38%

91% 93%

Walk 0.15%

Not Shown

21

- Carpooling accounts for only 16 percent of all person work

trips

The commute to work reflects many of the same mode choices as the full

spectrum of travel. Private vehicle accounts for 91 percent of all person

commute trips and 93 percent of all person miles to work. Of the 91

percent in private vehicle commute trips, 75 percent are driver alone and

16 percent are by carpool. Work trips have historically had the lowest

vehicle occupancy of all trip purposes. The 1995 rate of 1.14 is the same

as found in 1990 and remains the lowest in the 26 years of the NPTS.

The transit share of work trips is 3.13 percent , as compared to transit’s

1.8 share of all trips. Historically, transit has had higher usage rates for

commuting to work than for other purposes. In the past, when jobs were

in the central city and work hours were standard, transit was a more viable

option. The current continued expansion of jobs to the suburbs and

exurbs, staggered work hours, and the growth of the service economy

create an environment with many challenges to providing transit service.
Daily Time Spent Driving

Male Female

16 - 19 57.7 56.1

20-34 80.7 65.4

35-49 85.5 67.4

50-64 87.7 61.1

65+ 73.2 54.7

All 81.3 63.6

Ages

Average Minutes

Figure 22

22

VEHICLE TRIPS

< Men drivers average 81 minutes a day behind the wheel,

women average 64 minutes

The predominance of the private vehicle in personal travel results in

considerable attention for this mode . In our increasingly busy lives,

there is concern over the amount of time spent behind the wheel.

The average time per day for all drivers is 1 hour and 13 minutes.

Overall, men spend about 17 minutes more per day than women. 
Average Annual Miles 

By Driver Age and Sex

16-19 20-34 35-54 55-64 65+ 

0

5

10

15

20

Men Women

Figure 23

23

- Depending on age, women drive 60 to 70 percent as many

miles as men the same age 

Between the ages of 20 through 54 years, men’s driving is in the range of

17,000 to 18,000 annual miles. Women’s driving during these same ages

averages 11,000 miles per year. 

The gap between men’s and women’s driving continues to close as

women’s participation in the work force increases, not only in number of

employed women, but in the nature of the jobs they hold, and the impact

of their work on their family and household responsibilities.
Vehicle Occupancy

(By Purpose)

All Purposes

Work

Shopping

Family/Personal

School/Church

Visiting

Social/Recreational

1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 2.2 2.4

Figure 24

24

VEHICLE OCCUPANCY

- Vehicle occupancy is 1.59 persons per vehicle 

 

When occupancy rates are calculated from NPTS data, the preferred

method is to weight the number of occupants by the trip length. Thus a

trip of 12 miles has 6 times the value of a 2-mile trip. The results yield a

rate of person miles over vehicle miles . The occupancy rates for all travel

is 1.59 person miles per vehicle mile, ranging from a low of 1.14 for work

to 2.17 for other social and recreational purposes. This is slightly lower

than those from 1990, however, the 1995 data contain a more accurate

representation of short, incidental trips which tend to have lower

occupancies.

Many of our perceptions of travel focus on the commute to work, and

vehicle occupancy is no exception. There is a general view that all vehicle

occupancy is just over 1.0, but that comes from the relatively low

occupancy on work trips.
Percent of Vehicle Trips 

by Vehicle Occupants and Trip Purpose

All

Other S&R

Other F&P

Visit

School/Church

Shopping

Work-related

Work

0 20 40 60 80 100

2+ Occupants

One Occupant

Figure 25

Percent

25

- About one-third of all vehicle trips are multi-occupant

The ratio of multi-occupant to single occupant trips varies considerably by

trip purpose. As expected, the other social and recreational purpose has

the highest share of multi-occupant vehicle trips, 52 percent. The next

highest share is other family and personal business, with 41 percent multioccupant. Together these two purposes account for almost 40 percent of

all vehicle trips. About one-third of the trips for shopping, to go to school

or church, or to visit friends or relatives are multi-occupant. These three

purposes account for another 33 percent of all vehicle trips. Trips for

work-related travel and to or from work, which account for 27 percent of

all vehicle trips, are the least likely to be multi-occupant, with rates of only

13 percent and 9 percent, respectively. 
Travel by Elderly

Population

% Person Trips 

Work

Shopping

Oth Fam/Per

Soc/Rec

Other

% Person Trips by Mode

POV-Driver

POV-Passenger

Public Transit

Walk

0 20 40 60

65+

Under 65

Figure 26

87.1% >

26

TRAVEL BY THE ELDERLY

- Average trip-making declines about 25 percent for seniors

Thirteen percent of the U.S. population is 65 years or older, and this group

averages 1251 person trips per year or 3.43 trips a day. Those under the

age of 65 make 1615 annual person trips, or 4.42 a day. Some of this

reduction in mobility may be by choice, but some of it is commonly

perceived to be the result of mobility and access issues.

