Bay Area Travel Study
The Bay Area Travel Study collects travel and demographic information from Bay Area households every other year. Participants are chosen at random to represent all people in the region. The information collected helps MTC make transportation planning decisions.
2023 Study Now Closed
Thank you for your interest in the study. The study is now closed. Check back soon for findings.
2026 Study
Planning for the 2026 study is well underway to continue tracking regional travel trends.
Staff Contact
Email: TravelStudy@BayAreaMetro.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most frequently asked questions can be found below.
About the Study
What is this study all about?
MTC wants to learn how, when, where and why people travel in and around the Bay Area. We’re asking survey participants to log their travel to help us understand regional transportation patterns. By participating you can help MTC plan for future transportation improvements in your community.
How are the results of the survey used?
The survey results will help local and regional planners understand how day-to-day travel varies across the Bay Area. As technologies and the way people get around continue to change, the results of the survey will help local agencies propose practical transportation investments, produce competitive federal grant applications and prioritize the improvements that best fit regional needs.
Why should I participate?
Your participation ensures that households like yours are represented in Bay Area regional transportation plans. Your input has a big impact because only a limited number of households are invited to participate in the study.
How was I selected to participate?
Invited households were selected at random from the Bay Area region. (You must live within the Bay Area to qualify for an incentive/gift card.)
Can my household participate more than once?
No, your household may only complete the survey one time. If your household has completed the survey already, you will no longer be eligible to receive a gift card if you complete the survey again.
Who can participate in the survey and receive an incentive?
The survey is for legal residents of the United States, 18 years of age or older, who live in the Bay Area.
Employees, clients, contractors, directors and officers of Resource Systems Group, Inc. (the contractor administering this survey), and their immediate family members and people living in the same household with them are not eligible. Not all completed surveys will qualify for an incentive.
Any incentive will be delivered after the identity and address of the winner has been confirmed. Limit one incentive per household completing the web survey or limit one incentive per adult (18+) completing the smartphone survey.
No substitution, cash redemption, or transfer of an incentive is permitted. If an incentive cannot be awarded for any reason, RSG reserves the right to substitute an incentive of equal or greater value. All federal, state and local taxes and all other costs associated with acceptance or use of any incentive, other than the initial shipping or delivery of the incentive to the winner, are the sole responsibility of the receiver of the incentive.
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.