Traveline market research - scoping study

Project details

Full project title: Traveline market research - scoping study

Sponsor: Traveline Marketing Group

Project Manager and principal researcher: Professor Glenn Lyons

Project team: Peter Wiltshire, Dr Erel Avineri, Dr Sendy Farag and Professor Graham Parkhurst

Start date: June 2008

Finish date: July 2009

Project summary

"Traveline is a partnership of transport operators and local authorities formed to provide impartial and comprehensive information about public transport. It operates in England, Scotland and Wales.

"Traveline started operating in 2000. The telephone service was the first service to be provided. Internet followed soon afterwards and more recently the Txt service." [traveline]

Scoping study

The Centre for Transport and Society (CTS) has been commissioned by the Traveline Marketing Group to undertake a scoping study which has as its starting point three questions: how to attract users to the traveline service; what are the likely future scales of enquiries (notably to the telephone call centres); and what can be learnt from existing research (including that commissioned or undertaken by traveline itself)? The research will help develop an action plan for the Traveline Marketing Group.

CTS has been involved in a number of studies examining travel choice making, the demand for information, use of information services and behavioural consequences of information use. This includes a recent strategic review of travel information for the Department for Transport and ongoing research into the barriers to travel information use. This work will be drawn upon as part of a desk study exercise alongside examination of traveline's own market research evidence. The desk study report is to be used as a basis for a workshop with key traveline stakeholders to explore key issues and action planning.