The means of transport for seniors is surprisingly similar to the under 65

group. Some of the continued dominance of the private vehicle is

probably due to household location, the capability to stay healthier and

more active than previous generations of elderly, and the poor selection

of alternatives to private vehicle travel. 
Annual Person Trips per Person

For African-American and Caucasians

AfricanAmericans Caucasians

All 1421 1602

POV Driver 722 1006

POV Passenger 352 411

Transit 95 15

Walk 131 72

Other 121 98

Figure 27

27

TRAVEL BY AFRICAN-AMERICANS 

- Transit trip rates for African-Americans are six times that of

Caucasians

On average, African-Americans make 95 annual transit trips per person,

Caucasians average one-sixth that rate, at 15 annual transit trips per

person. Much of this disparity is probably due to lower vehicle ownership

rates and housing location patterns among African-Americans. 

African-Americans make 76 percent of their trips by private vehicle, as

compared to 88 percent for Caucasians. On average African-Americans

make 1421 annual trips per person, or 3.9 trips a day, compared to 1602

annual and 4.4 daily trips per person by Caucasians. 
Annual Person Trips per Person

For Hispanics and Non-Hispanics

Hispanics Non-Hispanics

All 1535 1572

POV Driver 820 965

POV Passenger 434 400

Transit 48 25

Walk 126 80

Other 107 102

Figure 28

28

TRAVEL BY HISPANICS

 - Among Hispanics, there is a higher incidence of transit, walking

and private vehicle passenger trips than among Non-Hispanics

When the data are arrayed differently to highlight the travel patterns of

Hispanics, the differences are not as distinct as race. The differences in

private vehicle use are slight, with Hispanics making 82 percent of their

trips by private vehicle, versus 87 percent by non-Hispanics. Hispanics

are twice as likely to use transit as non-Hispanics, and Hispanics make

fifty percent more walking trips than their non-Hispanic counterparts. As

with African-Americans, the lower vehicle ownership rate among

Hispanics and the location of their households may contribute to these

differences in travel behavior. 
Travel by Children (5-15)

5-9 Years 10-15 Years

% Trips by Trip Purpose

Social/Recreational 39.6 40.6

Family/Personal 31.3 28.5

School 26.3 26.8

Other 2.8 4.1

Annual Trips/Person 1334 1366

POV passenger 982 890

School Bus 120 143

Walk 107 157

Transit 16 22

Other 109 154

% School Trips by Mode

POV 52.8 43.5

School Bus 30.2 36

Walk 10.5 12.4

Other 6.5 8.1

Figure 29

29

TRAVEL BY CHILDREN 

 - Our children get to school primarily by private vehicle, school

bus accounts for one-third of all school trips 

About half of America’s school children aged 5-15 go to school as

passengers in private vehicles. Another third take the school bus and just

over 10 percent walk. The prevalence of private vehicle use in trips to

and from school is likely to be related to the two-income household.

Dropping off or picking up a child at school may fit better into the daily

routine of working parents than having the child take the school bus. 

Trips to and from school account for just over one-fourth of the trips made

by 5 to 15 year-olds. Social and recreational activities comprise forty

percent of their trips, and another thirty percent are made for family and

personal business. 

For all trip purposes, traveling as a passenger in a private vehicle is by far

the dominant mode, accounting for almost 74 percent of the trips made by

those 5-9 years old, and 65 percent of the trips of those 10-15 years old.
30

POLICY IMPLICATIONS 

MOBILITY AND EQUITY 

< Significant mobility issues still exist for certain population

segments 

The mobility of the majority of the American population is greater than

ever, and we remain the most mobile nation on earth. However, there are

subgroups within the population that have significant mobility constraints,

and the gap between these groups and the general population is growing.

