Exit Interview
Participants completed an exit interview with a study team member at the end of the study
after they submitted their final odometer readings. The purpose of the exit interview was to
gather feedback on the participants’ experience during the study including VMT savings
strategies, challenges experienced, and uses of alternative modes of transportation during
the time they had participated in the study. The interview also aimed to collect
recommendations and/or comments participants had for the study staff.
The exit interview was scheduled after the completion of the study period with an email
requesting the participant to schedule an interview session. The interviews were conducted
over the telephone over a period of two weeks. The individual interviews took approximately
10–20 minutes per participant. A specific set of questions was asked, but the interviews
were response-driven. There were two sample groups interviewed (Group A and Group B),
which required group-specific questions. The following section summarizes the responses of
participants by question.
Question #1: “How did you feel about the study in general?”
The initial response for most of the participants included statements that expressed the
opinion that the study was “interesting” (87.5%). Study team members who conducted the
interviews asked the participants to be specific regarding their feedback. The responses
typically fell into three main categories: comments on the study procedures, personal
statements, and comments on saving VMT. In general, the responses indicate that the study
was well-run and thorough.
Suggestions for improvement included many statements that noted more communication
such as email reminders for odometer reading due dates would have been helpful.
Participants who used bicycling to save VMT were grateful that the study motivated them to
ride more and actually improved their physical fitness. Several participants stated that the
study made them more aware of their VMT and driving habits, which ultimately motivated
them to drive less (21.9%). Participant comments seemed to indicate that there is a definite
need for a program like the TDM study or other types of public service announcements in
order to bring a general awareness to the public about saving VMT.
Question #2: “Were there any major changes in your life during the study that
may have affected your commuting or driving mileages such as new job, moving,
marriage, etc.”
This question was asked to clarify any anomalies that may have shown up in the
participant’s odometer reading records. The majority of participants stated that there were
no changes during the study period (71.5%). Participants who claimed to have a major
change most frequently noted that the study had commenced during the last two weeks of
school, which required more driving. Their baseline average had been established during
this period, so the records indicated that they were able to save VMT during the study, but
the savings should be attributed to the fact that they had driven less when summer vacation
had begun. To correct for this, the study team recommends scheduling