Probe: How do you keep track of any of your personal transportation expenses?
Probe: Do you keep track of the expenses of any other household members? How do you do this?
Probe: Do you make a budget each week or month for transportation expenses? How do you do this?
Probe: Do you go over your receipts each week or month to figure out how much you spent? How do you do this?
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Probe: When you think about your transportation expenses, what are the main concerns you have?
Probe: What decisions do you and others in your household make together about how to spend money on transportation?
Probe: What decisions do you personally make about how to spend money on transportation? 9. Now, think about your monthly transportation expenses.
Probe: How much do you and each member of your household spend each month to get around?
Probe: What transportation expenses do you have each month, such as gas, bus fares, car payments, insurance, etc.?
Probe: Do you get help paying for any of your transportation expenses from family members, government programs, or other organizations?
Probe: Are there times when you don’t go somewhere because it will be too expensive to get there?
Probe: How do you attempt to save money on transportation costs? (Sharing rides/ carpooling, not traveling to places you want or need to visit, finding cheaper ways of getting around, limiting the number of people you take along, repairing vehicles, etc.)
Probe: If you think you need to save more money, what else might you do to save more money on transportation?
10. What are the other major expenses, besides transportation, of your household each month?
Probe: Do you ever cut back on any of these other household expenses in order to get through the month? If so, where do you cut back?
Probe: Do you ever cut back on any of these other household expenses just to meet transportation expenses? If so, where do you cut back?
Probe: Do you ever cut back on transportation expenses in order to meet other household expenses? If so, where do you cut back?
11. Has your level of income changed in the past year? If so, how has this affected the choices you make about transportation?
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13. In 2008, gas prices went up to an average of around $4.50 per gallon.
Probe: How did this increase in gas prices affect how the members of your household got around?
Probe: Did the increase in gas prices cause you to spend less on other things for your household?
14. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency, the VTA, is about to raise bus and rail fares on October 1. For example, the single fare for adults will go from $1.75 to $2.00, and the monthly pass for adults will go from $61 to $70.
Probe: How will this increase in fares affect how you get around? Probe: Will you cut out any trips? If so, what kinds?
Probe: Will this fare increase cause you to spend less on other things for your household? Now I’m going to ask you about some imaginary situations. There are no right or wrong answers—I just want to hear your ideas.
15. First, imagine that VTA buses and light rail are free. How do you think this would affect how you and members of your household get around?
16. Second, imagine that VTA fares double to $4.00 per trip and that the price of a monthly pass also doubles. How do you think this would affect how you and members of your household get around?
17. Third, imagine that the government starts collecting a fee of 10 cents a mile for every trip you make in a car to raise money to fix and improve local streets and highways. How do you think this would affect how you and members of your household get around?
18. Fourth, imagine that you have the option to pay a special toll of $5.00 for trips you make while driving on a freeway that will guarantee that you wouldn’t be stuck in traffic during the trip.
Probe: When do you think you would choose to pay that toll?
Probe: Now imagine that the toll is $10.00. When do you think you would choose to pay that toll?
19. Imagine that a group of public officials asks you: What is the single most important thing that could be done to make transportation better or more affordable for you? What would you tell them and why would it help you?
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20. Now imagine that they took your suggestion and actually made the change. And again they ask: What is the single most important thing that could be done to make transportation more affordable for you? What would you tell them and why would it help you?
Background Information
Please ask the following questions at the conclusion of the interview: A. What is your year of birth?
B. What is your educational background?
C. How do you describe your ethnicity or your country of origin? D. [Note or ask about their gender]
Thank you very much for participating in this interview. As a token of appreciation, I would like to give you this $20.00 gift card to Target.
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