Unless these mobility issues are dealt with constructively, we will continue

to have groups that are disenfranchised from the social, political and

economic benefits of this society. NPTS and other data sources show

that these groups are low-income, elderly, recent immigrants, physically

handicapped, and, to some degree, people of color.

As we transition welfare recipients to work, we need to closely examine

how these work force entrants will not only get to an increasingly

suburbanized job market, but also how they will accomplish their family

responsibilities and household maintenance activities. This issue goes

much further than welfare recipients, it includes almost everyone whose

household income is in the lowest third. There is much that can and will

be mined from the NPTS data to guide us on how these groups currently

accomplish their travel needs and the related cost in terms of travel time.

Remedial actions may not necessarily require large amounts of capital

investment. It is possible that solutions may come from carefully crafted

programs in which those at issue are involved in the decision-making

process. 
31

SOCIETAL CHANGE 

< Women’s roles continue to change and these changes have

serious impact on household travel patterns

< New technology may allow for measurable substitution of

telecommunications for travel 

 

There are many elements of societal change, but perhaps the most

pervasive are the changing roles and activities of womenCin the

workplace, in the household unit, and in society at large. We are seeing

a continuation of the trend that the typical woman is wearing at least

three hats: worker, family nurturer, and household maintainer. And

increasingly, many women also have responsibilities for aging parents or

in-laws. Single parent homes headed by women have additional

challenges. These issues have great impact for transportation demand

and choice of mode. The NPTS data show, for example, that two-thirds

of trips for dropping off or picking up someone are made by women.

Further, most of these trips are, by necessity, in private vehicles. 

Technology has also made a significant impact in our daily lives. The

prevalence of personal computers at work and at home, e-mail, use of the

Internet, cellphones, pagers, and other gadgets of the 1990’s have

resulted in drastic changes in the way many of us communicate with each

other, the way we work, and how we spend our shrinking free time. For

many people, the PC screen has become an alternative to the TV screen,

as a form of entertainment. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) have

given us technology such as advanced traffic control systems, traveler

information systems, and automatic toll collection to ease congestion and

improve mobility on the highways. However, we must take care to keep

this array of technological change in the proper perspective. For example,

there are huge numbers of jobs for which telecommuting will never be an

option. We must balance these forces to use technology to its best

advantage, while insuring that our transportation systems meet the needs

of all segments of the society, including the sizeable portion that may not

substitute telecommunications for travel. 
Monthly Labor Review, April 1996, Page 24 1

32

ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF

TRANSPORTATION 

< Transportation is the ‘circulatory system’ of our service

economy 

< The trends in greater use of new vehicles may improve air

quality 

The economic impacts of transportation are so central to our lives that

they are almost transparent. Only in rare instances such as fires, floods

and earthquakes, do we have such a total interruption of transportation

that its absence can be felt by all. Transportation is the glue that keeps

the economy together, at the individual, household, neighborhood,

community, regional, and national levels. 

For the individual, transportation allows access to jobs, goods and

services. It allows us to live farther from work and not pay a comparable

price in travel time, at least in the present. The efficiency of our

transportation systems allows us the luxury of having more trips and travel

for social and recreational activities than for going to and from work. At

the household level, transportation is second on the list of household

expenditures, following only housing. Yes, at the household level, more 1

is spent on transportation than food. The American household has a wide

variety of choices in how it spends its time and money, and these choices

are supported by our transportation network. 
33

The impacts of transportation on the natural environment has been a topic

of much public discussion and debate in recent years. The air quality

issues associated with the use of private vehicles has been at the heart

of the controversy. The NPTS results showing expanding use of private

vehicles, particularly in single-occupant trips, runs counter to most

metropolitan area plans for increasing use of transit and carpooling. The

shrinking portion of travel for work reduces the impact of air quality travel

demand management strategies targeted at commuting. Further,

increases in trip chaining, in which personal business trips are made on

the way to and from work, often require use of a private vehicle. 

