Motorcoach Traveler Satisfaction In-Depth Interview 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 In-Depth Interview Questionnaire.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this questionnaire is to explore motorcoach travelers’ satisfaction with motorcoach carriers and to gather greater detail about their experiences on a recent motorcoach trip. The survey will also determine the level of customer satisfaction with, and knowledge gained from, information from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

By determining traveler satisfaction and especially, gaps in information needs, FMCSA will be able to better reach and educate motorcoach travelers and reduce consumer risk. Through in-depth interviews (IDIs) with people who have recently taken trips on motorcoaches, FMCSA will identify optimal messaging and insights that stress safety.

JUSTIFICATION

This qualitative research is needed to obtain knowledge in ways quantitative methods are not designed or capable. This qualitative research will determine all of the activities motorcoach travelers went through in planning their trips, the information sources on which they relied, their experiences on the motorcoaches, especially, people’s reaction to their experiences regarding safety. This research will determine the communications messages that can be sent to motivate people to consider safety as an important variable in motorcoach travel.

The information collected through IDIs will be used to determine the likely success of specific FMCSA messaging relating to safety. This research design is the optimal approach for determining the specific messaging that will get people to think about safety and thus, improve safety for the motorcoach travelling public.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Respondents will consist of people who have recently taken a trip on a motorcoach. A total of 60 exploratory interviews will be conducted with people nationwide. The population for the IDIs will be segmented based on the value people reported they placed on safety.

• HIGH VALUE PLACED ON SAFETY: 20 Respondents.

• MEDIUM VALUE PLACED ON SAFETY: 20 Respondents.

• LOW VALUE PLACED ON SAFETY: 20 Respondents.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

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

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

[ ] Focus Group [ X] Other: In Depth Interviews

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

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? [ X ] Yes [] No

FMCSA will provide payments as an incentive to participate in IDIs. Each participant will receive $20 per interview. The use of incentives in consumer research has a demonstrated history of improving response rates. Given the time required to participate in the IDIs and the possibility of cell phone usage of respondents, there is an inherent potential monetary cost to each respondent for time spent participating in this research.

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours
Motorcoach travelers	60	:60	60
Totals	60	60	60

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is not to exceed $112,500.00. 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

The respondent universe will be made up of people who have either just completed a trip on a motorcoach or are about to begin their trip. These participants will be identified through direct observation. Based on previous experience, an estimated 240 people will need to be recruited in order to complete the 60 IDIs.

In addition to splitting the respondents based on the value they place on safety, the sample will include a range of races, ages, type of trip (business, leisure, etc.), and type of carrier (national, single-location) and region of the country.

Administration of the Instrument

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

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[X] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

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

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

Research Data-Gathering Design:

A total of 60 participants will be selected, at random, from people recently recruited just before or just after they took a trip on a motorcoach and indicated their willingness to participate in a qualitative research study. The IDIs will determine travelers’ satisfaction with FMCSA’s communications; identify any barriers or apprehension to FMCSA’s communications and especially identify any additional information needs for motorcoach travel. The survey will also assess overall satisfaction with the motorcoach travel process.

The IDIs will be conducted in a conversational manner and structured to engage the respondents in the areas outlined below.

Assessing Communication Effectiveness:

Recall: Unaided recall of specific concepts and communications and travelers’ overall “take-aways.”

Comprehension: The degree to which motorcoach travelers process the messages as intended by FMCSA.

Attitude: Attitude is another predictor of future behavior. The research seeks information on satisfaction with both the content and distribution of FMCSA messaging related to motorcoach travel.

Message Retention: The extent to which respondents have retained and processed messages about motorcoach travel, planning their trips, their on-board experiences and motorcoach travel safety will be determined.

In-depth Interview survey:

The survey that will be used in these interviews is found at the end of this document. It consists of four sections.

Planning the trip

Respondents will be asked a series of questions about all of the activities they went through when they planned their trips. Of interest are the information they desired, if they were able to gather all of it, and their awareness and satisfaction with information concerning motorcoach companies.

On bus experiences

Respondents will define in their own words their level of satisfaction concerning their most recent motorcoach trip.

Safety

Similarly, respondents will be asked a number of open-ended questions pertaining to safety. This information will be used to determine how they define safety as it relates to motorcoach travel.

Messaging

Finally, travelers will be asked questions to determine recall and comprehension of FMCSA messaging, gaps in their motorcoach travel information needs and especially, their suggestions regarding safety messaging related to motorcoach travel.

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