Changes in the Travel patterns of Two-person Households in California between 2001 and 2012

The main objective of this thesis is to highlight the travel patterns of two-person households in California as captured in the 2000-2001 and 2010-2012 California Household Travel Surveys (CHTS). The intent is to present basic travel characteristics of households with two peoples who are couples, are employed and do not have kids at home (denoted as DINK - Dual Income No Kids at home) along with comparisons with two-person households who does not belong to the aforementioned category (NON-DINK) using the CHTS 2000-2001 and 2010-2012 datasets. The results highlight significant differences in travel patterns between the two categories, DINKs and NON-DINKs during the eleven years from 2001 to 2012. The average number of daily trips is higher for DINKs compared to NON-DINKs and the trip rate has reduced in 2012 compared to 2001 for both categories. Auto (driver of auto/truck/van) trips is the primary mode of travel for DINKs and NON_DINKs in CHTS 2001 and 2012. During the eleven years, there has been a decrease in auto trips and an increase in the percentages of passenger, bike, walk and transit trips. The primary trip purpose for DINKs are work or work-related, whereas the primary trip purpose for NON-DINKs are shopping/maintenance trips according to both survey results.