Technological changes in the vehicle fleet, starting with the changeover

to unleaded gas, have served to mitigate the environmental impacts of

transportation. Other technological changes in newer vehicles have

resulted in dramatic emissions reduction. The trends shown in the earlier

NPTS surveys on the aging of the household vehicle fleet has implications

for air quality issues. However, the 1995 data appear to signal a slowing

of that trend. Despite our growing concern for the environment, much of

our travel is related to where we have chosen to live and work. 
Pisarski, Alan - “Recognizing, Creating & Marketing Survey Quality” 1

presented at the conference on “Transport Surveys: Raising the Standard”,

Grainau, Germany, May 1997

34

LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION

< The myth of Americans’ love affair with our cars may actually

be a marriage of convenience. Contemporary land use

patterns require the use of private vehicles, whether or not we

love those vehicles.

The continued spatial expansion of our metropolitan areas creates a

scenario that is increasingly auto-dependent. There are some exceptions

to this, particularly in the initiatives for liveable communities. But, the

reality is that much of today’s travel is suburb to suburb, with widely

dispersed origins and destinations. This is reflected in the substantial

share of private vehicle travel--the predominant suburban and exurban

mode. Most of this travel is for non-work purposes, mainly family and

personal business and social/recreational, for which travel demand

management offers little in terms of mobility improvement. 

Alan Pisarski, a pivotal national transportation analyst, has said that

Atransportation is the collision of demography with geography. If we are 1

to continue to maintain our current levels of mobility, much more needs to

be done in assessing the impacts of land use on transportation. The 1995

NPTS dataset, with the characteristics of the residence and workplace

appended to the interview data, provide us with a rich source to use. 

SUMMARY 

There is much more that we, the transportation research community, can

analyze and present using the 1995 NPTS. To the degree that this paper

has provided a framework of understanding of personal travel or has

raised more questions on this topic, it has been a success.
35

TERMS USED IN THIS PUBLICATION

Means of Transportation - Sometimes referred to as "mode," this term identifies the method

used to make a trip. For purposes of presentation in the tables and charts used in this report,

unless specifically identified, means of transportation will be group as "Other." The following

transportation modes, grouped by major mode, are included in the transportation data:

Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) - The Privately Owned Vehicle refers to those

motor vehicles owned or used by the surveyed household but does not include

vehicles of persons visiting with the household. POV includes Automobile, Van,

Sport Utility Vehicle, Pickup Truck, Other Trucks, Recreational Vehicle, Motorcycle,

and Other private vehicle.

Public Transportation - Any form of transportation publicly used in Bus, Commuter

Train, Subway/Elevated Rail, Streetcar/Trolley, and Other not specified.

Other Modes - Include Amtrak, Airplane, Taxicab, Bicycle, Walking, and School

Bus

 

Other - Any form of transportation not specified.

Person miles - the number of miles traveled by each person on the trip. For example, two

people making a five-mile trip by car would generate 10 person miles. 

Person trip - a movement from one address to another by one person by any mode.

Person trip by private vehicle - a subset of all person trips, to include only those trips by

private vehicle. There is still one person trip for each person on the trip, whether they are

the driver or a passenger. 

Trip Chaining - This refers to making stops on the way to or from a major destination, such

as home or work. In the NPTS, these incidental trips are classified as their own purpose.

An example of a trip chain would be taking a child to school and stopping at the bank, then

continuing on to work. The first two would be counted as two separate trips, each for family

and personal business.
36

Trip Purpose - A trip purpose is the main reason that motivates a trip. For

purposes of this survey, there are basically 10 trip reasons within five major

purposes as follows:

Earning a Living - Includes To or From Work travel, and WorkRelated Business.

Family and Personal Business - Includes Shopping,

Doctor/Dentist, and Other Family and Personal Business such as

banking, haircuts, etc.

School/Church - This category includes trips to school, college or

university for classes, or to PTA meetings, and religious activities.

Social and Recreational- This category includes Vacation,

Visiting Friends and Relatives, and Other Social or Recreational

trips taken for entertainment and recreation.

Other- For trips that do not fit any of the other categories.

Vehicle miles of travel (VMT) - each mile traveled by a private vehicle.

In the example above, the two people making a five-mile car trip would

generate five vehicle miles of travel. 

Vehicle Occupancy - When occupancy rates are calculated from NPTS

data, the preferred method is to weight the number of occupants by the trip

length and divide the product by the vehicle miles. The results yield a rate

of person miles over vehicle miles which is commonly referred to as

persons per vehicle.

Vehicle trip - each time a private vehicle goes from one address to another

for a purpose, a vehicle trip is counted, regardless of the number of the

people in the vehicle.