Commuter Survey

Findings from an occupant commuter survey can be used to improve features and programs that support the physical and mental health of commuters.

Key Terms

• A commuter survey is, at minimum, an annual survey of occupants that canvasses daily transportation patterns from home to work.
• A conventional commute trip is any daily trip made between home and office with one’s personal vehicle, which would include either an automobile or motorcycle.
• An alternative commute trip is any daily trip(s) in which an individual uses public transit (e.g., bus, rail, metro, shuttle, etc.), active modes of transport (e.g., walking, biking, etc.), or other non-conventional methods (e.g., carpooling, etc.) to commute between home and work.

For full strategy and documentation requirements, please refer to the digital scorecard made available on the Fitwel Platform.

Strategy Insights

• The strategy requires that the survey be fielded at least annually to account for occupant fluctuation and to gauge the success of previous interventions.
• Commuter surveys must include questions pertaining to both conventional and alternative commuting patterns. Examples of recommended questions include:
• “Which of the following forms of transportation do you normally use?” [and provide selections such as single automobile use, biking, walking, public transit, ferry, etc.]
• “If you carpool and/or vanpool, please indicate the number of riders that join you each day.”
• “Do you take the same method of travel to and from work each day?”
• “What is the distance between home and work that you travel each workday?”
• “Please rate your level of satisfaction with transportation services and/or options available at the premises”
• “If you do not travel by alternative transportation, such as public transportation or bicycle, for any trips, please indicate why.”
• There is no minimum or maximum number of questions required; however, it is advised that the overall survey length be kept short so as to achieve an optimal response rate.
• The response rate is calculated as: (Number of Survey Respondents) / (Number of Occupants required to Receive the Survey) = Survey Response Rate (as a percentage)
• A commuter survey may be combined as part of a larger Occupant Satisfaction Survey.

Documentation Guidance 

• The Commuter Survey may be conducted and combined as part of an annual Occupant Satisfaction Survey submitted for Fitwel certification.
• The survey submitted as part of documentation for this strategy should be shown as fielded within one maximum year prior to the Fitwel submission date. For example, if the project is submitting for certification within fall 2024, the survey submitted must be fielded by no earlier than fall 2023, or approximately one year prior.

Sample Documentation